Published:  16:33 Monday - November 28, 2016

The number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan has increased sharply this year, according to a Japanese tourism official.

A Japanese food vendor points at the name of his fried sweet potatoes, written in Vietnamese. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Over 200,000 Vietnamese have visited Japan in the first 10 months of this year, a 30 percent increase year-on-year, Akihiko Tamura, an official from the Japan Tourism Agency said during a recent meeting with 30 Vietnamese travel agencies in the East Asian country.

The growth can be attributed to new and simpler visa procedures for tourists, Tamura assessed, adding that travel companies in Japan have been paying more attention to the Vietnamese market.

According to Keiji Yoshida, CEO of Asia Investment & Travel Company, which offers package tours to the Asian market, many outbound tour operators in Vietnam have increasingly focused on promoting Japanese tourism to local travellers.

More direct flights from Vietnam to Japan have also opened, providing a more convenient journey for visitors, Yoshida added.

Aside from the meeting, the 30 Vietnamese travel agencies sought new destination partners in Japan to organise more tours for Vietnamese travellers who wish to come to the East Asian nation and vice versa.