On the afternoon of September 24 at the Majestic Hotel, Saigon Tourist Group in collaboration with Tuoi Tre Newspaper organized the Workshop "Promoting Vietnam - Japan Tourism: The attraction of unique tourism products".
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), in the first 8 months of 2024, nearly 8.3 million Japanese people left the country. In the Vietnamese market, more than 461,000 Japanese tourists entered the country, equivalent to 79% compared to 2023.
According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, as of the end of August 2024, Japanese tourists were still in the Top 10 markets sending the largest number of visitors to Vietnam, but ranked 5th, after tourists from many other countries such as China, Korea, etc.
Sharing at the conference, Mr. Huynh Thanh Nhan, Member of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association, said that in 2024, the Vietnamese tourism industry aims to welcome 18 million international visitors, of which Japanese visitors account for an important part.
Therefore, finding solutions to attract more Japanese tourists to Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular is a problem that needs to be raised.
Mr. Hoang Manh Dang, General Director of Apex Vietnam Tourism Joint Stock Company, said that in the general context, the number of Japanese tourists going abroad in 2023 is only over 9.6 million people, much lower than the more than 20 million in 2019. This is due to the influence of many factors...
However, the number of Japanese tourists to Vietnam still shows positive signs. In 2023, Vietnam welcomed 583,470 Japanese tourists, equivalent to a recovery of more than 61% compared to the level of 951,962 tourists in 2019 - the time before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The recovery rate of Vietnamese tourism with Japanese visitors is only behind Korea (70%), above the US (40%) or Spain (49%).
According to Mr. Dang, the number of Japanese tourists to Vietnam in 2024 will continue to increase, because the peak season for Japanese tourists is usually from October to March.
Mr. Dang also pointed out some challenges. Accordingly, the cost of traveling in Vietnam is no longer as cheap as before. According to estimates, a 4-day, 3-night tour (Free & Easy tour) in Vietnam for Japanese tourists has a total cost of about 102,000 Yen, higher than Korea (81,000 Yen) and Thailand (90,000 Yen).
Vietnam has not had many innovations in tourism products and destinations, leading to a lack of attraction and competition with other countries such as Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, etc.
“It is necessary to increase product diversity and improve tourism experiences, so that in addition to attracting more Japanese tourists, we also need to find a way to make them spend money when coming to Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular,” said Mr. Hoang Manh Dang.
Creating unique, affordable, short-term tourism products can attract a large number of Japanese tourists. Therefore, developing specialized tourism packages, combined with cultural and culinary elements such as pho and banh mi, is necessary.
In addition, Vietnam needs to keep prices competitive and maintain stable service quality from food, accommodation, transportation to Wi-Fi, insurance, tour guides, etc.
Mr. Truong Duc Hung, General Director of Saigon Tourist Company, said that in the first 8 months of 2024, the unit welcomed 559,000 international visitors; the proportion of Japanese visitors is estimated at 8% of international visitors.
Recognizing Japan as a potential market in Asia, since the beginning of 2024, the unit has had solutions to attract a large number of tourists such as coordinating to promote Vietnamese destinations in Osaka and Tokyo; expanding the network of partners in Japan; building many new and diverse tourism products; promoting communication and promotion...
