VIETNAM. Latest figures from Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) show visitor arrivals have limped back to 2002 levels, but business is yet to recover fully from the effects of SARS, according to the tourism body.
The Administration said over 209,000 foreign visitors came to the country in October, equalling arrivals for the same period last year. During the SARS outbreak, arrivals were down by more than half.
The total 1.63 million arrivals in the first nine months represented an overall -17.3% drop compared to 2002.
But last month saw a significant increase in arrivals from Taiwan, South Korea, Australia and ASEAN member countries, offsetting the fall in Japanese, French and US visitors.
VNAT officials said a number of large hotels in Ho Chi Minh City were reporting occupancy rates of around 80%, compared to 20% during the SARS crisis.
In central Vietnam, Quang Nam regional tourism and hotel investment zones have benefited from the growing traffic into Danang airport that receives direct flights from Hong Kong and Bangkok and is expecting more from Singapore and Japan. For example, Far Eastern Airlines plans to launch indirect flights from the US to Danang via Taipei later this year.
Nguyen Tien Dat, marketing and communications manager of Saigontourist which operates downtown duty free shops in association with Imex Pan Pacific and the largest hotel chain in Vietnam said its occupancy rates had increased by half since the SARS crisis to 80%.
VNAT chairman Nguyen Phu Duc said Vietnam’s tourism industry had come out of crisis despite warnings of a possible new SARS outbreak and fierce competition in Asia.
“Vietnam’s image has gradually recovered in the region and internationally,” he said.
