Vietnam, Japan Reach Tourism Deal

Vietnam, Japan Reach Tourism Deal

Vietnam and Japan on April 5 signed a tourism agreement and agreed to set up a joint taskforce to concrete plans of bilateral cooperation in the field.

The agreement was inked in Tokyo yesterday by general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Vo Thi Thang, and Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kazuo Kitaerawa.

Under the agreement, the joint taskforce will discuss the two governments' supportive policies, joint market studies, and personnel training programs for managers and tourist guides.

On the same day, the Vietnamese embassy and the Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA) co-sponsored a workshop on Vietnam's tourist potential. Vietnamese Ambassador Chu Tuan Cap pledged to do his best to promote ties between the Vietnamese tourist industry and Japanese partners.

For her part, VANT chief Thang expressed the belief that the agreement would create a legal foundation for the two countries to boost bilateral cooperation in this promising industry.

The JATA Chairman said his organization and the Japanese Government have worked out concrete policies to bring the number of Japanese tourists to other countries to 20 million in 2007 from 16 million last year.

Japan now ranks the communist’s fourth largest market with 68,084 visitors in the first quarter this year.

VNA, Youth