Hanoi (VNA) - Hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s tourism sector is likely to be one of the first to recover stronglyafter the pandemic is brought under control, according to an expert from Savills Vietnam.

MauroGasparotti, Director of Savills Hotels AsiaPacific, said local travelers, which accounted for 82.5 percentof all tourists last year, are expected to risein number within a short period of time, while international visitors willreturn at a slower but steady rate, especially those from China and the Republicof Korea (RoK).

In termsof international arrivals, the category expected to return the quickest is businesstravelers, especially to gateway cities, followed by independent travelers and those arriving for meetings and conferences, and finally tourists traveling in groups.

The country’s tourism sector is expected to fullyrecover within some six months after an announcement is made that the pandemic hasbeen contained, Gasparotti said.

This year is the first time international arrivals on the globe will fall after ten consecutive years of growth, he added.

The number of foreign arrivals to Vietnam fell 18 percent year-on-year in the firstquarter, while the number of domestic travelers was down 6 percent.

The sector’srevenue declined 11 percent compared to the same period of 2019./.