Aviation Geography - Tourism in Asia-Pacific has had its challenges Essay

Aviation Geography - Tourism in Asia-Pacific has had its challenges but the growth has been significant in the past 15-20 years - Essay Example The country shows high recovery potential from the 2008 decline brought by the great recession. Receiving 6.8million international arrivals in 2012 up from 4.8 million received in 2008, the country has opted for diversification to ensure that it taps the Asian tourism potential better. Looking into the 2007 gross domestic product, tourism contributed 4.5 % of the total GDP. The country has thus focused more of the foreign direct investments on the tourism sector with an investment of over $94.2billion on tourism-related infrastructure. Inbound tourism in Vietnam registered a significant growth in 2013 compared to 2012. The growth has been attributed to the constant efforts by the government of Vietnam towards the administration of tourism. Through these efforts, the government seeks to make Vietnam the preferred tourism destination for international travellers. The Government through this programme undertook an initiative and organized the Da Nang International Fireworks Competition in Da Nang Province. The event was held on a five-day holiday for the country promoting both domestic and international tourism. The rising levels of disposable income among the Vietnamese people and the improving living standards have been credited as a major boost for local tourism in the country. Further, travelling has become more affordable owed to the increased tourism infrastructure, fostering both local and international tourism alike. According to the UNWTO (2015), the country was able to serve 9.6 million local tourists in th e 3months. The country also targets to receive 10-10.5 million visitors from across the globe and places its local tourism expectations to about 47-48million by the year 2020. The revenues from both are also expected to rise to about $18million or $19billion. The Vietnamese people have a rich history and several tourist destination