Vietnam, Japan join hands to tap tourism potential

The official made the statement during a seminar on the development of the Vietnam-Japan tourism market, which was held on September 7 as part of the ongoing 14th International Travel Expo: Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC).

Japan has been amongst the most important markets for Vietnam’s tourism sector, Duc said. In 2017, about 800,000 Japanese tourists travelled to Vietnam, up 7% against the previous year.

Meanwhile, in the first eight months of 2018, Vietnam welcomed more than 465,000 holidaymakers from Japan. 

Vietnam has also implemented various tourism promotion activities in the Japanese market, and at the same time worked to increase outbound tourism to Japan. 

Additionally, the increase of direct flights connecting major cities between Vietnam and Japan has greatly contributed to the tourism sector of the nations.

Duc added that with the comprehensive strategic partnership and cultural closeness, Vietnam will continue to launch new, top-quality tourism products tailored towards Japanese visitors. He voiced his hope that by 2020, Vietnam will receive 1 million Japanese tourists to the country.

For his part, Japanese Consul General to HCM City Junichi Kawaue noted that about 300,000 visitors from Vietnam came to Japan last year, with the Vietnamese market amongst the tourism markets with highest growth for Japan. 

Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines are the most popular Asian destinations for Japanese people, according to the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA).

The association recommended that Vietnam’s tourism sector develop new products in the major cities of Hanoi, HCM City, and Da Nang to meet the demand of Japanese tourists, particularly in terms of shopping tourism, MICE tourism, and cuisine and fashion tourism, among others.

Furthermore, the sector should pay heed to improving the quality of tourism services and workers.