Vietnam looks to Japanese market

Vietnam National Administration for Tourism says Quang Nam and Danang have the charm and appeal to attract more Japanese visitors.

VNAT Travel Division head, Nguyen Quy Phuong, said Japan Association of Travel Agents recently identified Vietnam and particularly Quang Nam and Danang as signature destinations that had a strong future in Japanese outbound travel market.

“Next year, there will be more direct flights from Japan to Danang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue that will bring in more Japanese tourists.”

He said JATA represents the bulk of the outbound travel firms so their support will could be a big incentive to increase business to Vietnam. Similar support from JATA agents put Thailand on the map in the 1970s and Japan continues to be one of the country’s major tourism suppliers.

Next year, Vietnam Airlines will launch services to Haneda Airport in Tokyo to serve the growth in tourism.

Japanese investors and tour companies based in Danang have requested more direct flights between Danang and Haneda.

Representatives from Vietnam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that the department will work with airports to create more incentives for airlines to add flights to Vietnam.

For January to October this year, 497,725 Japanese tourists visited Vietnam increasing 5.6% over the same period last year. Vietnam expects to welcome 1 million Japanese tourists by 2015.

Sourced: ttrweekly