Hanoi foreign arrivals up 12 pct

Foreign arrivals in Hanoi are on the upswing again this year after a dip in April, according to the city’s tourism department.

Since the beginning of this year, 551,600 tourists have visited the city, a 12 percent year on year increase, the department says.

Arrivals from Germany quadrupled to 104,900 from the same period last year, while those from China and France saw increases of 32 percent each, the Department of Sports and Tourism reported.

Japanese and UK tourist arrivals also went up by 20 percent each, the department said, adding all the mentioned groups were high-spending groups who also stayed for long periods.

The department attributed the growth to tourism events and festivals including “Hanoians welcome you to their homes”, “Hanoi Green Tourism Year” and the Hanoi food and drink festival.

Martial arts tours and tours of imperial vestiges launched recently have also contributed to the increase, the department said.

Pham Quang Long, director of the department, said foreign arrivals in Hanoi had decreased 7.2 percent year on year in April, partly because of hikes in tour prices and room rents.