Vietnamese investors plan to spend billions to build large casinos and resorts in the country to attract Chinese tourists, whose number increased over 30% last year, according to reports on the website of China's Global Times, citing online Vietnamese newspaper VietNamNet Bridge.
The number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad is expected to exceed 100 million this year.
Although their total spending abroad was the highest in the world in 2012 at US$102 billion, their spending per capita was far lower than that spent by Western tourists, but it still suggests the Chinese tourism industry has plenty of potential.
A store in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province has put up Chinese-language signs. (File photo/CFP)Many Asian and European countries now have simplified visa application procedures in order to attract Chinese tourists. Vietnamese investors have also been urged to take action as the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country increased by 33.5% to 1.9 million last year.
The tourists generated US$142.5 million in revenue for Vietnam despite low per capita spending.
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