Published:  18:51 Wednesday - March 14, 2012

The 1 million target is ambitious, due to a lack of airline seat capacity on key routes, the need to build awareness and gain the support of travel agency channels as well build language skills at guide level, to serve more than double the current Japanese visits.

HANOI, 14 March 2012: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will open a representative office in Tokyo, Japan, by early next year to support tourism marketing activities and step up cooperation between travel firms in the two nations.

VNAT deputy head, Hoang Thi Diep, said this would be the first overseas representative office financed by the Vietnam’s tourism authority.

“The plan is to ratchet up Japanese tourist arrivals to Vietnam from nearly half a million last year to 1 million visits by 2015.”

A memorandum of understanding between Vietnam and Japan on the opening of the office will be signed next month during Festival Hue 2012, Mr Diep said.

“Japan has set up a committee to promote the opening of the office. The annual running cost of US$48,000, will be partly underwritten by Vietnam’s tourism promotion budget and a Japanese partner.”

VNAT has drawn up a list of activities that the new office will engage in to attract 1 million Japanese visitors, annually, within the next three years.

When the office is in place, it will have a substantial marketing and advertising  budget television and newspaper advertising, while using direct sales channels to reach consumers.

The 1 million target is ambitious, due to a lack of airline seat capacity on key routes, the need to build awareness and gain the support of travel agency channels as well build language skills at guide level, to serve more than double the current Japanese visits.

In January to February there were 108,325 Japanese visits up 16.69% from 92,832 visits during the same period last year.

Source: ttrweekly