Measures to lure back Japanese tourists to Vietnam discussed

Three uncertainties
Takamoto Katsunori whose  businesses is one of the biggest source of inbound Japanese  tourists  said that Japanese visitors to Vietnam have grown steadily over the recent years. If there are 440,000 Japanese tourists to Vietnam in 2010, then in 2016 the number is 700,000 people. The rise in number of Japanese tourist arrivals is due mainly to  the tightened Japan and Vietnam relationship. In addition, the fact Japanese tourists have changed their leisure destinations from China, Korea to Vietnam has contributed to the rise in number of Japanese arrivals.  However, according to Takamoto Katsunori, there are 3 issues that Japanese guests are very concerned about while  in Vietnam and Hanoi specifically. The first is traffic safety issue. Although Hanoi has recently implemented many projects to improve transportation infrastructure, most Japanese tourists are still worried about the safety of driving with distraction. Fortunately, no major accidents have happened to Japanese tourists in Vietnam, but no one can assert that in the future there will be no incident. Because even in countries with modern transport infrastructure, Japanese visitors still face serious accidents. The second issue is travel service. According to Apex Japan Company’s survey, the number of Japanese visitors returning to Vietnam for the second time is less than 10%. Meanwhile, Japanese visitors returning to Thailand account for more than 50%. The cause is attributed to the quality of service from accommodation, hotels, restaurants, spas, service attitude of guides, drivers, etc. which is not good, even unable to meet the needs, or at very high cost. In addition, there are shortcomings in visa policy for Japanese tourists. According to Vietnamese regulations, Japanese citizen once out of Vietnam has to wait 30 day to re-enter the country without applying for visa. If he/she return within 30 days, they are not entitled to enjoy visa exemption. That’s why for Indochina tours to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos starting from Ho Chi Minh City and ending in Hanoi, Japanese tourists exiting Vietnam to visit Laos and Cambodia when returning have to apply for visa again. The process is annoying and expensive,” Takamoto Katsunori said.
Improving those figures
Discussing the barriers for Japanese travel agents to take Japanese tourists to Vietnam, Takamoto Katsunori  added that Hanoi should study and consider reducing administrative procedures for prestigious companies with good record of Vietnamese law observance. With regard to traffic problems, Japanese tourism agencies suggested  Hanoi Tourism Department to  regularly organize training courses for bus, tourist cars and public vehicles drivers  to ensure the safety of visitors. As for tourism services, Hanoi can improve tourism workers attitude  by organizing  training for travel agents and improve the awareness of  the whole society. Smile is very meaningful and important to Japanese guests, only smile is strong enough to support and encourage them to return to Vietnam.
Takamoto Katsunori suggested: "We hope Hanoi People's Committee as well as Hanoi Tourism Department will make recommendations to the authorities to reduce visa requirements for Japanese tourists." In the meeting, Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Ngo Van Quy listened to  the proposal and said  Hanoi would study and consider appropriate adjustments to create the most favorable conditions for businesses to take Japanese guests as well as international guests to Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular.