3. Tourism Industry in Japan
** Visit Japan - Yokoso Japan **
@23/Feb/2005
RSS Eurasia Club/JICA SV in RSS Amman Jordan
Purposes, Coordinator Office, Schedule, Materials, Top
Japan is rich in natural beauties and interests. Tourism industry shall be one of the major industries among the others. But tourism industry in Japan is rather minor one. More over, despite of huge trade surplus, Japan is constantly suffering huge deficit in tourism spending. People's mind for tourism is also changing from traditional to contemporary. And the government is campaigning with their best effort to double the number of foreign traveller visiting Japan from 5 million per year to 10 million per year by 2010.
Average number of trip and days spent for the trip per year
1. Outline of Japanese Domestic Tourism
Average Japanese people spend only 0.1% of his income to pleasure trip And average number of pleasure trip is only 2.5 times per year. Average number of days spent for each trip is only 1.5 days per tip. Demand for the pleasure and recreation activities are all time high. But actual spending is not increasing for several decades. The contents of the trip is changing from just sight seeing to participate the the local events and learning history and culture of the spot they visit.
Thanks to the natural beauty abundantly found throughout Japan, and large
number of hot spas that were made as side products of volcanic activities
of the crusts on which Japan is floating, the overnight hot spa tour in
scenic location is one of the best favored Japanese domestic travel style
for both young and old. Hot spa is good for both physical health care and
mental health care as well.
Estimated economic contribution by tourism in 2003 is 494 billion dollars and offered job to 4 million people, including all business and pleasure trip.
2. Outline of Japanese International Tourism
Foreign traveller coming to Japan is in rather slow increase. In 2003, total number of foreign traveller visited Japan is only 5 million.
Japanese are spending 33 billion dollars per year in oversea trip, while Japan receives only 10billion dollars each year from foreign travellers. Despite of huge trade surplus, we have reserve deficit on tourism spending.
3. Problems of Japanese Tourism Industry
Over decades, people in Japan have not used their given holiday only below 50%. On the other hand, work style has drastically changed from farming work to the office work where more stresses are usually accumulated on his body and mind. People understand that more time shall be spent for recreational activities. Tourism is one of the major recreational activities to ease stresses on his profession. However, consumption ratio of people's given holiday still shows very slow increase, and still not exceeding 50%.
Japan constantly suffers a huge deficit of more than 20 billion dollars annually on international tourism. Japan has so many attractions for tourism and one of the most safe country in the world. But costs for accommodation and others are very high compared with other countries. Moreover, guidance in foreign languages are also not well organized in number of tourist spots. Though, Japanese people has so gentle and kind mind for the foreign tourists, most of the cases, Japanese people's foreign language skill is miserably poor.
4. Measures to be taken on Japanese Tourism Industry
In domestically, government is taking several campaigns to increase holiday
consuming ratio, and increase the quality of people's life. Recommendation
for long term leave or family trip is one of the campaigns. At the same
time, new styles of tourism getting more popular, such as eco-tourism or
green-tourism. In Eco-tourism, people learn how the people's life influences
to the global environment and what counter measures shall be taken by each
person in their daily life. Or, in green-tour, people learn how to cultivate
the foods, actually participating agriculture works. These new style of
tourism produce extra opportunities and wider selection on conventional
tourism industry.
For the international tourism, increase the foreign tourist is the most top priority strategy. Government set out the target of having 10 million foreign tourists by the year 2010, which is double number of the current level. In order to achieve the target, government are making several campaigning under "Visit Japan, Yokoso Japan". On TV broadcasting worldwide, our prime minister appearing the interests of visiting Japan. To get the reasonable accommodation throughout Japan, WEB site, "Accommodation Japan" is set out providing variety of accommodation from low priced youth hostels to 5 star luxurious hotels. Local communities are improving indications for tourist locations in foreign languages. Issuing WELCOME cards for the foreign traveller that can be used in shops and hotels for discounting the charges. Efforts to speed up immigration control is also challenged employing APIS system. Working holiday system is now expanded for 7 countries.
Japan still has great potential in tourism industry to expand more in domestically as well as international tourism. However, this development is largely depend on two points.
1. Life style of Japanese people has to be changed drastically in spending holiday with family. Currently, Japanese people has only 1.3 trips with family per year each trip spend only 2 days. This number shall be doubled or more.
2. For the international tourism, especially to curve the chronic severe international tourism deficit, an accessibility to the low cost travelling is key. Information of low cost accommodation for the foreign tourist shall be made available as a matter of urgency. Another point to be considered is international hub airports. Currently there are several international hub airports in Japan, but none of them are competitive in cost and conveniences or entertainment to the hub airport in other Asian countries. Government and private sector shall take immediate action to improve the situation soonest.
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