Japan - Target Market of Vietnam’s Tourism

 

Statistics show that despite severe natural disasters like earthquake and Tsumani during recent time, the number of Japanese tourists to Vietnam still increases by 9 percent and ranks the fifth among nations with high growth in Vietnam’s tourism sector in 2011.

 

Deputy Chairwoman Hoang Thi Diep of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, says that in ten recent years, Vietnam has witnessed a good growth trend in the number of Japanese tourists coming over to visit the country. Japanese tourists are fond of destinations having beautiful scenery, historical heritages, shopping potentials, unique cuisine and especially friendly local people. Though they tend to have short stay (about four or five days), their expenditure is relatively high. Furthermore, they often take transnational tours, which also bring cooperative opportunities to countries they travel to in addition to Vietnam.

 

Assessing the advantages to attract Japanese tourists, travel enterprises believe that Vietnam has greater advantages over other Southeast Asia nations thanks to its stable political security; exemption of 15-day visa for Japanese tourists to Vietnam, availability of 5-hour direct flights from Japan to Vietnam, similarities in cultures of the two nations, good diplomatic relationship and Vietnam’s rich tourism resources which are appealing to Japanese tourists’ taste.

 

However, besides mentioned above advantages, Vietnam’s tourism sector is still facing such difficulties as limited budget for tourism promotion, not having a tourism promotion office in Japan, lack of a marketing strategy and tourism products particularly developed for this potential market. Product quality and environmental hygiene are also issues of many concerns.

 

In order to realize the target of receiving one million Japanese tourists as planned for Vietnam’s tourism sector in 2012 – 2015, travel agents believe that this is a good time to accelerate the establishment of a tourism promotion office in Japan with determination from the two countries. This should also be done so as to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Vietnam – Japan diplomatic relationship in 2013. Establishing a tourism promotion office in Japan is amongst activities listed in the work plan of 2012 of Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

 

At the forum on boosting attraction of Japanese tourists to Vietnam in 2012 – 2015 period, many people believe that the tourism sector should take prompt action to develop a website in Japanese based on researches of Japanese tourists’ taste; establish Vietnamese – Japanese Tourism Development Working Group; maintain and further develop direct flights between the two countries; enhance training of tourist guides speaking Japanese as well as the tourism human resources, etc.

 

Japan is among markets with high growth rate in Vietnam’s tourism sector. It is hoped that with endeavours to promote and develop tourism of the whole tourism sector and travel enterprises, the tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Japan will get better and better and Vietnam will top the list of destinations in Southeast Asia area that Japanese tourists long to come for visit during forthcoming time.