Vietnam will be one of the key tourism destinations to be listed in Japan’s tourism promotion programme in the near future, according to the Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA). Although Japan and Vietnam are struggling in the face of the global economic downturn, 400,000 Japanese tourists have visited Vietnam so far this year.

According to Vietnam Airlines’ vice representative to Japan Kieu Anh, the carrier has so far this year earned around USD 200 million from transporting Japanese tourists and goods from Japan to Vietnam.
Japan is currently the biggest market for Vietnam Airlines, which expects to welcome 440,000 Japanese passengers next year and 600,000 in the next three years.

The carrier has focused its efforts on boosting cooperation with Japanese travel agents and relevant agencies to hold cultural and tourism events to attract Japanese tourists to Vietnam. The carrier now provides six direct flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Japan’s four major cities, namely Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.