Vietnam tourism continues to decline
The number of international tourists visiting Vietnam continued its downward slide in May, dropping for the 12th consecutive month.
The General Statistics Office estimates 576,000 international tourists visited Vietnam in May, down 16% compared to May 2014.
So far this year 3.27 million foreign travellers have visited the country, another decline of 12% from the same period last year.
The government admits the complicated visa procedure for visiting tourists is the main reason for the decline but said it needs time to reform the system.
"The government has acknowledged that there must be synchronous solutions for resolving the issues in the tourist industry, which is greatly affected by the declining tourist arrival numbers," Minister Nguyen Van Nen, head of the Government Office said.
"We need more time to consider before giving the final decision," he said.
Vietnamese tourism leaders have long called for a fundamental change in visa policy to give the industry a much needed boost.
The Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) has urged the government to waive visa fees for nationals of key source markets France, the UK, Germany, and Australia.
"Waiving visas is the initial step in attracting tourists to Vietnam," VITA deputy chairman Vu The Binh said.
The government has taken some steps to ease immigration red tape, allowing visa exempt entry to tourists from Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, along with all ASEAN member states.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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