Vietnam among fastest-growing tourism destinations

United Nations World Tourism Organization's list of Top 20 fastest-growing destinations based on tourist arrivals.

Vietnam has ranked seventh on a list of the world’s Top 20 fastest-growing travel destinations, announced recently by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The list is based on an assessment of increases in tourist arrivals. Vietnam welcomed 6.2 million international visitors what period is this?, up 30.2 per cent over the same period last year. The number was 10 million last year, an increase of 25 per cent compared to 2015, while domestic tourists totaled 62 million.

Among Asian countries on the list, Vietnam’s seventh place was the third highest, behind Nepal (second, with arrivals up 39.7 per cent) and South Korea (fourth, with arrivals up 30.3 per cent).

West Africa’s Sierra Leone topped the list, with a 310 per cent increase in overseas arrivals in 2016, to 74,400, compared to 2015’s 24,000 arrivals, due to the country being declared Ebola-free in November 2015.

The UNWTO also published a list of ten countries seeing sharp declines in foreign arrivals last year: Egypt, Afghanistan, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, Suriname, Palau, Haiti, Belgium, Aruba, and Laos.

Vietnam has been named among the world’s top tourist destinations several times in the past, including the Top 10 cheapest countries to travel in 2016, as voted by The Richest from the US, the top ideal countries for backpacking tourism in 2016, by Rough Guide from the UK, and the top eco-friendly tourist destinations, by travel experts from Boundless Journeys and Adventure Life.

by Le Diem / VET