Samurai Tours takes local tour operators to Japan

Based Samurai Tours will take Vietnamese travel firms to Japan to assess the impact after March’s natural disaster as part of a plan to regain the trust of local travelers. Nguyen Van Thanh, sales manager of Samurai Tours, told the Daily that from May 30 to June 6, the company would take 12 to 15 local tour operators to familiar tourist attractions of Vietnamese travelers in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. The company is cooperating with All Nippon Airways and other tourism service providers in Japan to organize the trip. “We’re preparing to re-start outbound tours to Japan after our Japanese partners said all of the tourism services are back to normal,” he said. Samurai Tours is specializing in outbound tours for local travelers to Japan. Like other Vietnamese travel firms, the company has temporarily suspended such tours since the earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan in March. Excluding business trips and individual tourists, many local people have yet to book package tours to Japan because of radiation fears. “Just a few guests have asked for package tours since last month,” Thanh said. Some tour operators in HCMC such as Saigontourist Travel Service Co., and TST Tour told the Daily that some companies are waiting for an announcement from the Japanese Government concerning radiation. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said the current situation poses no risk to travelers going to and from Japan. UNWTO said the United Nations organizations that are closely monitoring the effects of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remain confident that radiation levels do not pose health or transportation safety hazards to passengers or crew.