Vietnam welcomed 3.7 million international visitors in the first three months of 2020, a drop of 18.1% over the same period last year due to effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest report from the General Statistics Office.

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Around 450,000 international visitors arrived in Vietnam in March, down 63.8% against February and 68.1% year-on-year. 

The decline in arrivals is attributable to travel restrictions and fears over the novel coronavirus pandemic around the globle.

Dramatic drops were seen in major markets such as China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Europe and the US.

In the first three months this year, Asian visitors still accounted for the majority of total tourist inflows, with nearly 2.7 million, down 21.1% over the same period last year. 

Visitors from Europe reached 664,300, down 3.1%. Those from the Americas totaled nearly 900,000, up 7.4%, mostly from the US. Nearly 102,200 arrivals were from Oceania, down 14.4% while visitors from Africa were nearly 11,900, up 2%.

Source: General Statistics Office (Chart: Nhat Minh)

Arrivals by air reached 3 million, accounting for nearly 81.1%, down 14.9% year-on-year, while 551,100 came by road, down 39.4%, and those came by sea jumped 92.1%.

The tourism industry is in a dire situation due to the government’s strong measures to cope with the pandemic such as suspending visa exemption and issuance, isolating all foreign arrivals from March 23, tracking down all entrants from March 8, closing all catering services in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from March 28, and stopping international flights and limiting public transport.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism estimates that the number of domestic tourists in the first three months reached 13 million, of which 6.8 million were overnight stays. Revenue from domestic tourists totaled VND143.6 trillion (US$6.17 billion), down 18% compared to the same period of 2019.