According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) in Vietnam, this is the time when the land of cherry blossoms welcomes the largest number of Vietnamese visitors ever by month, surpassing the highest level ever recorded of 55,295 visitors in April 2019.
Cherry blossom season in March and April is when Japan welcomes a large number of international visitors. Photo: Synthesis.
Japan welcomed 1.47 million international visitors in February, up 56% from the same period in 2019. Growth in markets was largely driven by tourists from Southeast Asian countries.
The number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan from January to February 2023 far exceeded that before the COVID-19 pandemic with 107,300 arrivals, an increase of 43.5% compared to the same period in 2019 - when the pandemic did not occur (74,752 arrivals). This is the largest growth rate among all markets sending visitors to Japan. Two other markets with significant increases compared to 2019 are Indonesia (9%) and Singapore (4%).
The number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan is expected to continue to increase in the coming months, according to a report by JNTO. March and April are the months when Japan welcomes many international visitors to see cherry blossoms. In April, the month that marks the beginning of the new fiscal year, international visitors to Japan for purposes such as studying abroad or technical intern training are also often at a high level.
Other factors that are believed to have contributed to the above growth include a series of events and activities on the occasion of the "50th anniversary of the establishment of Japan-Vietnam diplomatic relations" from January 2023; the campaign "Promoting Japanese tourism on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Japan-Vietnam diplomatic relations" with the campaign ambassador "Nhi Thang Family" - the family of singer Dong Nhi and Ong Cao Thang. In addition, it is thanks to the early recovery of Japan-Vietnam flights; the design and increased sales of Japanese tourism products by travel companies.
JNTO Vietnam aims to restore the number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan in 2023 to the same level as before the COVID-19 pandemic (the number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan in 2019 reached 495,051), contributing to promoting tourism exchanges between the two countries.
