Hanoi (VNA) - Only 3.7 million foreign tourists visited Vietnam in the firstfour months of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a year-on-year decline of 37.8percent, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

In April alone, the number was a mere 262,000, down94.2 percent compared to March and 98.2 percent against April 2019.

Vietnam suspended the granting of visas for 30 days from March 18, which was amajor factor in the declining numbers.

Visitors from Asia accounted for 72.7 percent of the total in the first fourmonths, down 40.3 percent year-on-year, with the sharpest decline of 47.7percent seen in the number of tourists from China.

The number oftourists from Cambodia and Laos, however, increased 157.2 percent and 7.9percent, respectively.

Visitors from Europe fell 25.4 percent year-on-year, of which arrivals fromRussia were down 10.3 percent, from the UK 34.3 percent, from France 37.6percent, and from Germany 35.8 percent.

The number of arrivals from the Americas was down 37.6 percent year-on-year.

Arrivals by air accounted for 80.7 percent of the total, down 35.9 percent, whilethose arriving by road fell 51.4 percent. Those coming via sea routes increased20.7 percent.

After applying social distancing measures, many domestic tourist destinations havenow been re-opened to welcome guests and have introduced promotional programmes,especially on the occasion of Reunification Dayon April 30 and International Labour Day on May 1.

Tourismand accommodation establishments are, however, still applying preventative measuresrecommended by the Ministry of Health.

HCM City's authorities said they will soon launch atourism stimulus programme targeting domestic visitors as well as key plans torevitalize the tourism industry following COVID-19./.