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Vietnam to be among top ten tourist destinations by 2016: report

Vietnam is likely to become one of the top ten global tourist destinations by 2016, a report by US industry research firm, RNCOS, has said.
In its recently published Opportunities in Vietnam Tourism Industry (2007-2009), RNCOS puts the country’s annual tourism growth at 14 percent for the next five years.
“Vietnam is one of the best performing economies in the Asian region. [It] welcomed around 3.6 million international tourists in 2006, representing a 2.1 million increase from 2000,” it says.
Vietnam’s 2006 receipts from incoming tourists reached almost US$2.4 billion, up $1.2 billion from 2000 and accounting for 3.9 percent of the gross domestic products.
“This will also drive economic growth in the country. Aviation, transportation, hospitality, and other industries closely associated with the tourism industry will benefit from this surge in tourism.
“Tourism is among the most rapidly growing industrial sectors in most countries. And, in Asian countries, Vietnam is amongst the destinations enjoying maximum growth rates in tourist arrivals.”
Vietnam has, in recent years, welcomed long-haul visitors from countries like the US, China, Australia, and France, regional travelers from neighboring countries, and high-spending visitors from Northeast Asia.
The Vietnamese government has recently given permission to the national tourism agency, VNAT, to air $400,000-worth advertisements on US television channel CNN.
VNAT expects 3.6-4.4 million foreign visitors in 2007, and also plans to carry out several promotional activities in other countries.

Reported by Thu Thuy