Number of Vietnamese tourists to Japan sees biggest growth in January
Number of Vietnamese tourists to Japan sees biggest growth in January
As many as 51,500 Vietnamese tourist arrivals visited Japan in January this year, soaring 45.6 percent over the same period in 2019, the highest growth rate among source markets for the East Asian country.
The number of Vietnamese travelers to Japan rocketed over 12,000-fold year on year.
The growth was spectacular when Japan welcomed some 1.5 million international visitors last month, falling 44 percent over the pre-pandemic period.
According to a representative of the Japan National Tourism Organization in Vietnam, the results prove that Vietnam is an important source market for Japan.
It is now high time for tours to Japan to admire cherry blossoms.
Tran Thanh Vu, CEO of Vinagroup Travel, which specializes in offering outbound tours, said outbound tours are bustling with destinations in Europe, South Korea, and Japan.
“Due to economic difficulties, customers have weighed and compared prices [of tours offered by different companies] but the decisive factor is service quality,” Vu added.
Ben Thanh Tourist, another local tour operator, also offers diversified tours to Japan with many destinations and prices, including tours during the cherry blossom season, seven-day Tokyo - Mount Fuji - Nagoya - Osaka tours during Vietnam’s Reunification Day (April 30) holiday, and five-day Tokyo - Yokohama - Mount Fuji – Odaiba tours.
According to a TST tourist representative, after two years, Vietnamese tourists are excited to come to Japan.
Local travel companies shared the view that the number of Vietnamese travelers to Japan may grow further if visa application procedures are more favorable.
At a recent meeting between Vietnamese and Japanese enterprises, Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Watanabe Nobuhiro said Japan considers 2023 an ideal time to resume the tourism market.
With activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, many Vietnamese people will visit Japan.
The Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City has added more personnel to its visa issuance unit amid the increasing demand of Vietnamese people.
According to JTB Corporation, the largest travel agency in Japan and one of the largest travel agencies in the world, Japan will see a surge of up to 450 percent in international tourists this year.
The number of foreign travelers coming to the North Asian country surged after it lifted COVID-19 restrictions in October 2022.
Nevertheless, Japanese travel companies admitted that the cost of tours after the pandemic has risen due to the impact of inflation and fuel price hikes.
