Hanoi (VNA) - Only 44,000 foreign visitors arrived in Vietnam during the thirdquarter of this year, equivalent to just 1 percent of the figure in the sameperiod last year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported on September 29.

COVID-19 prevention measures and international travel restrictions are behindthe declines.

Those arriving in Vietnam in the period were mainly foreign experts andtechnical workers at projects around the country.

Arrivals from Asia accounted for 73.1 percent of the total international arrivalsin the first nine months of the year but were down nearly 73 percent year-on-year,with Cambodia the only exception with a rise of  nearly 12 percent.  

Meanwhile, the number of European visitors fell over 58 percent year-on-year.

According to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), domestictourism will recover faster than international tourism, making it easier forcountries to promote post-pandemic socio-economic recovery. It recommends that countries focus on marketingstrategies and enhance financial support to recover their tourism markets asearly as possible.

Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism HaVan Sieu said Vietnam’s second tourism stimulus programme is expected topromote domestic tourism development and the establishment of service supplychains and alliances, thus diversifying tourism products to attract visitors.

Vietnam has already resumed some international flights./.