The total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in the first eight months of this year increased by 18.4 percent to 4 million against the same period of last year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Tourists ride elephants at Lak Lake in the Central Highland Province of Dak Lak. National disasters, political and economic crises in Vietnam\'s tourism markets are impacting on the industry. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Ha

The strongest growth was 74.2 percent from Cambodia, followed by China (53.5 percent), Malaysia (18.7 percent), Japan (11.7 percent), Singapore (10.6 percent), Taiwan (5.4 percent), France (4.5 percent), South Korea (4 percent), the United States (2.5 percent) and Australia (2.3 percent).

However, the country suffered a month-on-month decrease of 3.4 percent in August to 490,000.

According to the VNAT, this was to be expected because from the end of July to the end of October was off-peak season for foreign tourists.

In addition, since earlier this year, Vietnam\'s tourism industry had suffered from the natural disasters in Japan, political crisis in Thailand and the economic crises in the US and Europe.

To attract more foreign tourists, Vietnam would hold more promotional activities in the near future.

Vietnam would open an International Tourist Exhibition in HCM City from September 14-17 for tourist firms from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, Nguyen Van Tuan, head of the VNAT said at a press conference in Hanoi yesterday.

At the exhibition, both domestic and foreign firms could meet potential partners, Tuan said.

He added that the European Union had helped the VNAT develop a new logo and slogan for the Vietnam tourism promotional programme for the 2011-15 period.

The new logo and slogan would be launched next year, Tuan said.

The administration would continue to promote the Vietnamese tourism industry by holding culture days in other countries, international tourism events and airing programmes on popular television channels such as CNN and the BBC, Tuan said.

Vietnam\'s tourism industry expected to serve 5.3 million foreign tourists and 30 million local tourists this year, with an estimated revenue of VND110 trillion (USD5.27 million).