A representative office of the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) was launched in Viet Nam on March 28 as part of the two countries’ effort to boost bilateral tourism cooperation.
During the opening ceremony, the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the JNTO inked a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance destination promotion and visitor exchange; and share experience and information on areas of mutual interest.
Speaking at the event, VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuan gave attendees an overview of development in Viet Nam-Japan tourism cooperation from 2010 to 2016. Viet Nam recorded an average growth rate of 9 percent annually in the number of Japanese tourist arrivals over the past 6 years. In 2016, the country welcomed approximately 740,000 visitors from Japan, up 10 percent from a year earlier, Tuan said.
Meanwhile, as many as 233,000 Vietnamese holidaymakers travelled to Japan last year, a year-on-year increase of 26 percent, he added.
He noted the opening of the JNTO representative office in Viet Nam is expected to fuel the tours between the two countries.
For his part, JNTO President Ryoichi Matsuyama said the organisation plans to launch dozens of tours to Japan so that Vietnamese travellers can experience different cultural aspects of Japan like cuisine, cherry blossom and festivals.
Head of the JNTO Representative Office in Viet Nam Takahashi Ayumi vowed to support Vietnamese tour operators in selling tours to Japan.
The office is scheduled to join the 2017 Viet Nam International Travel Mart on April 6-9.