Vietnam gets fewer tourist

Vietnam gets fewer tourist

HANOI (Reuter): Vietnam, which has been a strong tourist and business draw since opening its doors to the outside world, appears to be losing some of its allure.

An official at the National Administration of Tourism said on Tuesday that 700,000 foreigners had visited the country so far this year, seven percent fewer than in the same period of 1996.

A record 1.6 million foreigners, including people on business, went to Vietnam in 1996. Although that was an 18-percent rise from the year before, it was a slowdown from 1995's explosive growth of 33 percent.

The daily Vietnam News quoted the National Administration of Tourism's Deputy Director, Bui Xuan Nhat, as saying business executives were delaying visits to see how changes to the foreign investment law would affect the business climate.