USTOA lists Vietnam as top tourist destination in 2013

December 29, 2012 | 12:33
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United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) recently predicted that Vietnam will be in the top group of emerging destinations for international visitors in 2013, along with Myanmar and India.

The next tourist spots on the list are Peru, Cambodia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador.

Vietnam is ranked second among the emerging tourist spots for international visitors next year in a survey released Tuesday by the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), a professional association in the U.S.

Around 450,000 Americans visit Vietnam each year, which includes overseas Vietnamese.

The fact that Vietnam is listed in the USTOA top list is a good opportunity for Vietnam tourism to show its hidden potential.

Furthermore, Vietnam’s name on a U.S. tourism association’s list of tourist destinations that will become popular in 2013 will attract more visitors from the North American country.

In a survey in 2012, Vietnam also topped this list. However, the rapid political change in Myanmar turned the South East Asian country into a favorite tourist spot for American travelers.

Despite facing a lot of difficulties, Vietnam received more than 6.8 million foreign visitors in 2012, up 14 percent over 2011.

The highest growth was seen in the number of visitors from Russia with 71.5 percent, followed by Finland with 43 percent, the Republic of Korea with 30 percent, Malaysia with 28 percent, Laos with 27 percent, Thailand with 24 percent and Japan with 20 percent.

Those coming from other countries showed a drop, Spain by 3.6 percent, Germany by 6.4 percent, Belgium by 13.5 percent, Hong Kong (China) by 17 percent.

The number of visitors to Vietnam in 2012 for tourism purposes was up 14 percent, for business by 16 percent, for visiting relatives by 14 percent and for other purposes by 2 percent.

USTOA is made up of companies whose tours, vacation packages, and custom arrangements encompass the entire globe but it mainly conducts business in the U.S.

SGGP

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