The signing ceremony was held in Vientiane on 17 August.

On 17 August 2026, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism signed the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Lao Tourism Representative in Japan at Muang Thanh Hotel in Vientiane.
The agreement was signed by Ms Manisakone Thammavongxay, Director General of Tourism Marketing and Promotion Department and Mr. Shigeyoshi ABE, CEO of Jumping Tour Co., LTD. Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ms Dalany Phommavongsa attended the ceremony, together with representatives from government agencies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Japan in Laos, the Vientiane Department of Culture and Tourism and other relevant organisations.
Japan remains an important tourism market for Laos, with growing bilateral relations and improved conditions for tourism cooperation creating new opportunities to attract Japanese visitors.

The agreement appoints Mr Shigeyoshi Abe as Laos Tourism Representative in Japan for three years, with a possible one-year extension.
Under the TOR, Jumping Tour will serve as the Lao Tourism Representative in Japan and take a leading role in promoting Laos as an attractive destination. Its activities will include providing tourism information to Japanese travel companies, media organisations, journalists, schools and universities, as well as producing promotional content for Japanese magazines, television and other media platforms.
The company will also help translate Lao tourism information into Japanese for promotional materials and support Lao officials and technical teams participating in the annual Lao Festival in Tokyo.
Another area of cooperation will involve promoting and monitoring the Participatory Community Recovery (PPT) project in Viengxay District, Huaphanh Province, helping showcase Laos' cultural heritage, local communities and tourism opportunities to Japanese audiences.
“The expanded promotion comes as Japanese arrivals to Laos show strong growth. Laos welcomed 6,848 Japanese visitors in 2022, rising sharply to 24,824 in 2023 and 28,966 in 2024. The figure increased further to 33,743 in 2025” said Ms Manisakone Thammavongxay.
The upward trend has continued in 2026. Laos recorded 23,133 Japanese visitors during the first six months of the year, an increase of 36 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.
“With the new agreement now in place, Jumping Tour will develop more targeted and comprehensive tourism promotion campaigns across Japan, working closely with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Embassy of the Lao PDR in Japan,” said Mr. Shigeyoshi ABE
The initiative aims not only to increase visitor numbers but also to strengthen Laos' presence in the Japanese tourism market, raise awareness of the country's cultural and natural attractions and encourage more Japanese travellers to discover Laos.
With Japanese arrivals already showing strong momentum, authorities hope the strengthened tourism promotion network will help turn the growing interest into sustained growth for Laos' tourism sector.