Hanoi, Jan 29 (IANS): Vietnam welcomed over 19,700 international arrivals in January 2022, up 11.2 per cent year on year, mainly due to the pilot tourism programmes and resumption of regular flights, the country's General Statistics Office said on Saturday.

In the period, foreign visitors entering the country by air accounted for 88 per cent of the total, followed by road with 11.9 per cent and sea routes with 0.1 per cent, respectively, reports Xinhua news agency.

Most of the arrivals were from Asia (70.2 per cent), according to the office.

Vietnam closed its border and grounded all international flights in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only allowing entry for Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts and highly-skilled workers on special flights and with certain quarantine requirements.

The country has been piloting quarantine-free tourism programmes to welcome back international visitors since November 2021.

It resumed regular commercial flights to a number of international destinations that were highly safe from Covid-19 starting January 1 this year.

Vietnam received just 157,300 international arrivals in 2021, down 95.9 per cent year on year, mainly due to impacts of the pandemic, said the office.