Vietnam is a potential market that provides a large number of tourists for Japan , a representative from the Japan Tourism Agency said at a workshop in the central city of Da Nang on July 28.

The number of Vietnamese holiday-makers to Japan increased sharply over the years, hitting a record of 185,000 in 2015, up 49 percent from the previous year. The figure has reached 110,000 so far this year, said the official.

The representative attributed that sharp increase to Vietnam’s stable economic development policies and the devaluation of the Japanese yen.

Echoing the official’s views, Cao Tri Dung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents stressed that Japan has become an attractive destination to vacationers from Vietnam ’s central region.

The direct air route linking Da Nang city and Japan launched in July 2014 and Japan’s simplification of visa procedures since November of the same year have contributed to this trend, he added.

Attended by representatives from authorities of the five Japanese localities and tourism companies of the two countries, the workshop aims to draw more Vietnamese tourists to Japan and boost tourism cooperation between Da Nang and Japan.

VNA