HÀ NỘI — Japan was a key market for the Vietnamese tourism sector, Deputy Ambassador of Vietnam to Japan Lâm Thanh Phương said yesterday, predicting that the exchange of tourists between the two countries would reach 1.5 million arrivals by 2020.

Speaking at a workshop to promote central Đà Nẵng city’s tourism in Tokyo, the official added the number of visitors travelling between the two nations surpassed 1.2 million last year, of which 826,000 Japanese people travelled to Việt Nam.

She attributed the positive figure to an increase in the number of flights linking the two countries. Each week, there are 120 flights between the two countries conducted by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and low-cost carrier Vietjet Air. Bamboo Airway, Việt Nam’s newest airline, has also announced plans to open direct routes.

Deputy head of Đà Nẵng's Department of Tourism, Nguyễn Xuân Bình, said the city was focusing on attracting tourists from key markets, including Japan.

It had many tourism products suitable for Japanese holiday-makers, especially a long and beautiful coast, he stated.

He told Vietnam News Agency reporters on the sidelines of the workshop that last year, around 160,000 Japanese tourists entered Việt Nam via Đà Nẵng International Airport.

The figure was quite impressive, but failed to match the tourism potential of the city in particular and the central region in general, he added. — VNS