PATTAYA, Thailand (12 Mar 2007) -- The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) forecasts that the total revenue of the tourism industry may reach VND56 trillion (US$3.5 billion) this year, 10% more than 2006. This year the tourism sector targets to serve around 23-24.4 million visitors, including 4-4.4 million international travelers, up by 11-22% compared to 2006, and 19-20 million local tourists, up by 5.5-11%. According to the world leading consulting organization Globalysis Ltd, Vietnam is one of the destinations with the highest growth rates in Asia. Based on its current position and policy, the Vietnamese tourism sector will gain the highest growth rate in 2007. Globalysis said that the number of foreign visitors to Vietnam grows 10% annually and will reach around 3.94 million in 2007. "In its five-year plan, the VNAT targets to draw 6 million foreign visitors and double its income to reach $5 billion by 2010. The government also announced to spend $7.6 million for this five-year plan. This amount of money is equivalent to the spending of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia within only one year. To turn tourism into a key industry, the Vietnamese government needs to pour more money into the tourism industry from now on, not till it becomes lucrative," said Karl D John, Director of the TCK investment consulting company in Vietnam. | 
