Vietnam ranked 19th in a list of 40 most visited countries based on an analysis of flight bookings between July 1 and August 31 by Spain-based travel data and analytics company ForwardKeys.

South Korean tourists in Nha Trang, May 2023.

Most Southeast Asian countries, except Thailand, stood behind Vietnam on the list, including the Philippines at 23rd, Singapore 24th, Indonesia 27th, and Malaysia 36th.

Thailand was 14th and one of the only two Southeast Asian countries to break into the top 20 along with Vietnam.

The number of foreign tourists arriving in Vietnam by air this summer jumped 12% over the same period last year but was 28% lower than pre-pandemic levels, the report said.

Vietnam welcomed 2.3 million international visitors in July and August, equivalent to 80% of the figure during the same period in 2019.

Of these, nearly 2 million visitors arrived by air, about 88% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Starting August 15, Vietnam's new immigration policy accepts e-visa registration from citizens from all countries and territories, with the visa valid for multiple entries and for 90 days.

In addition to granting e-visas to all countries, the government also extended the duration of stays in Vietnam from 15 to 45 days for citizens of 13 countries unilaterally exempted from visas.

Vietnam has received 8 million foreign tourists so far, and striving to receive 12 million foreign arrivals by the end of this year.

In 2019, the year before the pandemic, the country welcomed a record 18 million foreign visitors and earned tourism revenues of VND750 trillion ($30 billion).

Southeast Asian countries are in an international tourism recovery race, relaxing visa policies and boosting tourism promotion campaigns.

According to the latest report by travel firm Outbox Consulting Company, Vietnam's tourism recovery rate in the first half of this year against the same period of pre-pandemic levels reached 65.7%, lower than neighbors such as Singapore (67.4%), Malaysia (68.3%), Indonesia (67.5%) and the Philippines (66%).

Thailand's tourism recovery rate was 63%.

Thailand started granting visa exemption for Chinese and Kazakhstan tourists from September 25 while Indonesia recently offered its golden visa policy that allows foreigners to stay up to 10 years.

The Philippines last month trialed its first-ever electronic visa (e-visa) system starting with China.

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Source: VnExpress