Vietnam among top ten fastest-growing tourism destinations worldwide

Vietnam has been ranked as one of the world’s ten fastest-growing tourism destinations by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), according to information revealed at a conference themed “The world tourism development trend and the impact on Vietnamese tourism” organised by the General Department of Tourism on August 20 in Hanoi.

According to the UNWTO, the number of international tourists worldwide in 2018 has surpassed 1.4 billion. This is the second highest growth milestone in the period from 2010 to the present. In particular, Southeast Asia is the leading region for international growth.

UNWTO’s forecasts show that, by 2030, the number of international tourists worldwide will reach 1.8 billion. Southeast Asia will become the fourth largest attraction area in the world for international visitors.

In Vietnam, international visitor numbers are forest to grow by 29.1 per cent, which translates into 19.9 million expected arrivals and means it would surpass Indonesia and Singapore and move to rank three in Southeast Asia.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute of Tourism Research and Development, said that in 2015 Vietnam welcomed eight million international visitors, and in 2018 welcomed 15.4 million. Total revenue from tourists reached over $26.73 billion. Thus, only in three years, the number of international visitors to Vietnam has nearly doubled.

Tourism arrivals in Southeast Asia in 2018

1. Thailand               38.3 million
2. Malaysia              25.8 million
3. Singapore            18.5 million
4. Indonesia            15.8 million
5. Vietnam               15.4 million
6. Philippines          7.1 million
7. Cambodia            6.2 million
8. Laos                      4.1 million
9. Myanmar            3.6 million
10. Brunei                   1.4 million

Fastest-growing tourist destinations for 2019 by percentage:
(UNWTO forecast)

1. Egypt                                                    55.1%
2. Togo                                                     46.7%
3. San Marino                                         31.1%
4. Vietnam                                              29.1%
5. Georgia                                               27.9%
6. Palestine                                             25.7%
7. Niue                                                      25.4%
8. Nepal                                                    24.9
9. Israel                                                    24.6%
10. Northern Mariana Islands            24.3%