International tourist arrivals in Vietnam surged in May 2022.

In the first five months of 2022, Vietnam received 365,300 international visitors, 4.5 times more than the same period last year, but still down 95% compared to the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the General Statistics Office, revenue from accommodation and food services in the first five months of 2022 increased by 15.7% year-on-year due to increased demand. Furthermore, the SEA Games 31 events contributed to a 69.3% increase in revenue for this sector in May 2022 compared to the same period last year.

Tourism revenue in the past five months also increased by 34.7% compared to the same period last year due to the strong recovery of tourism activities and the SEA Games 31 event which attracted many international delegations to Vietnam.

According to information from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), the latest report from the World Economic Forum indicates that Vietnam's tourism industry's growth index in 2021 ranked 52nd, an increase of 8 places compared to 2019, placing it among the top 3 countries with the highest growth in the world.

Of the total number of international visitors to Vietnam in the first five months, the strongest increases were from Australia and the Americas, with 17,806 and 49,675 visitors respectively, representing increases of 2,918% and 2,192%; followed by visitors from Europe with 65,253, an increase of over 975%. Visitors from Asia reached nearly 231,000, an increase of 222%, and from Africa 1,583, an increase of 168%.

In addition, visitors arriving by air reached 320,700, accounting for 87.8% of international visitors to Vietnam, 6.3 times higher than the same period last year; the remainder arrived by land and a very small number by sea.

The report also stated that Vietnam had the highest score increase in the world (+4.7%). In terms of ranking, Vietnam's tourism sector rose 8 places compared to 2019 (the 2019 ranking results were also recalculated and adjusted according to the Tourism Development Capacity Index). Along with Vietnam, Indonesia (up 12 places) and Saudi Arabia (up 10 places) were the three countries with the highest increase in the tourism development capacity index. Some popular destinations in Southeast Asia saw a decrease in scores, such as Thailand (down 1 place to 36th), Malaysia (down 9 places to 38th), and the Philippines (down 2 places to 75th).

On April 27, 2022, Vietnam temporarily suspended health declaration regulations, and from May 15, further suspended COVID-19 testing for incoming travelers. This creates favorable conditions to attract a large number of tourists to the country, aiming towards the peak season for international visitors from September each year…

Phuong Thao is an editor at Travellive magazine. She is passionate about traveling and enjoys capturing moments with her camera in every place she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are Phuong Thao's favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao