Vietnam's International Arrivals Drop for First Time in 6 Years

As 2015 draws to a close, Vietnamese tourism has had something of a roller coaster year.

Though the country's arrival numbers are finally on the rebound, Vietnam's General Statistics Office (GSO) estimates the year's total number of foreign visitors will be 7.94 million, marking the first decrease in six years.

While the 0.2% decline isn't great news, things could still be worse. According to Tuoi Tre, December arrivals are expected to reach 760,800 for a 2.6% increase from November's already strong arrival numbers and a 15% jump from the same period last year.

In fact, thanks to friendlier customs officers and a round of visa waivers, foreign arrivals are in their sixth consecutive month of growth since a 13-month slump ended in July.

According to GSO statistics, more international travelers are visiting Vietnam by air and sea, however our Southeast Asian neighbors seem less keen to come by, with arrivals from countries like Cambodia, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Laos on the decline. European tourists topped 1.36 million this year, while 647,700 visitors came from the Americas. Australian and New Zealand arrivals took a dive to 341,400, down 5% from last year, while African visitors nearly doubled in 2015 with 27,200 visitors.

[Photo via Flickr user M]