Vietnam travel drops

HANOI : Vietnam National Administration of Tourism estimates the country welcomed 564,736 international travellers in July representing a decline of 14.2% over the same month last year.
Thailand’s outbound trips to Vietnam ranked in ninth place with 19,594 trips, a decrease of 12.6% during the same month in 2013.
China continued to lead the field during July with 123,442 visits, but it was down 28.8%. Other top source markets were South Korea, Japan, the United States and Taiwan.
China’s decline in visits to Vietnam was attributed to a territorial dispute over the site of an oil rig in the South China Seas. There were violent protests against Chinese visitors in some Vietnamese cities that caused massive cancellations of holiday bookings from China.
Neighbouring Cambodia ranked seventh with 26,537 trips , also representing a decline of 13.4% over the same month last year.
All of the country’s top markets were in the Asia/Pacific region with the exception of the US (fourth) and Russia (eighth).
The bulk of arrivals in July (448,724) passed through the two main aviation gateways Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Sourced: ttrweekly