The event, co-organized by Da Nang’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), drew the participation of about 50 delegates from travel companies.
It was viewed as an occasion for Vietnamese and Japanese businesses to connect together and explore tourism promotion activities, thereby deepening bilateral relations.
At the conference, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Kunio Umeda affirmed that as Vietnam and Japan are celebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, it is an optimal time for the two nations to foster cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, culture, social affairs and tourism.
Da Nang has already established relations with 20 Japanese localities and held many exchange activities with them over the past years, said Director of the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs Lam Quang Minh.
He noted that the launching of two direct flights from the city to Japan’s Narita and Osaka has created favorable travel conditions for businesses and citizens of Da Nang. After four years, the annual Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange Festival attracted more than 60,000 visitors.
Minh expressed his hope that Vietnamese firms will receive counseling on Japan’s tourism market, helping them expand business activities and provide qualified tourism services which attract more Japanese tourists to the city and vice versa.
At the event, JNTO representatives also introduced famous tourism destinations, festivals, cultural traits, and shopping malls in Japan.
JNTO statistics showed that the number of Vietnamese tourists to Japan hit 300,000 for the first time in 2017. Meanwhile, Japan ranked third in the number of tourists to Vietnam. The Vietnamese Cultural Festival in Japan and the Cherry Blossom Festival in Vietnam have become annual much-awaited events for people of the two nations.
Source: VNA