Saigon among world’s fastest growing tourist cities

The website used data from British market research firm Euromonitor International to compile a list of major cities around the world that are expecting the highest percentage of growth in tourist arrivals by 2025, that is over the next seven years.

Vietnam’s largest city was 13th on the list, with international tourist arrivals forecast to reach 10.2 million by 2025, double the figure of 5.5 million last year.

Hong Kong topped the list with an estimated 40 million tourists by 2025, followed by Thailand’s Bangkok, Singapore and Macau.

Among countries, India was on top, with five cities expected to fetch record-breaking number of tourist arrivals in the years to come.

Leading international travel guide publisher Lonely Planet had earlier this month included Ho Chi Minh City in a list of top ten places to visit in Asia.

Last April, the prestigious U.K.-based travel site, Rough Guides, also included Ho Chi Minh City in its list of eight best places to experience nightlife in Southeast Asia.

The city welcomed more than 3.83 million foreign tourists in the first half of this year, up 26.5 percent from a year ago. On average, foreign visitors to Ho Chi Minh City spent $145 a day and stayed for 5.21 days last year, according to a study by the city’s Tourism Department and the General Statistics Office.