Japanese prefecture promotes tourism in Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) –Tourism attractions of Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture were introduced at a workshop in Hanoi on July 13 with the aim of increasing the number of Vietnamese tourists to Japan.

Addressing the event, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Ha Van Sieu said Vietnam considers Japan a key market for both outbound and inbound tourism.

In 2016, Vietnam welcomed 740,000 Japanese visitors, up 10.3 percent from the previous year, reflecting an active cooperation in tourism promotion between the two countries at all levels.

The number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan has also increased, turning Vietnam into an important source market of Japan.

Sieu expressed his hope that the Japanese Government will further ease visa requirements towards exempting visa for Vietnamese tourists, so that more people can travel to Japan.

Takahashi Ayumi, head of the Vietnam office of the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), highlighted the popular attractions in Kanagawa prefecture, which is the third most populated localities in Japan, following Osaka and the capital city of Tokyo.

Located in Kanto region, the prefecture has many beautiful landscapes, such as the port city of Yokohama, many hot spring resorts in Hakone, and the old city of Kamakura which has many Buddhist Zen temples and Shinto shrines.-VNA