Hanoi (VNA)- Vietnam welcomed 6.2 million foreign visitors in the firsthalf of the year, a year-on-year increase of 30.2 percent, and served 40million domestic tourists, earning a total of 262 trillion VND (11.5 billionUSD) in revenue.

According to General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of TourismNguyen Van Tuan, the first six months marked a period of high-quality growth forthe nation’s tourism industry.

He attributed this to efforts made by the sector and the guidance of the Partyand State.

According to Tuan, early this year, the Politburo issued Resolution 08-NQ/TW ontourism development, aiming to turn it into a spearhead economic sector. InJune, the National Assembly approved the revised Law on Tourism, aiming to facilitatetourism development.

Vietnam also held the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue onSustainable Tourism in Ha Long city, the northern coastal provinceof Quang Ninh, part of the counctry’s efforts to promote regional sustainable tourismdevelopment.

During the period, the tourism sector has focused on improving the quality oftourism services and managing travelling and tour guide servicesnationwide.

Many new projects from strategic investors have been completed and put into operationnationwide, improving service capacity.

The Government plans to expand several airports to meet increasing demand ofvisitors, he said, adding that attention has also been paid to managing tourismsites and ensuring safety and security for holiday-makers.

Regarding online visa applications for tourists, Tuan said this is an importantpolicy and is an effective tool to improve competitiveness, attracting moreforeign tourist arrivals.

In February, the Government adopted online visas for citizens from 40 markets, henoted, adding that the Government also decided to extend visa waivers forforeigners from the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus untilJune 30, 2018.

He also mentioned establishing a fund to support tourism development in 2018,saying that it is hoped to create impetus for the industry.

Sectors and localities need to work together to solve difficulties and overcomeshortages, in order to realise the goal of welcoming 13 million foreign touristsin 2017, Tuan stressed. -VNA