FOREIGN VISITORS TO VN UP 22.9% IN NINE MONTHS
As many as 11.6 million foreign visitors to Viet Nam in the first nine months of 2018, a year-on-year increase of 22.9%, according to the General Statistics Office.
The numbers of foreign visitors travelling by air, sea and road reached 9.4 million, 190,805 and two million, witnessing respective increases of 17.4%, 0.5% and 62.1%.
HO TRAM CONDOTEL TO BENEFIT FROM NEW TRAVEL TRENDS
Nha Trang, Danang, and Phu Quoc are witnessing a boom in the condotel business segment. However, in Vietnam, the trend now is of short trips and self-discovery drives, and these places do not really fit the bill. However, Ho Tram Strip and its new addition, Ramada Kahuna, are the next promising destination for investment in condotels.
VIETNAM HOTEL MARKET ATTRACTS FOREIGN INVESTORS
The hotel market has been growing quickly, with the number of projects developed by foreign investors and managed by foreign brands increasing from 30 in 2010 to 79 by the end of 2017.
LOCAL F&B FIRMS EXPAND TO COUNTER FOREIGN COMPETITION
Local food and beverage (F&B) firms are expanding operations and upgrading the management technology and production lines in response to foreign competition.
VISA WAIVER FOR WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES EXTENDED
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed to extend the visa waiver for visitors from five Western European countries to three years, starting from early July. In a press release on a regular Government meeting issued on May 3, the Prime Minister made a determined effort to carry out tasks and solutions to transform tourism into a spearhead economic sector.
VIETNAM’S LARGEST CASINO TO OPEN GATES NEXT YEAR
Macau’s biggest junket operator Suncity Group Holdings Ltd. is undaunted in its ambition to start operating Vietnam’s largest casino in the central province of Quang Nam. The project is expected to be launched next year.
EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE AMONG PRIORITY FDI SECTORS IN 2018-2030
New-generation FDI attraction for 2018-2030 will focus on education and healthcare, the sectors making the most added value, in addition to financial services, metal forging & chemistry, hi-tech equipment, logistics, and pharmaceutical.
OPEN VISA POLICY URGED TO MAKE VIETNAM’S TOURISM MORE ATTRACTIVE
Industry insiders have urged the Government to further open up visa policy for foreign tourists to make Vietnam’s hospitality industry more attractive. Vietnam has set a target of welcoming 20 million foreign visitors in 2020 and developing tourism into a key economic sector, and one way of achieving that goal is to provide visa waivers for important markets, the insiders said.
