Vu The Binh, head of the Travel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told the Daily on September 16 that the high expectation was based on the sector’s encouraging growth rate of over 30% in the year to date. Positive feedback from overseas partners for the high inbound tourism season by the year-end is another factor for optimism, Binh added.

The country welcome over 3.8 million international visitors last year, down 11% from the previous year, but international arrivals in the first eight months of this year reached 3.35 million, up 35.2% year-on-year.

In an original plan, the tourism authority expected 4.5 to 4.6 million international visitors to come to the country this year.

The tourism sector has been active in promoting the country’s image abroad, with promotions carried out in Germany, France and Belgium from late August to early this month. The country also plans to bring a tourism promotion program to some Chinese provinces next month.

In the promotion program for Europe, Binh said, the tourism sector found a good channel able to help Vietnam promote and sell tourism products to hundreds of thousands of overseas Vietnamese there.

Along with the promotions, the tourism authority is asking for policy incentives to spur foreign arrivals in the country, he said. “We’ve received approval from the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to extend visa-fee exemptions to international travelers.”

But the incentive for package tour takers will need a final decision by the Government, and might take effect next month, he said.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has put Vietnam in the list of Asian countries with strong tourism performance in the first half of this year.

The organization said Asia had once again shown a strong capacity for recovery with 14% growth in the period. Vietnam and Myanmar had the same growth of 35%, just behind Sri Lanka and Japan.