The southern capital jumped 11 places from last year to 79th while the capital, Hanoi, rose six places to 88th, in a ranking of the 100 best city destinations in 2022 compiled by British market research firm Euromonitor International.
To compile the index, the company researched 100 cities around the world across six major categories: tourism performance, economic and business performance, tourism policy and attractiveness, tourism infrastructure, and health, safety and sustainability.
For the second year in a row, Paris was named the world’s most attractive tourist destination, followed by Dubai and Amsterdam.
The rest of the top ten places were Madrid, Rome, London, Munich, Berlin, Barcelona and New York.
Many other Asian cities fared better than Vietnam’s two largest cities in this index, with Singapore (15th) leading the region, followed by Tokyo (20th), Seoul (26th), Shanghai (31st), Bangkok (39th) and Taipei (48th). ). ),
“2022 saw the removal of mandatory quarantines for arrivals and the elimination of mandatory PCR tests in many regions, with these easing at a slower pace in Asia,” Euromonitor International said in a report. “This has led to a significant rise in the number of expats coming through cities all over the world.”
“Asia is the region to watch in 2023 as the resurgence of international travel, both inbound and outbound, is sure to change the rating,” Euromonitor reports.
Vietnam reopened its borders on March 15 and was one of the first Southeast Asian countries to fully reopen to international tourism without Covid-19 restrictions.
The number of foreign visitors in the first 11 months of the year was 2.95 million, in part due to stricter visa requirements.
In the year prior to the onset of the pandemic, 2019, Vietnam received 18 million foreign visitors.