Vietnam is estimated to welcome nearly 1.6 million international arrivals in the first five months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 12 percent.

The country's biggest tourism markets in the five-month period include China with nearly 265,000 visitors, South Korea with over 182,000, and the United States with 163,000, the Hotel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism told Xinhua on Friday.

Hotel room occupancy rates have so far this year averaged over 80 percent, the department said, noting that four- or five-star hotels in such major cities as Ha Noi, southern Ho Chi Minh City, and central Da Nang city, have posted full room occupancy.

Vietnam has planned to pour 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in the tourism sector from now to 2010, and most of the money will be spent on upgrading roads leading to tourism resorts nationwide, and developing new infrastructure works in the central region and Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands region), a senior official from the administration said, declining to be named.

With the investment, the country hopes to welcome 5.5 million to 6 million foreign visitors and 25 million to 26 million domestic ones in 2010, and make total tourism revenues of 4 billion to 4.5 billion dollars in the year.

"According to a survey conducted by Vietnam's General Statistics Office last year, over 34.7 percent of foreign visitors have returned to our country for at least one more time," the official said.

Vietnam hosted nearly 3.5 million international arrivals and 16 million domestic visitors in 2005.

Source: Xinhua