White Paper on Tourism in Japan, 2011

SummaryTable of Content
State of Tourism in FY2010
Part INew Developments in Tourism Policy

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Part II

Promoting Tourism Policy by the Entire Government
Damages Caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Toward
the Recovery from it
Structure of Local Industries related to Tourism

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2

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4
14

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26

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36

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37
38
41

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44

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44

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45
45
46

State of Tourism and Measures in FY2010

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Current State of Tourism
Creating Attractive, Internationally Competitive Tourist
Destinations
Strengthening the International Competitiveness of the Tourism
Industry and Developing Human Resources to Contribute to thePromotion of Tourism
Promoting International Tourism
Improving the Environment for Encouraging Tourist Travel

Tourism Measures in FY2011
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4Introduction
Creating Attractive, Internationally Competitive Tourist
Destinations
Strengthening the International Competitiveness of the Tourism
Industry and Developing Human Resources to Contribute to thePromotion of Tourism
Promoting International Tourism
Improving the Environment for Encouraging Tourist Travel1

Part I New Developments in Tourism Policy
Chapter 1 Promoting Tourism Policy by the Entire Government
Section 1 Tourism Administration as a Growing Field“The realization of tourism nation” is regarded as an essential national issue for developing theJapanese economic society in the 21st century as seen in the enactment of “the Tourism Nation
Promotion Basic Law” in December 2006 and the cabinet decision on “the Tourism Nation
Promotion Basic Plan” in June 2007. Under such circumstances, it is necessary to promotemeasures for realizing a tourism nation comprehensively and systematically by the entire
government by strengthening collaboration and coordination among concerned agencies andministries in order to achieve a tourism nation. “The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA)” was founded on
October 1, 2008 as an external bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism (MLIT) to develop a system that enables functional and effective enforcement of operations
and clarify an organization that is responsible for tourism administration.
Under a consciousness that tourism realizes economic growth without depending on the increaseof pubic spending, in order to realize a tourism nation by the entire country, “the Tourism Nation
Promotion Headquarters” consisting of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism as its chief and the senior vice-ministers from all agencies and ministries was establishedin December 2009. The three working teams were established under the Headquarters to advancethe consideration among concerned agencies and ministries; 1) “Working team on the attraction offoreign tourists” that carries out coordination for resolving issues related to the attraction of foreign
tourists including a problem of issuing the tourist visa for the Chinese people, 2) “Tourism
collaboration consortium” that deliberates on comprehensive promotion measures related to various
tourism menus such as eco tourism, green tourism, cultural tourism, industrial tourism, medical
tourism and sports tourism, and 3) “Working team on the decentralization of vacations” which
deliberates on and coordinates the decentralization of vacation taking that has a great effect on the
reduction of travel costs through an equalized demand for tourism, improvement of productivity ofthe tourism industry, stabilization of employment, etc.
In May 2010, “the MLIT Growth Strategy Conference” consisting of experts in each field createda report on growth strategies of Japan concerning the administration of land and transportation
including the realization of a tourism nation. In addition, “the New Growth Strategy: Toward a
Radiant Japan, Blueprint for Revitalizing Japan” of the government decided by the Cabinet in June2010 positions the promotion of a tourism nation as one of the seven growth strategy fields.
The demand for tourism including the visits to Japan and domestic travel by Japanese nationals
has decreased at a national level because of considerable damages in tourist destinations in Tohoku,
etc. caused by the Great East Japan earthquake in March 2011 and of mood for voluntary ban andharmful rumors. However, tourism is a pillar field that should support local areas recovered fromthe earthquake damage and revitalize the entire country. Therefore, we will commit ourselves toactively making efforts for tourism promotion together with the recovery from the disaster.
Section 2 Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan and Its Promotion“The Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Law” which positions the realization of a tourism nation
as an essential issue for the development of Japanese economic society in the 21st century wasenacted in January 2007, and based on the Law, “the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan,” amaster plan to promote various measures concerning the realization of a tourism nation
comprehensively and systematically, was decided by the government in June 2007. This plan setsout basic principles related to measures concerning the realization of a tourism nation and the goals
such as 1) raise the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan to 10 million by 2010, 2) raise thenumber of Japanese tourists visiting overseas to 20 million by 2010, 3) increase the amount ofdomestic consumption on tourist travel to 30 trillion yen by FY2010, 4) raise the average number ofstays per person for domestic tourist travel by the Japanese public to 4 nights per year by FY2010,
and 5) raise the number of international conferences held in Japan by more than 50% by 2011. Also,
the Plan stipulates necessary measures to achieve those goals.
The entire government, mainly the Japan Tourism Agency, will promote measures to realize atourism nation comprehensively and systematically.
2

▼Five goals to realize a tourism nation in “the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan”
Amount of consumption on tourist travel in Japan

In accordance with the Tourism Nation
Promotion Basic Law, “the Tourism Nation
Promotion Basic Plan” was decided by the
Cabinet on June 29, 2007. The Basic Plan
stipulates the five basic goals to realize atourism nation.

It will be raised to 30 trillion yen by FY2010
29.7 Trillion yen
2.2 Trillion yen
1.1 Trillion yen

24.4 Trillion yen*

2.5 Trillion yen

1.6 Trillion yen

・Term of Plan: Five years
・ The plan is checked every year andreviewed approx. three years later

23.9 Trillion yen

22.8 Trillion yen

FY2005

Number of foreign tourists visiting Japan

FY2010Influence of the increased invacationsInfluence of the baby-boom
generation
Consumption of foreign
tourists visiting Japan

Consumption of Japanese
domestic tourists*Value before the correction(value after the correction is23.9 trillion yen)

Number of stays per person in domestic tourist travel

It will be raised to 10 million by 2010 and to the samelevel as the number of Japanese tourists goingoverseas in the future.

It will be raised to four nights by FY2010.

(Unit: 1,000)(Nights)
4.00
2.77*
Average increase of 8.1% isrequired in the future

2006*Provisional value (definite
value is 2.72 nights)

2010

FY2006FY2010

Number of Japanese tourists going overseas

Number of international conferences held in Japan

It will be raised to twenty million by 2010.

It will be raised by more than 50% by 2011.

(Unit: 1,000)

Average increase of 3.3% isrequired in the future

2006

Average increase of 7.0% is
required in the future.

2005

2010

3

2011

Chapter 2 Damages Caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Toward theRecovery from it
Section 1 Great East Japan Earthquake“2011 Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake (epicenter: Sanriku-oki, depth of seismic center: 24
kilometers (provisional value), scale: Magnitude 9.0 (provisional value, worst in the recorded
history in Japan))” occurred on March 11, 2011.
Various places in Japan, mainly the coastline of the Pacific Ocean in the Tohoku area, were hit
by a series of huge tsunamis and it caused unprecedented damages more serious than those causedby the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The Fukushima Daiichi and Daini Nuclear Power Plants
owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) were damaged by the tsunamis so that the
20km-radius has been designated as an evacuation zone.
Section 2 Response to tourists, accommodations and foreign tourists immediately after the Great
East Japan Earthquake
After the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, the safety of tourists anddamages of hotels and Japanese inns were confirmed. Hotels and Japanese inns accepted theaffected people across the prefectural border. In addition, the Japan National Tourism Organization(JNTO) provided various information on the earthquake, etc. on its website and the Tourist
Information Center (TIC) for foreign tourists visiting Japan provided a call service on a 24-hourbasis.
1. Acceptance of the affected people by hotels and Japanese inns across the prefectural border
The Japan Tourism Agency has supported the acceptance of the affected people ataccommodations across the prefectural border by utilizing the system under the Disaster Relief Act
in collaboration with related ministries and agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Labour andWelfare.
2. Financial support, etc. for the tourism industry
Apart from the existing disaster guarantee and safety net guarantee, the emergency guarantee
for the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake was established forsmall-and-medium-sized businesses that have been affected by the earthquake directly andindirectly as well as those affected by the nuclear power plant accident and harmful rumors. In
addition, the special loan for the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake (partially interestfree) that has expanded the limit of loan and the reduction of the rate of interest was founded inaddition to the existing loan system provided by Japan Finance Corporation, etc.
3. Extension of the valid period of travel agency license
Taking serious damages caused by the earthquake into account, the valid period of travel agency
license has been extended temporarily for travel agencies that have major offices in certain areas towhich the Disaster Relief Act has been applied.
4. Prevention of harmful rumors
We request travel agencies to provide tourists with accurate information on the earthquake andthe accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini Nuclear Power Plants owned by TEPCO.
5. Response to foreign tourists visiting JapanOn the JNTO website, accurate information on the disaster such as the state of domestictransportation infrastructure, the radiation level, etc. has been provided in multiple languages
immediately after the earthquake. Moreover, the regular opening hour (9 am to 5 pm, every day) of
the Tourist Information Center (TIC) has been extended to respond to foreign tourists visiting
Japan such as multilingual phone inquiry service on the state of operation of airports and railways
on a 24-hour basis (the phone service on a 24-hour basis ended at the end of April 2011).
Section 3 Damages and effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake
1. Damages to registered hotels and inns
About 25% of the 285 registered hotels and inns in the six prefectures in Tohoku have suspended4its operation including the eight facilities that were heavily damaged. A number of other registeredhotels and inns were forced to provide limited services because of damages of facilities.
2. Effects on accommodations and travel agencies
Not only the directly-affected areas but also other tourist destinations have been affected by asignificant reduction in tourists because of the voluntary ban of various activities, etc. About 61%,
48% and 36% of reservations made for March and April were cancelled in the Tohoku area, theKanto area and the entire country, respectively, since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
With regard to domestic travels, a number of tours not only for visiting the Tohoku area, a majoraffected area, but also for visiting western Japan and the Tokyo Metropolitan area were cancelled.
The amount of domestic travel sales treated by major travel agents decreased by 31.5% on a
year-to-year basis (for the first time in 6 months). The number of inbound tourists also decreased
compared to the previous year at tourism-related facilities around the country. The Japan Tourism
Agency notified parties concerned of the effect that efforts for promoting tourism would also support
the affected areas.
3. Current state of MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention or Congress, Event or Exhibition
including International Conventions) and their future
Many international conventions, etc. were cancelled or suspended not only in the affected areas
but also around the country because of the earthquake. The JPO Commissioner and the JNTO
President issued a letter for organizers of international conventions who are considering a
possibility of canceling them and right holders of deciding a host nation of international conventions
that are in the final stage of selection and provided accurate information in order to prevent theincrease of cancellations.
4. Foreign tourists visiting Japan and Japanese nationals traveling overseas(1) Number of foreign tourists visiting JapanThe number of foreign tourists visiting Japan in March 2011 decreased by 50.3% on a
year-to-year basis and reached 353,000 (see Figure I-2-3-1). Before the Great East Japan
Earthquake occurred (March 1, 2011 - March 11, 2011), it had been increasing by 4% on a
year-to-year basis to about 215,000. After the earthquake (March 12, 2011 - March 31, 2011), it
decreased by 73% on a year-to-year basis to about 137,000.
It decreased by 62.5% on a year-to-year basis and reached 296,000 in April 2011. This is theworst rate of decrease in the recorded history on a monthly basis (see Figure I-2-3-1).
Figure I-2-3-1 Number of foreign tourists visiting Japan on a year-to-yearbasis from November 2010 to April 2011
(Ten thousand people)

About 78.8

62.5% Decrease

About 29.6

November 2009~April 2010
November 2010~April 2011

(Month)(Note) Prepared by JTA based on materials of JNTO

5

(2) Number of Japanese nationals traveling overseas
The number of Japanese nationals travelling overseas in March 2011 decreased by 12.2% on a
year-to-year basis and reached 1.372 million (see Figure I-2-1-2). The rate of decrease is not as big
as the months affected significantly by the simultaneous terrorist attacks in 2001, the pandemic of
SARS in 2003 and the global financial crisis in 2009.
In April 2011, it decreased by 9.0% on a year-to-year basis and reached 1.104 million for thesecond consecutive month (see Figure I-2-3-2).
Figure I-2-3-2 Number of Japanese nationals traveling overseas on a year-to-yearbasis from November 2010 to April 2011
(Ten thousand people)

About 121.3

9.0% Decrease

About 110.4

November 2009~April 2010
November 2010~April 2011
(Month)(Note) Prepared by JTA based on materials of JNTO

Section 4 Toward promotion of domestic travel and the recovery and promotion of the demand for
visits to Japan
1. Promotion of domestic travel(1) Domestic travel promotion campaign
The first domestic travel promotion campaign has started on April 21 utilizing the unified logo
and catch-phrase (“Ganbaro! Nippon” which
can be translated as “Never give up Japan”) asa joint effort by the public and private sectors.
The campaign will be enhanced incollaboration with local communities as wellas the tourism, transportation and relatedindustries, and tourism promotion measures
Logo of “Ganbaro! Nippon”
including the cooperation for events, etc. areplanned to be implemented.
(2) Deployment of volunteer package
The volunteer package, a program in which private travel agencies dispatch volunteers to theaffected areas, has been implemented utilizing results and know-how obtained from the “survey
and analysis on pattern of and attitude toward travel thorough travel for social contribution
activities such as volunteer” implemented by the Japan Tourism Agency in the FY2010
supplementary budget.
2. Recovery and promotion of the demand for visits to Japan(1) Provision of accurate information to the priority overseas markets
1) Provision of information in multiple languages on the JNTO website
Information related to the earthquake such as the state of domestic transportation
infrastructure and the radiation level has been provided. In addition, information on daily life inJapan which is difficult to see from other countries has been provided in multiple languages using
movies, etc. toward the recovery of the demand for visits to Japan since April.
62) Visit of JTA Commissioner Mizohata to China and Korea
Mr. Hiroshi Mizohata, Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, visited Beijing from April 10
to April 11, 2011 to meet Mr. Shao Qiwei, Chairman of the National Tourism Administration of thePeople’s Republic of China, and visited Seoul to meet Mr. Choung Byoung-gug, Minister of Culture,
Sports and Tourism Republic of Korea. Commissioner Mizohata appealed the provision of accurate
information on the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear
power plant accidents as well as the promotion of visit Japan travel. Also, Commissioner Mizohata
broadly appealed to the local media for the same purpose.
Column: Efforts for the recovery of foreign tourists visiting Thailand after the 2004 Indian Ocean
Earthquake and Tsunami
The coastline of Andaman Sea in southern Thailand was damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean
Earthquake and Tsunami. The number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand started to decrease
because of its effects and the tourism crisis had occurred.
The Thai government clarified the main target countries and the sub-target countries from aviewpoint of marketing toward the recovery from the tourism crisis, and then the government
planned, implemented and verified short-term, mid-term and long-term promotion for each target.
Such measures as the visa exemption, exemption and discount of landing fees, deduction of certain
amount of taxes for stay at local hotels for Thai nationals, exemption of entrance fee of nationalparks, etc. were implemented other than the tourism promotion.
Clear information on the affected areas and non-affected areas was transmitted to the mass
media for a viewpoint of public relations.
The public and private sectors actively appealed travel products in a united manner for therecovery by providing discounts of hotels in a limited period.
Firstly, how the overseas mass media reports is important in order to recover the number offoreign tourists. Secondly, it is important to create an environment where travel agencies are able
to sell travel products without fear. The overseas mass media and travel agencies which have an
influence over the tourism of Thailand were invited by turns at an unit of few hundreds people.
This contributed to the accurate transmission of information on the state of local areas.
Section 5 Economic effects of tourism and scale of tourism of the three prefectures in Tohoku
1. Economic ripple effect and employment effect of tourism
The domestic travel consumption in FY2009 in Japan was 22.1 trillion yen. The direct economic
effect is estimated to have been 11.0 trillion yen (2.3% of GDP (nominal GDP) for the direct effect of
creating added value and 2.11 million people (3.4% of the total number of employees) for the effectof generating employment.
Figure I-2-5-1 Breakdown of the domestic travel consumption (22.1 trillion yen) by market
Domestic overnight trip by Japanese nationals
14.9 trillion yen(5.5%)
Travel by foreign tourists
1.2 trillion yen(5.6%)

Overseas travel by Japanesenationals (domestic part)1.2 trillion yen(67.1%)

Domestic day trip by
Japanese nationals
4.8 trillion yen(21.7%)(Note) Japan Tourism Agency “Consumer Outlook Survey in Tourism”

7

In addition, the production ripple effects including indirect effects brought by the travel
consumption is estimated to have been 48.0 trillion yen (4.9% of the domestic production amount),
the added-value creation effect to have been 24.9 trillion yen (5.2% of GDP (nominal GDP)), and theemployment inducing effect to be 4.06 million people (6.3% of the total number of employees).
Figure I-2-5-2 Economic effects by industry (FY2009)
Amount of
travel consumption
Food industry Retail industry
1.55 trillion yen 1.31 trillion yen
Agriculture, forestry andLodging industry
fisheries industry
22.1
3.41 trillion yen
0.26 trillion yen

Trillion yen

Production
ripple effectTransportation industry
5.57 trillion yen

Employment
inducing effectCatering industry
2.39 trillion yen
Travel service industry
1.27 trillion yen

Food industry
3.47 trillion yen
Agriculture, forestry andfisheries industry
1.10trillion yen

Food industry
183 thousand people

Retail industry
2.34 trillion yen

48.0

Agriculture, forestry andfisheries industry
418 thousand people

Lodging industry
3.52 trillion yen

Trillion yen
Transportation industry
7.03 trillion yen

Retail industry
505 thousand people

4.06

Lodging industry
351 thousand people

million people
Transportation industry
405 thousand people

Catering industry
2.75trillion yen

Catering industry
583 thousand people
Travel service industry
148 thousand people

Travel service industry
1.63trillion yen(Note) Based on “Survey of the Economic Effects of the Travel and Tourism Industry” issued by the Japan
Tourism Agency

As mentioned above, the travel consumption in Japan has direct economic effects on the travel
and tourism related industries and production ripple effects on various domestic industries bystimulating the budget consumption of employees who work in the travel and tourism relatedindustries.
2. State of tourism in the three prefectures in Tohoku(1) Tourism consumption in the three prefectures in Tohoku and comparison with major industries
As already mentioned, tourism and travel have strong ripple effects on the Japanese economy.
Therefore, viewing the scale of tourism in the three prefectures (Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima
prefectures, hereinafter referred to as “the three prefectures in Tohoku”) which have particularly
been affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake among the affected areas in terms of the tourism
consumption, only the amount from April to June 2010 is available as data. However, the datashows that the tourism consumption accounts for a significant part of the annual value of
shipments of major industries in the three prefectures. Also, the tourism consumption exceeds theannual value of shipments of major products of each prefecture (see Figure I-2-5-3, Figure I-2-5-4
and Figure I-2-5-5).
In the three prefectures in Tohoku, tourism has a strong influence on the local economy same as
major industries in each prefecture. Considering wide economic ripple effects of tourism mentioned
in 1, the recovery of tourism seems to contribute to the recovery and revitalization of the economy in
the affected areas.

8Figure I-2-5-3 Comparison of scale of the tourism consumption
and major industries of Iwate prefecture
Amount of consumption on tourism (April to June)
Agriculture (annual)
Surface fishing (annual) (excluding surface aquaculture industry)
Manufacturing of transport machinery and appliances (annual)*No. 1 in Iwate prefecture
Food manufacturing industry (annual)*No.2 in Iwate prefecture
Value of shipments of broilers (annual)*No.3 in the country
Value of shipments of connector for printed-wiring board (annual)*No.1 in the country(Notes)1: Prepared by the Japan Tourism Agency based on “Statistics on Inbound Tourists based on the CommonStandards,” “2008 Statistical Survey on Industry” by METI, “2009 Value of Agricultural Shipments” and“2009 Amount of Fisheries Production” by MAFF
2: This table compares the amount of production (value of shipments) of each industry/product from the supply
side and the tourism consumption (final demand) in order to see the scale of tourism consumption in the threeprefectures in Tohoku. Therefore, the amount of production (value of shipments) does not take into accountadded values in the final consumption stage so that is should be treated as reference

Figure I-2-5-4 Comparison of scale of the tourism consumption
and major industries of Miyagi prefecture
Amount of consumption on tourism (April to June)
Agriculture (annual)
Surface fishing (annual) (excluding surface aquaculture industry)
Food manufacturing industry (annual)*No.1 in Miyagi prefecture
Electronics component manufacturing industry (annual)*No.2 in Miyagi Prefecture
Value of shipments of rice (annual)*No.6 in the country
Value of shipments of switch (annual)*No.1 in the country(Notes)1: Prepared by the Japan Tourism Agency based on “”Statistics on Inbound Tourists based on the CommonStandards,” “2008 Statistical Survey on Industry” by METI, “2009 Value of Agricultural Shipments” and“2009 Amount of Fisheries Production” by MAFF
2: This table compares the amount of production (value of shipments) of each industry/product from the supply
side and the tourism consumption (final demand) in order to see the scale of tourism consumption in the threeprefectures in Tohoku. Therefore, the amount of production (value of shipments) does not take into accountadded values in the final consumption stage so that is should be treated as reference9Figure I-2-5-5 Comparison of scale of the travel consumption
and major industries of Fukushima prefecture
Amount of consumption on tourism (April to June)
Agriculture (annual)
Surface fishing (annual) (excluding surface aquaculture industry)
Manufacturing industry of telecommunications devices (annual)*No.1 in Fukushima prefecture
Electronics component manufacturing industry (annual)*No.2 in Fukushima prefecture
Value of shipments of rice (annual)*No.4 in the country
Value of shipments of metal packing and gasket (annual)*No.1 in the country(Notes)1: Prepared by the Japan Tourism Agency based on “”Statistics on Inbound Tourists based on the CommonStandards,” “2008 Statistical Survey on Industry” by METI, “2009 Value of Agricultural Shipments” and“2009 Amount of Fisheries Production” by MAFF
2: This table compares the amount of production (value of shipments) of each industry/product from the supply
side and the tourism consumption (final demand) in order to see the scale of tourism consumption in the threeprefectures in Tohoku. Therefore, the amount of production (value of shipments) does not take into accountadded values in the final consumption stage so that is should be treated as reference(2) Ratio of overnight travelers to Tohoku by their residence
The number of overnight travelers to Tohoku from January to December 2010 was analyzed bytheir residence. 49.0% of them are from the Tohoku area, 33.9% from the Kanto area and 17.1 fromother areas. Travelers from the Tohoku and Kanto areas account for more than 80% of overnight
travelers to the Tohoku area.
The demand for overnight trip in the Tohoku area is mainly supported by residents of the
Tohoku area. However, it is expected that the demand for travel by residents in the Tohoku area
would decline because of the Great East Japan Earthquake. To recovery and revitalize the local
economy by tourism by focusing on its economic effects, it is important to attract overnight travelers
from areas other than the Tohoku area, particularly the Kanto area that accounts for the major partof the demand from areas outside the Tohoku area even before the earthquake, so that the decline
in demand would be compensated.
Figure I-2-5-6 Ratio of overnight travelers to Tohoku by residence
From other areas
17.1%
From the Tohoku area
49.0%

From the Kanto area
33.9%

(Notes)1: Prepared by the Japan Tourism Agency based on “Statistical Survey on Overnight Trip”
2: The Tohoku area includes Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures. The Kanto
area includes Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Chiba, Saitama, Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures10Section 6 Roles of tourism toward the recovery
1. Short-term roles
The recovery and reconstruction of such life infrastructure as electricity, water supply, gas
supply and housing and such social infrastructure as the transportation infrastructure including
roads, railroads, ports and airports and communications facilities are necessary for reconstructing
the affected areas, because they directly contribute to the reconstruction of life of the affected people.
While immediate recovery has been implemented rapidly, certain time is required for designing acomprehensive recovery plan and a development plan for the affected areas, because they need to be
formulated and implemented after a future course of those areas. On the other hand, tourism can beresumed if the social infrastructure is recovered to some extent, and contributes to the recovery of
the local economy in terms of generating employment. There is no doubt that tourism can play suchrole at a relatively early stage.
For example, in Orland, Florida, one of the major tourist destinations in the United States
where there are a number of huge theme parks, the change in the number of employees in that area
before and after the Lehman shock in 2007 was investigated and analyzed. The results* show thatthe number of employees had decreased in industries other than the tourism industry after the
Lehman shock, while that of tourism-related industries had increased despite of the decreased
tourism-related sales. During that period, the tourism authority of Orland played a leading role in
implementing active campaigns for attracting tourists as a joint effort by the private and public
sectors. Particularly, a strategy to maintain the number of tourists was implemented even though
unit prices of travel products and services would be reduced substantially. As a result, the total
number of tourists had increased. This shows that if the number of tourists who visit one area ismaintained despite of sacrifice of short-term tourism consumption and revenues, the labor force forproviding tourists with service is required accordingly. Therefore, tourism-related industries have a
big capacity to maintain employment.
*See Zhong, Y, Hara, T., Ro, H, Dickson, D (2011) “Quantifying the Impacts of the Recent Economic Crisis on a Local
Tourism Industry and Economic System ” 16th Annual Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research
Conference in Hospitality and Tourism, Houston, TX

2 Mid-term and long-term roles and issues
As described in the above-mentioned section, in considering a recovery plan for the entire area
after reconstruction of the life and social infrastructures toward the complete recovery of theaffected area, it is important to take into account the position of tourism in that area, plan a future
course of recovery and to incorporate it into the plan from an early stage of consideration, because
tourism contributes to recovery and revitalization of the local economy to some extent.
One of the reasons is a time factor. According to the experience of the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake, it was in 1998 (25.28 million people) when the number of tourists visiting Kobe cameback to the level before the earthquake (24.4 million people). However, that number includes thenumber of tourists visiting Kobe Luminarie that has been held since the earthquake. Excluding thenumber of tourists visiting Kobe Luminarie, it was in 2006 (12 years after the earthquake, 24.99
million people) when it came back to the level before the earthquake (see Figure I-2-6-1). The
example of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the most recent great earthquake, shows that theearly implementation of efforts can have a great effect on a period required for recovering thenumber of tourists. To this end, it is important to incorporate an image of tourism of local areas intoa plan of future course of them at an early stage.

11

Figure I-2-6-1 Change of the number of inbound tourists visiting Kobe from 1994 to 2009
(Ten thousand people)

Subtotal

Subtotal (including Kobe Luminarie)

Total (including Kobe Luminarie, large events, etc.)
1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999 2000

2001

2002

2003 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008 2009(Note) Prepared by the Japan Tourism Agency based on “Change of the number of inbound tourists from 1994 to2009”, Kobe City

The other reason is a spatial factor. That is, tourism is based on land, history, culture, resources
and communities in each area and the products cannot be transferred. As it cannot be transferredfrom that area, it should be surely incorporated into a future course of that area and maintainconsistency with the entire image of that region at an early stage. Such “locality” of tourism is
supported by the Japanese people’s consciousness on travel. Although the survey only targets the
young generation, the results show that most common purposes for domestic travel are closely
related to regional resources. The experience of natural sceneries and the visit to hot springs,
historical places and cultural heritages are major activities in travel and the purchase of food,beverages and local products is a major consumption activity (see Figure I-2-6-2). Therefore, in
formulating a recovery plan of an area, it is necessary to incorporate those factors at an early stage.

12

Figure I-2-6-2 Purposes for domestic travel

Activities during the trip

Enjoy shopping of other than local
products

Buy souvenirs

Buy local products

Enjoy eating/drinking

Experience of agriculture or fishing

Factory visit tour

Experience of craftwork or processing ofagricultural product

Visit famous place for flowers

Climb mountain

Go to concert or event

The sports and cultural activities, andtours to participate
Participate in or visit festival, event,regional event, etc.

Visit home

Enjoy outdoor activities such as skiing,snowboarding, diving, etc.

Visit theme parks and amusement parks

Enjoy driving

Training camp of clubs, etc.

Visit famous buildings

Visit and watch historical places, cultural
heritages, museums and art museums

Total
Male
FemaleVisit hot springs

Watch and touch natural sceneries

GenderShopping and eating

Notes: Based on “Survey and analysis on travel pattern of the young generation” by the Japan Tourism Agency,
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Overview of “Survey and analysis on travel pattern of the young generation” by the Japan Tourism Agency,
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Period of survey: March 2011
Method of survey: Internet survey (monitor survey)
Target: Male and female students who live in Japan from 18 to 25 years old (university, junior-college,
technical college and postgraduate students)

3. Toward the development of competitive tourist destinations
As mentioned above, in order for tourism to contribute to the recovery, it is necessary to develop
tourism locations that are resilient to external factors.
As we have seen in the examples in which the number of domestic tourists and foreign tourists
visiting Japan decreased because of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, SARS and the Lehman
shock, tourism tends to be affected by external factors such as the economy, natural disasters, etc.
The Great East Japan Earthquake has also caused the decrease in the number of tourists aroundthe country mainly in eastern Japan because of direct and indirect effects of the earthquake. It is
unrealistic and impossible to eliminate the effect of external factors, but it is important to takemeasures in peacetime based on the recognition that external factors could affect tourism.
Some of the verifications* of the measures for recovering tourism after the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake point out that strategic management of recovery of tourism did not exist at an earlystage and that statistics on tourism were not enough to implement strategic management. The
example of Orland in the United States shows that strategic management and marketing
evaluations on which it is based had success. It is necessary to grasp strong and weak points of eachtourism location on a regular basis such as which type of tourists highly evaluates own tourist
destination and which type of tourists does not in order to minimize the effect of external factors.
Such efforts in peacetime would help strategic efforts in the process of recovery in line with a future
course of growth of tourist destinations.
*See Nobuji Kitano “Efforts for Tourism Promotion” and Hyogo prefecture, Committee of 10-year Construction“Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake: Report on Comprehensive Verification and Suggestions after 10 Years ofReconstruction”

13Chapter 3 Structure of Local Industries related to Tourism
1. Necessity of autonomous formation of the tourism industry
The tourism industry is based on a number of companies such as facilities that attract tourists,
the lodging industry, the transportation industry, retail stores, restaurants that directly deal with
tourists and companies that provide those companies with products and services. Prosperity or
failure of tourist destinations affects local industries to a large extent, because tourism is closely
related to regional resources such as employment. Therefore, the autonomous and sustainable
development of the tourism industry is expected in order to realize a tourism nation not only in eacharea but also around the country.
On the other hand, the tourism nation has a strong regional character so that a ratio and effectsof the tourism industry vary in each area. Therefore, the “test survey for the basic survey on
structure of the tourism industry* (provisional title) to grasp characteristics of each tourism-relatedindustry as well as the “survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism
industry*” to investigate the consciousness of residents and tourists were conducted by focusing on
Furano City (Hokkaido prefecture), Shima City (Mie prefecture) and Iida City (Nagano prefecture).
2. Characteristics of tourism-related industries in Furano City, Shima City and Iida City
(1) Overview of the three cities
The area, population and number of tourism business offices of the three cities are shown in thetable below (see Figure I-3-1-1).
Viewing characteristics of the industrial structure of the three cities in terms of the composition
ratio of the number of employees at tourism business offices, the lodging industry accounts for 5.7%
in Furano City, 11.3% in Shima City and 1.6% in Iida City. The ratio of the three cities exceeds thenational average (1.3%). In addition, the ratio of the entertainment industry is higher in Shima
City than in the other two cities. On the other hand, the ratio of the agriculture, forestry andfisheries industry in Furano City and the ratio of the manufacturing industry in Iida City arehigher than the other two cities (see Figure I-3-1-2).
Figure I-3-1-1 Overview of area, population and concentration of offices in the three cities
Total area*1(km2)
Furano City
(Hokkaido prefecture)
Shima City
(Mie prefecture)
Iida City(Nagano prefecture)

Population*2

Concentration of tourism offices
Number of tourism offices*3
Number of employees*3

600.97

24,266

1,299

11,243179.7054,7003,477

22,514658.76105,364

6,914

54,394(Notes): *1 Geospatial Information Authority, “2008 National survey on Area by municipality and prefecture”*2 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, “2010 National Census (quick estimation)”*3 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, “2006 Statistical Survey on Offices andCompanies”

14Figure I-3-1-2 Composition ratio of the number of employees by industry

National total

Furano City

Shima City

Iida City

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry

Food manufacturing industry

Other manufacturing industry

Mining industry / building industry

Retail industry

Restaurants

Lodging industry

Transportation industry

Entertainment industry

Other tertiary industries(Note) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, “2006 Statistical Survey on Offices and Companies”*Overview of “Test survey for the basic survey on structure of the tourism industry (provisional title)” by Japan
Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Period of survey: November 2010
Method of survey: Survey by sending questionnaire sheets by mailTarget: 2972 offices in Furano City (Hokkaido), Iida City (Nagano) and Shima City (Mie). The tourism industry
in this survey refers to businesses that provide tourists with products and services (retail industry,
lodging industry, restaurants, facilities to attract tourists, etc.) and that provide those companies withproducts and services (wholesale industry, food industry, agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry, etc.)* Overview of “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan
Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Period of survey: March 2011
Method of survey: Internet survey (monitoring survey)
Target: 1) Resident consciousness survey: Residents of Furano City (Hokkaido), Iida City (Nagano) and Shima
City (Mie) over 20 years of age. 134 samples out of 150 target samples were collected (Furano 86,
Shima 155 and Iida 134)
2) Visitor consciousness survey: Those who answered that they have visited any of the three cities within
the past 3 years and are over 20 years of age. 309 samples were collected in the three cities compared
to 300 target samples

15

3. Characteristics of industry accumulation related to tourism in the three cities
The sales, suppliers and subcontractors, and state of employment of those businesses(businesses that marked the sales of tourism) that sold products and provided services for tourists
who visit the three cities are explained.
(1) Sales related to tourism of major projects
Viewing the ratio of sales related to tourism to the entire sales in the case of businesses thatmarked sales related to tourism in major projects (those projects that account for a high percentage
of sales of businesses), the ratio of sales related to tourism is as high as 70.9% in Furano City
compared to the other two cities (Shima City: 32.2%, Iida City: 16.8%).
Viewing the data by business, the difference between the three cities is minor in the retain
business, while the sales related to tourism is high in the order of Furano City, Shima City and Iida
City in the lodging and food service businesses. The ratio of the lodging business is 91.7 for FuranoCity, 65.6% for Shima City and 32.6% for Iida City, and that of the food service business is 66% for
Furano City, 40.3% for Shima City and 15.9% for Iida City (see Figure I-3-1-6).
In Furano City and Shima City, the ratio of the number of lodging business operators to theentire number of business operators is high because of their historical background.
Figure I-3-1-6 Ratio of sales related to tourism
Furano City

Shima City

Sales (unit: million yen)
Numberofbusiness
operators
(a)

Sales
relatedtotourism(b)

Ratio oftourismin eachbusiness(b/a)

Iida City

Sales (unit: million yen)
Numberofbusiness
operators
(a)

Sales
relatedtotourism(b)

Ratio oftourismin eachbusiness(b/a)

Sales (unit: million yen)
Numberofbusiness
operators
(a)

Sales
relatedtotourism(b)

Ratio oftourismin eachbusiness
(b/a)

Total

32

382,111

270,75370.9%

39

165,146

53,12932.2%

27379,999

63,921

16.8%

Lodgingbusiness

16

243,196

223,07391.7%

9

13,618

8,939

65.6%

5

99,12632,314

32.6%

Foodservicebusiness

7

40,867

26,96266.0%

1246,845

18,88940.3%

1037,756

6,004

15.9%

Retailbusiness

680,647

15,89419.7%

1485,301

11,19613.1%

860,957

8,430

13.8%

(Notes)1. 2010 Test survey for the basic survey on structure of the tourism industry by Japan Tourism Agency
2. Extract business operators that answered sales of major businesses sales related to tourism(2) Structure of purchase and outsourcing
Looking at the ratio of suppliers and subcontractors by region in the case of Furano City, 42.6%of them is located in the city, 44.4% in other municipalities in Hokkaido and 13.0% in otherprefectures. On the other hand, 51.2% of them are located in the city, 2.7% in other municipalities in
Mie and 45.9% in other prefectures in the case of Shima City, and 46.0% in the city, 28.0% in othermunicipalities in Nagano and 27.0% in other prefectures. The ratio of procurement from the city isaround 40%~50% in the three cities, but that from the prefecture varies between the three cities,
44.4% for Furano City, 2.7% for Shima City and 28.0% for Iida City.
Concerning the content of purchase and outsourcing, agricultural and marine products occupy
the first position in Furano City and Iida City, and the ratio of procurement from the same
prefecture is high for such products (see Figure I-3-1-7).

16

Figure I-3-1-7 Annual costs of purchase and outsourcing and suppliers(Unit: Ten thousand yen)
[ Furano City ]Tourism business operators(total of annual purchase and outsourcing costs : 222,561 )Within municipalities(within the area)
Within prefecture(other municipalities)
Agricultural and marine
products
42,483
Temporarystaffing service
2,834

Temporarystaffing service
100
Cleaning / washing
service
5,925

Processed food /seasoning
7,992

98,767

Agricultural andmarine products
68,470
Processed food/ seasoning
672

Building service
849

94,913

Beverage
2,919

Security service
404

Agricultural andmarine products
532

Beverage
3,463
Petroleum /coal
products
2,572

Petroleum /coal
Cleaning / washing
Information
products
serviceprocessing / provision
33,411
3,815
services 15
Books / newspapers /Others (purchase /Others (purchase / magazinesmaterial costs)
material costs) 37
5,313
12,406[ Shima City ]Other
prefectures
Processed food/ seasoning
844

28,881Others (purchase /material costs)
12
Information
processing / provision
services 15

Petroleum /coal
products
27,478

Tourism business operators(total of annual purchase and outsourcing costs : 78,901 )Within municipalities(within the area)

Within prefecture(other municipalities)

Agricultural andmarine products
4,368
Processed food/ seasoning
619

Other (outsourcing costs)
33,405

Processed food/ seasoning
735
Cleaning / washing
service
225

Agricultural andmarine products
847

Others (purchase /material costs)
172

40,3982,145
Beverage
391

Others (purchase /material costs)
467
Petroleum /coal
products
96

Drug and Cosmetic
1[ Iida City ]Beverage
1,209

Drug and Cosmetic
9

Other
prefectures
Information
processing / provision
services 68
Drug and Cosmetic
2

36,228Petroleum /coal
products
10
Others (purchase /material costs)
500

Agricultural andmarine products
1,041

Processed food/ seasoning
1,212

Beverage
33,395

Tourism business operators(total of annual purchase and outsourcing costs : 36,419 )Within municipalities(within the area)

Within prefecture(other municipalities)
Processed food/ seasoning
800

Agricultural andmarine products
8,417
Cleaning / washing
service571

Cleaning / washing
service
2,286

10,206

Building service
212

Electronic
products
6

Security service
200

Agricultural andmarine products
3,716
Processed food
Building service/ seasoning
1,482
Other (outsourcing costs) 998
421
Beverage
Security service
767
800
16,371Others (purchase /material costs)
2,212
Other manufactured
goods
1,019

Drug and Cosmetic
200
Petroleum /coal
products
Electronic 2,218
products
252

Otherprefectures
Agricultural andmarine products
7,513Electronic
products
6

Processed food/ seasoning
1,700

9,842

Building service
423

Drug and Cosmetic
200(Notes) 1. “2010 Test survey for the basic survey on structure of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism Agency
2. Total of amount of business operators that answered about purchase and outsourcing
3. The annual purchase and outsourcing costs and suppliers of Shima City exclude “import 1.3 million
yen (0.2%)”17

4. Consciousness of residents and that of visitors in the three cities
A survey on consciousness was conducted for residents and visitors of the three cities.
Evaluation of the current state as a tourist destination and a future course of tourism promotion
were analyzed.
(1) Comparison of consciousness of residents (tourism mind of residents and those who work in the
tourism industry)
1) Work experience in the tourism industry
In the case of Shima City, 14.2% answered that “I currently work in the tourism industry” and30.6% that “I used to work in the tourism industry in the past” with regard to working experience inthe tourism industry. The total reaches 44.8%. On the other hand, in the case of Furano City, 8.1%
answered that “I currently work in the tourism industry” and 22.1% that “I used to work in the
tourism industry in the past” so that the total is 30.2%. In the case of Iida City, 6.5% answered that
“I currently work in the tourism industry” and 7.1% that “I used to work in the tourism industry in
the past” so that the total is only 13.6%.This shows that the number of people who work in the
tourism industry in Shima City has been larger than that of the two cities (see Figure I-3-1-9).
Figure I-3-1-9 Working experience in the tourism industry

Total ( N=375 )Residents of Furano City, Hokkaido( N=86 )Residents of Shima City, Mie( N=134 )Residents of Iida City, Nagano( N=155 )I currently work in the tourism industry
I used to work in the tourism industry in the past
I have never worked in the tourism industry(Notes)1. “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism
Agency2. The tourism industry in this survey refers to businesses that provide tourists with products and services(retail industry, lodging industry, restaurants, facilities to attract tourists, etc.) and that provide thosecompanies with products and services (wholesale industry, food industry, agriculture, forestry and fisheries
industry, etc.)182) Consciousness as those who work in the tourism industry
57.7% (Furano City) and 71.5% (Iida City) of those who have working experience in the tourism
industry answered that “I have felt a sense of reward and satisfaction” or “I have felt some sense of
reward and satisfaction.” On the other hand, the ratio of Shima City is a little lower than that of thetwo cities (50.0%, see Figure I-3-1-10).
Figure I-3-1-10 Degree of satisfaction as employee

Total ( N=107)

Residents of Furano City, Hokkaido( N=26 )Residents of Shima City, Mie( N=60 )Residents of Iida City, Nagano( N=21 )I have felt a sense of reward and satisfaction
I have felt some sense of reward and satisfaction
I do not know
I have not felt much sense of reward and satisfaction
I have never felt a sense of reward and satisfaction(Note) “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism
Agency3) Tourism promotion performed by residents
1) Contact with tourists / visitors
The ratio of the answer, “through communications in daily life,” was 32.6% for Furano City,
26.1% for Shima City and 12.9% for Iida City. The ratio of the answer, “there is no opportunity forhaving contact with tourists / visitors” was 38.4% for Furano City, 57.5% for Shima City and 75.5%
for Iida City. These data show that there are many opportunities for having contact with tourists
and visitors in Furano City (see Figure I-3-1-11).

19

Figure I-3-1-11 Tourism promotion as resident (contact with tourists / visitors)

Total ( N=375 )Residents of Furano City, Hokkaido( N=86 )Residents of Shima City, Mie( N=134 )Residents of Iida City, Nagano( N=155 )As part of daily business
As tourist volunteer staff such as tourist guideAs staff or participant of regional event
As visitor or viewer of regional event
Through communications in daily life (give directions, greetings, etc.)

OthersThere is no opportunity for having contact with tourists / visitors(Notes)1. “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism
Agency2. Multiple answers4) Recognition of effects of the increase in tourists / visitors
Concerning effects of the increase in tourists and visitors, the ratio of the answer, “there arepositive effects” was 47.7% for Furano City, 39.5% for Shima City and 39.3% for Iida City, while
9.3% (Furano City), 7.4% (Shima City) and 3.2% (Iida City) responded nagatively. Furano City
marked both positive and negative answers (see Figure I-3-1-13).

20

Figure I-3-1-13 Effects of the increase in tourists and visitors on respondents and their families

Total ( N=375 )Residents of Furano City, Hokkaido( N=134 )Residents of Shima City, Mie( N=86)
Residents of Iida City, Nagano( N=155 )Very positive effect
Relatively positive effect
Relatively negative effectVery negative effectPositive effectCannot say positive or negative
Negative effectNo effect at all(Note) “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism
AgencyThe ratio of the answers, “revitalization of local economy,” “improvement of recognition andbrand of city,” “promotion of using regional resources (culture, landscape, history, nature, foodculture)” and “improvement of bustle and atmosphere of city” was high in the three cities (seeFigure I-3-1-14). The ratio of the answers such as “revitalization of local economy” and“improvement of recognition and brand of city” was high in the order of Furano City, Shima Cityand Iida City. In the case of Furano City, the ratio of the answers, “improvement of recognition andbrand of city” and “occurrence and deterioration of congestion of shops, facilities, roads, etc.” washigher than the two other cities.

21

Figure I-3-1-14 Effects of increase in tourists and visitors

Positive effects
Total ( N=375 )Negative effects

Residents of Furano City, Hokkaido( N=134 )Residents of Shima City, Mie( N=86)

Residents of Iida City, Nagano( N=155 )Revitalization of local economy
Promotion of using regional resources (culture, landscape, history, nature, food culture)
Improvement of convenience of daily life and livability
Improvement of bustle and atmosphere
Improvement of recognition and brand of city
Raised interests of citizens in the local area
Increase in administrative revenues (tax revenues, etc.) of city
Occurrence and deterioration of congestion of shops, facilities, roads, etc.
Deterioration of city’s atmosphere, disorder of public morals, deterioration of safety
Deterioration of environment and landscape
Deterioration of convenience of daily life
Increase in prices and costs related to daily life
Loss of individuality and characteristics peculiar to the region
Increase in costs incurred by region by disposal of waste, human waste, etc.
OthersNothing special(Note) “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism
Agency22

(2) Comparison of consciousness of visitors (status of visit/purchase, degree of satisfaction andintention to revisit)
1) Comprehensive degree of satisfaction of stay
In the case of Furano City, more than half (55.7%) answered that “very satisfied” or “satisfied.”
This is the highest degree of satisfaction in the three cities (see Figure I-3-1-16).
Figure I-3-1-16 Degree of satisfaction of visit

Total ( N=927)

Residents of Furano City, Hokkaido( N=309 )Residents of Shima City, Mie( N=309)

Residents of Iida City, Nagano( N=309 )Very satisfied
Relatively satisfied
Relatively unsatisfied
Very unsatisfied

Satisfied
Neither
Unsatisfied(Note) “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism
Agency(3) Comparison of residents’ consciousness and visitors’ consciousness concerning evaluation as
tourist destination and future course
1. Shima City
1) Comparison of residents’ consciousness and visitors’ consciousness of Shima City
“Food and food culture” and “natural landscape and rural landscape” are popular answers bothfor residents and visitors. On the other hand, there is certain gap between the residents’
consciousness and the visitors’ consciousness so that the appeal and advantage of region have notbeen exploited to a full extent. It may be attributable to the fact that no effective appeal is made tovisitors (see Figure I-3-1-20).
In the future, further efforts are required with regard to “attractive food and food culture,”
because there is a small gap between residents’ and visitors’ consciousness. On the other hand,
there found a wide gap (residents’ consciousness is higher than visitors’ consciousness) in“enhancement of regional transportation and improvement of its convenience,” enhancement ofprior information transmission and promotion activities” and “improvement of attraction ofsceneries.” There is a possibility that the city would result in an unattractive tourist destination if
tourism promotion continues to focus only on residents’ consciousness not on visitors’ consciousness(see Figure I-3-1-21).

23

Figure I-3-1-20 Advantage as tourist destination / tourism resource (Shima City)
Food / food culture
Natural landscape / rural landscapeHistorical culture
Town / building
Reasonableness
Hospitality / warmness
Industrial facilities
Regional life / culture
Nothing in particular
OthersUpper column:CS(N=309)

High quality / luxuriousness

Lower column:RS(N=134)

Entertainment / culture(Notes)1. “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism
Agency2. Multiple answers

Figure I-3-1-21 Factor necessary for tourism promotion (Shima City)
Attractive food and food culture
Improvement of services at facilities for toursits
Setting of recommended tourist routes / model courses
Enhancement of events / festivals
Development of local products / souvenirs
Distribution of coupons with benefits
Enhancement of regional transportation and improvement of its convenience
Enhancement of prior information transmission and promotion activities

Improvement of attraction of sceneriesTurning of unique local lifestyle into resource
Utilization of historical /cultural resources
Enhancement of guidance on site by tourism association, etc.
Enhancement of signs / guidance
Improvement of hospitality of the entire region
Improvement of facilities of other facilities
Nothing in particular

Upper column:CS(N=309)

Enhancement of opportunities for exchange and contact with local residents

Lower column:RS(N=134)

Other
Tourism promotion shouldn’t be pushed forward(Notes)1. “FY2010 Survey and analysis toward autonomous formation of the tourism industry” by Japan Tourism
Agency2. Multiple answers

5. Future course of efforts of local industries that are involved in tourism
The ratio of answers that the increase in visitors to each city has a positive effect in local
residents is high in all three cities (Furano City: 47.7%, Shima City: 39.5%, Iida City: 39.3%). The
reasons for that also emphasize positive effects rather than negative effects such as “improvementof recognition and brand of city,” “promotion of utilization of regional resources (culture, landscape,history, nature, food culture)” and “improvement of bustle and atmosphere of city” (see FigureI-3-1-14). Although the ratio of tourism sales to the entire sales varies for business operators thatmarked tourism sales in major businesses (see Figure I-3-1-6), tourism plays an important role in24

economy and employment of local industries.
However, regional industries that is involved in tourism have different geographical conditions,
historical backgrounds, regional resources such as “food / food culture,” “natural landscape / rurallandscape” and “town / building,” circulation of money in the region, residents’ and visitors’
consciousness and plans for tourism promotion by the each region’s administration. Therefore,
effective means for developing local industries related to tourism are also different.
The specific analysis of the three cities reveals the following points. Furano City has worked on
tourism promotion focusing on the ski resort by taking advantage of its geographical conditions andbecome a national tourist destination through the large-scale resort development and influence ofTV drama. The ratio of tourism sales to the entire local industry is high and the residents
understand that fact. Therefore, not only the local industrial world and the administration side but
also local residents have a high awareness on tourism and efforts for promoting it. It is desirable tocontinue tourism promotion with the participation of local residents. However, tourism promotion
by expanding the tourism menu for tourists such as the acceptance of new entrants taking into
account visitors’ consciousness may be one measure for solving the seasonal fluctuation of demand.
As for Shima City, the residents’ consciousness on “food and food culture” is higher than thevisitors’ consciousness with regard to regional advantages. This indicates that visitors do not value
it as an advantage as residents think. Viewing the content of purchase and outsourcing of Shima
City, the purchase from other prefectures occupies 45.9%. There is a possibility that visitors receive
products similar to what they have contact with in daily life even though they came all the way to
Shima City so that they do not think it is an advantage. To solve this gap of consciousness andimprove the degree of satisfaction, one measure would be to raise the ratio of local production for
local consumption
As for Iida City, the degree of satisfaction of those who work in the tourism industry is high. Thismeans that they are satisfied with working in the tourism industry, because the ratio of tourism
sales to the entire sales of local industries is low. The seasonal fluctuation of users of major
businesses is small, there are various tourism resources in Iida City and the ratio of purchase fromand outsourcing to the city and the prefecture, so that the creation of food and souvenirs wanted in
the residents’ and visitors’ consciousness is an effective measure for developing local industries
related to tourism.
As mentioned above, to increase the number of visitors to the region and vitalize local industries
related to tourism, the regional collaboration including not only local industries but also residents
and employees, the improvement of awareness of residents and employees on tourism, the discovery
and creation of attractions of regional tourism resources in cooperation with other local industries
from a local and visitors’ point of view, and the transmission of regional appeals taking into accountadvantages and disadvantages of the region are important.
To vitalize local industries by tourism, it is important to design tourism measures and tosystematically distribute and invest appropriate sources based on them after properly grasping thenumber of business operators who are involved in tourism, their size of sales, basic structure of
employment/working conditions, accurate number of annual visitors, number of overnight tourists,
visitors’ consciousness, residents’ and employees’ consciousness, gap between residents’ and visitors’
consciousness using statistics on tourism and various surveys.

25

Part II State of Tourism and Tourism Measures in FY2010
Chapter 1 Current State of Tourism
Section 1 Trends in Tourism by the Japanese Public
1 Trends in domestic overnight trips by the Japanese public(1) Overview of domestic overnight tourist travel
The frequency of overnight domestic travels per capita of the Japanese population in FY2010 isestimated to have been 1.56 times, a decrease of 1.3% on a year-to-year basis. Meanwhile, thenumber of overnight stays on domestic travels per capita is estimated to be at 2.39 nights, adecrease of 6.6% on a year-to-year basis.
Changes in the frequency of domestic overnight trips andthe number of overnight stays(Times/nights)(Provisional value)(Provisional value)

Number of overnight stays per capita
Number of domestic overnight trips per capita

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010 (FY)(Notes)
1. Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, “Travel and Tourism
Consumption Trend Survey”
2. Values for FY2010 are provisional(2) General state of overnight trips
In January 2007, we started the “Overnight Trip Statistics Survey (approved statistics),” which
is based on 1) the national uniform standards, is targeted at 2) all prefectures and city governments,
and aims to clarify 3) the number of guests staying in all hotels, inns and simple guesthouses withten or more employees. According to the results of the survey, the total number of overnight guests
between January and December 2010 was 382.95 million guest/nights overall, of which the total
number of Japanese guests was 356.81 million guest/nights. When looking at the figures by month,August was the busiest with 44.40 million guests while January was the quietest with 20.40 million.
In addition, all months except January marked a positive growth on a year-to-year basis. This
recovery is due to the fact that the number fell significantly in the previous year because of
pandemic of the new influenza virus, etc.

26

Total Number of Japanese Overnight Guests by Month (2010)(Unit: 10,000 guests / nights)

Total number of Japanese
overnight guests
Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Year-to-year basis
Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

(Notes)1. Based on Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, “Overnight Trip
Statistics Survey”.
2. The values do not reflect data of newly built and closed facilities in the year so that the definite values maychange slightly.
3. It is impossible to compare with the results of the previous surveys directly because the target of survey has
been extended to facilities with 9 or less employees since April 2010.

2 Trends in overseas travel by the Japanese public(1) Change in the number of overseas travelers
The number of Japanese nationals traveling overseas in 2010 was around 16.64 million.
Compared to the previous year, this represented an increase of around 1,190,000 or 7.7% because
the number declined significantly in the previous year due to the expansion of the new influenza
virus.

27

Changes in the number of Japanese Nationals Traveling Overseas(Unit: 1000)

Number of Japanese nationals traveling overseas
Number of foreign tourists visiting Japan

1969 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10(year)

Note: Prepared by the Japan Tourism Agency, from data provided by the Justice Ministry and the Japan National Tourist
Organization (JNTO)

3

Consciousness trends and actual state of travel, etc. among the Japanese public
Although the sectors in which most respondents wanted to place priority in their future lives
were “Leisure and recreational lifestyle,” cited by 33.9%, it tends to decrease. The gap with thesecond and the third, which are “Income” and “Assets/savings”, has been closing.

28

Priorities for Future Life
Leisure and recreational life style
Income/earnings
Assets/savings
Dietary life
Self development/capacity building
Living life
Consumer durables such as automobiles,
electronic products and furniture
Clothes
OthersSurvey in Jun ‘10 (N=6,357, M.T.=193.2%)
Survey in Jun ‘09 (N=6,252, M.T.=198.1%)
Survey in Jun ‘08 (N=6,146, M.T.=201.9%)

Nothing
Don’t know

Note: (Source) “Opinion Survey on the National Way of Life” by Government PR Office, Minister’s Secretariat,
Cabinet OfficeSection 2 Trends in Visits to Japan by Foreign Tourists
1 Trends in overnight trips of foreign tourists(1) Trends in stay
According to the results of the “Statistical Survey on Overnight Travel,” the total number offoreign guests between January and December 2010 was 26.14 million guest/nights, an increase of
42.9% on a year-to-year basis.

29

Composition Ratios of All Foreign Nationals Making Overnight Stays, by Prefecture and byCountry or Region of Origin (2010)
Hokkaido
Aomori
Iwate
Miyagi
Akita
Yamagata
Fukushima
IbarakiTochigi
Gunma
Saitama
Chiba
Tokyo
Kanagawa
NiigataToyamaIshikawa
Fukui
Yamanashi
NaganoGifu
Shizuoka
Aichi
Mie
Shiga
Kyoto
Osaka
Hyogo
Nara
Wakayama
Tottori
Shimane
Okayama
Hiroshima
Yamaguchi
Tokushima
KagawaEhime
Kochi
Fukuoka
Saga
Nagasaki
Kumamoto
Oita
MiyazakiKagoshima
OkinawaSouth Korea

China

Hong Kong

TaiwanUnited States

EuropeSingapore

ThailandAustralia

Others

Notes:
1. Japan Tourism Agency, MLIT “Overnight Trip Statistics Survey”
2. “Foreign nationals” are visitors who do not have an address in Japan
3. “Europe” consists of Germany, the UK and France
4. The values do not reflect data of newly added/closed facilities in the year and the definite values maychange slightly
5. Prepared by the survey for facilities with 10 or more employees

30(2) Number of travelers and their nationalities
The number of foreign travelers to Japan in 2010 was 8.61 million (26.8% increase from theprevious year), a sharp increase from the previous year due to the significant downturn in theprevious year caused by the influence of expansion of the new influenza virus.
In terms of the number of foreign travelers by continent, 6,53 million people visited from Asia
(75.8%), then 910,000 from North America (10.5%), 850,000 from Europe (9.9%) and 260,000 (3.0%)
from Oceania.
According to the change over time by country and region, South Korea occupied the first position
with 2.44 million (53.8% increase), followed by China (1.41 million, 40.4% increase), Taiwan (1.27
million, 23.8% increase), USA (730,000, 3.9% increase) and Hong Kong (510,000, 13.2% increase).
China surpassed Taiwan to have occupied the second position.
In the year 2009 in which the international ranking of the number of foreign travelers can becompared at an international level, Japan accepted 6.79 million travelers. This was the 33rd
position in the world and 8th in Asia. Both in the world and in Asia, Japan has fallen behind China,
Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Macau, South Korea and Singapore.
When looking at the number of foreign travelers by months, it marked an increase on a
year-to-year basis in all months in 2010. Particularly, it marked an increase of more than 50% in
February and June.
Proportions of Foreign Travelers Visiting Japan from Top 12 Countries
by Country/Region of Origin (2010)

North
America
10.5%(906,000)Australia
2.6% (226,000)
France1.8% (151,000)
Canada
1.8% (153,000)

Rest of Europe
4.6% (394,000)

Oceania
3.0%(261,000)

Others0.7%(63,000)

Europe9.9%(853,000)
Asia
75.8%
(6,528,000)

Germany
1.4% (124,000)UK
2.1%(184,000)

USA
8.4% (727,000)
Rest of Asia
5.8% (503,000)

South Korea
28.3% (2,440,000)

Total
8.61 million

Singapore
2.1% (181,000)
Thailand2.5% (215,000)

Taiwan
14.7% (1,268,000)

Hong Kong
5.9% (509,000)
China
16.4% (1,413,000)

Notes:
1. Inner circle: Totals by continent
Outer circle: Totals by country or region
2. Prepared by the Japan Tourism Agency based on data provided by the Justice Ministry and the Japan
Tourist Organization (JNTO)

31

2

Trends in international conventions
In 2003, Japan hosted 280 international conferences, the largest number in Asia, but in 2006,
this fell to 166. However, the number recovered significantly to 475 in 2007 and 538 in 2009,
pushing Japan in the second place in Asia (5th place in the world).
Section 3 Economic Effects of Travel on Whole Japan
1 Economic effects in FY2009(1) Current state of travel consumption
The value of travel consumption in Japan has been estimated every year since FY2003 by
conducting the “Consumer Outlook Survey in Tourism” approved statistics. In addition, the“Research Study on Economic Effects of the Travel and Tourism Industries” which estimates
economic ripple effects of travel consumption has been conducted based on TSA (Tourism Satellite
Account), a world standard statistical tool for economic effects of tourism consumption.
According to the latest results of the survey, the value of domestic travel consumption by theJapanese public in FY2009 was 14.9 trillion yen for overnight trips (a decrease of 4.5% from theprevious fiscal year) and 4.8 trillion yen for day trips (a decrease of 2.0% from the previous fiscal
year).
The value of travel consumption by foreign visitors to Japan was 1.2 trillion yen (a decrease of
7.77% from the previous fiscal year).
The total value of domestic travel consumption in Japan is estimated to be 22.1 trillion yen (adecrease of 6.4% from the previous fiscal year).
Breakdown of the domestic travel consumption (22.1 trillion yen) by market
Domestic overnight trip by Japanese nationals
1.2 trillion yen(5.5%)
Travel by foreign tourists
1.2 trillion yen(5.6%)

Overseas travel by Japanesenationals (domestic part)
14.9 trillion yen(67.1%)

Domestic day trip by
Japanese nationals
4.8 trillion yen(21.7%)(Note) Japan Tourism Agency “Consumer Outlook Survey in Tourism”(2) Economic effects of travel on whole JapanThe direct economic effects on the Japanese economy due to the aforementioned domestic travel
consumption of 22.1 trillion yen in FY2009 are estimated to be 11.0 trillion yen (a direct added
value generation effect) and 2.11 million workers (an employment inducing effect).
In addition, the production ripple effect of this travel consumption, including indirect effects, isestimated to be 48 trillion yen (4.9% of the value of domestic production), the added value
generation effect at 24.9 trillion yen (5.2% of gross domestic production (nominal GDP)), and theemployment inducing effect of 4.06 million workers (6.3% of the total number of workers).
(3) Economic effects of travel on Japanese industries
The travel consumption in Japan has a direct economic effect on tourism/tourism relatedindustries and a production ripple effect on various industries in Japan by stimulating thehousehold consumption by employees of travel/travel-related industries.
The direct economic effect of the value of travel consumption in FY2009 on related industries is
7.0 Trillion yen for the transportation industry and 3.5 Trillion yen for the lodging industry. This32

indicates that the effect is larger on industries directly related to tourism.
On the other hand, the production ripple effect is estimated at 1.1 trillion yen for the agriculture,
forestry and fishing, 3.5 trillion yen for the food industry and 2.8 trillion yen for the catering
industry other than the aforementioned industries. The employment inducing effect is estimated at
420,000 workers for the agriculture, forestry and fisheries and 510,000 for the retail industry. This
indicates that tourism has a great ripple effect not only on the transportation and lodging
industries but also on other industries such as the agriculture, forestry and fishing and the retailindustry.
Economic effects by industry (FY2009)
Amount of
travel consumption
Food industry Retail industry
1.55 trillion yen 1.31 trillion yen
Agriculture, forestry andLodging industry
fisheries industry
22.1
3.41 trillion yen
0.26 trillion yen

Trillion yen

Production
ripple effectTransportation industry
5.57 trillion yen

Employment
inducing effectCatering industry
2.39 trillion yen
Travel service industry
1.27 trillion yen

Food industry
3.47 trillion yen
Agriculture, forestry andfisheries industry
1.10trillion yen

48.0

Food industry
183 thousand people

Retail industry
2.34 trillion yen

Agriculture, forestry andfisheries industry
418 thousand people

Lodging industry
3.52 trillion yen

Trillion yen
Transportation industry
7.03 trillion yen

Retail industry
505 thousand people

Lodging industry
351 thousand people

4.06
million people

Transportation industry
405 thousand people

Catering industry
2.75trillion yen

Catering industry
583 thousand people
Travel service industry
148 thousand people

Travel service industry
1.63trillion yen(Note) Based on “Survey of the Economic Effects of the Travel and Tourism Industry” issued by the Japan
Tourism Agency

Section 4 State of Tourism in Prefectures According to the Overnight Trip Statistics Survey
1 Current state of the number of guests(1) Total number of guests by prefecture
Viewing the total number of guests by prefecture in 2010, it was 382.95 million guests/nights.
Prefectural breakdown shows Tokyo was in the 1st place with 43.53 million guests/nights (11.4%),
Hokkaido in the 2nd place with 26.55 million (6.9%) and Osaka in the 3rd place with 20.68 million(5.4%), these three prefectures account for about a quarter of the total (23.7%).

33

Total Number of Overnight Guests by Prefecture (2010)
Tokyo
Hokkaido
Osaka
Chiba
Shizuoka
Kanagawa
NaganoOkinawa
Aichi
Fukuoka
Kyoto
Hyogo
Tochigi
Miyagi
Niigata
Fukushima
Gunma
Hiroshima
Mie
Ishikawa
Kumamoto
Yamanashi
Kagoshima
Nagasaki
Oita
Gifu
Iwate
Yamagata
Okayama
Ibaraki
Aomori
Wakayama
Shiga
Ehime
Akita
Saitama
Yamaguchi
ToyamaFukui
Nara
Miyazaki
KagawaTottori
Kochi
ShimaneSaga
Tokushima(Unit: 10,000 guests / nights)

Notes:
1. Source: “Overnight Trip Statistics Survey” by Japan Tourism Agency, MLIT
2. The values do not reflect data of newly added/closed facilities in the year and the definite values maychange slightly

Section 5 Common standards for Inbound Tourist Statistics
Surveys based on “the common standards for inbound tourist statistics (formulated in December2009)” which was decided to make it possible to compare inbound tourist statistics of prefectures
have been diffused and promoted. The statistical survey based on the standards has started in
FY2010. The survey is conducted every quarter and the results of April to June 2010 concerning thenumber of inbound Japanese tourists, unit price of travel consumption and value of travel
consumption are as follows:34

Comprehensive table of number of inbound tourists (actual), unit price of travel consumption andvalue of travel consumption (Japanese nationals, for travel purpose)① Number of inbound tourists(thousand person-time)
Prefecture

From prefectureOvernight
trip

01Hokkaido
02Aomori
03Iwate04Miyagi
05Akita
06Yamagata
07Fukushima
08Ibaraki
09Tochigi
10Gunma
11Saitama
12Chiba
13Tokyo
14Kanagawa
15Niigata
16Toyama
17Ishikawa
18Fukui
19Yamanashi
20Nagano
21Gifu22Shizuoka
23Aichi
24Mie
25Shiga
26Kyoto27Osaka
28Hyogo
29Nara30Wakayama
31Tottori
32Shimane
33Okayama
34Hiroshima
35Yamaguchi
36Tokushima
37Kagawa
38Ehime
39Kochi
40Fukuoka
41Saga42Nagasaki
43Kumamoto
44Oita45Miyazaki
46Kagoshima
47Okinawa

Day
trip

② Travel consumption unit price(Yen/person-time)

From other prefectures
Overnight
trip

Day
trip

From prefectureOvernight
trip

Day
trip

③ Amount of travel consumption(million yen)

From other prefectures
Overnight
trip

1,404
11,075756
520,5683,634
65,838
119
3,047
275
1,160
13,194
3,772
30,106
213
1,992
365
1,064
21,257
3,803
30,556
505
3,085
791
2,765
13,7772,790
27,236
Common standards will be applied from the survey for January-March 2011
298
1,578
396
1,698
22,698
10,101
25,544
332
3,249
772
2,762
20,6293,870
29,604
Common standards will be applied from the survey for January-March 2011
Common standards will be applied from the survey for January-March 2011
336
3,760
983
2,561
18,173
2,273
20,968
Common standards will be applied from the survey for January-March 2011
438
7,826
1,944
14,24911,745
6,004
40,406722
54,465
1,845
48,61542,9804,350
33,741546
22,693959
8,445
28,527
3,184
33,159
318
2,565
592
3,291
29,666
6,908
17,786
97
998
206
1,516
20,3084,031
33,732
346
1,620
526
2,713
10,114
3,743
23,636
184
635
257
1,901
13,124
4,549
25,691
115
1,741
894
3,639
24,022
3,705
22,476
384
1,746
1,651
4,332
20,7493,908
26,475
127
1,779
571
6,573
26,3172,376
25,852
542
5,037
2,094
6,704
27,331
8,875
24,630760
10,495633
6,239
12,0802,745
14,519
238
2,411
742
3,986
19,932
3,997
24,002
155
1,372
438
3,372
15,4583,816
18,303
627
2,315
1,289
4,282
11,706
2,789
52,114Day
trip

From prefectureOvernight
trip

Day
trip

From other prefectures
Overnight
trip

Day
trip

7,000
8,571
8,799
8,847

28,879
1,567
4,526
6,953

40,242
11,4957,574
8,607

49,7998,287
11,155
21,534

32
9,947
9,363
24,466

17,101
8,397

6,759
6,850

15,936
12,574

10,10922,86829,03923,189

5,457

6,102

8,547

20,614

13,975

9,087
5,503
5,738
14,577
8,359
14,23910,987
6,476
7,120
4,182
13,882
4,199
5,036
4,730
6,769

5,147
31,052
15,570
9,431
1,970
3,499
2,415
2,768
7,969
3,351
14,819
9,184
4,743
2,403
7,338

46,986
236,920
72,245
17,720
4,023
6,064
2,889
6,451
6,824
4,229
44,70428,805
9,637
5,234
6,458

78,54862,25831,803
10,535
6,938
12,444
6,596
20,10043,722
14,76851,5709,192
17,816
8,015
67,182

129,484
267,52148,45447,976
12,671
38,62920,88723,56330,84427,491
93,062
26,20320,071
15,94828,983

4,615
4,940
9,375
4,330
6,522
7,345
4,919
5,929
7,417
7,981
3,759
6,785

8,043
1,616
2,761
1,069
839
1,648
6,072
2,445
467
1,702
2,015
779

17,585
1,945
1,292
1,518
3,186
6,107
7,931
5,326
788
1,033
5,979
1,518

20,481
14,323
12,610
4,306
6,150
4,256
9,578
4,815
2,826
8,539
5,584
7,638

31,576
17,13914,686
6,921
8,507
10,337
5,278
7,398
10,916
15,8285,708
4,928

Common standards have been applied from the survey for October-December FY2010
Common standards will be applied from the survey for January-March 2011
184
1,396
551
2,158
8,048
2,983
15,489
4,576
153
1,661
723
1,748
14,9582,333
14,150
3,360
161
1,395
163
1,071
8,771
3,509
31,55917,549
174
2,611
423
630
23,636
2,586
33,710
5,095
216
1,347
1,159
47
34,163
6,186
81,376
1,779

1,481
2,290
1,411
4,111
7,370

4,165
3,874
4,895
6,753
8,333

8,535
10,224
5,132
14,253
94,344

9,873
5,874
18,789
3,208
84

363
95
151
112
66
263
389
135
25
66
143
58

5,757
688
320
631
1,215
1,058
2,885
1,447
411
214
2,316
341

897
515
443
344
244
369
422
254
139
307
333
331

6,842
3,470
1,566
1,598
1,304
1,407
1,073
1,248
1,472
1,983
1,519
726

22,144
17,032
18,344
9,555
12,633
6,278
15,61618,09018,882
25,914
14,081
13,409

3,055
2,829
4,032
2,406
2,622
5,772
2,749
3,681
1,915
4,823
2,582
4,447

22,843
27,791
28,442
12,50525,247
11,53422,714
18,984
20,382
27,791
16,765
23,107

Notes:
1. The values are estimated based on the Survey on the Number of Inbound Tourists at Tourist Places, theParameter Survey at Tourism Places and the Statistical Survey on Overnight Trip (provided by the Japan
Tourism Agency)
2. 1) Number of inbound tourists is actual number excluding duplication at tourism places. Even if one
inbound tourist visits several tourism places in one prefecture, it is counted as one people, time.
3. 2) Unit price of travel consumption (yen/people, time) refers to the value of travel consumption one inboundtourist spent during one trip
4. Quarterly survey results are quick estimation and subject to change in the annual countSection 6 Trends of Tourism in the World
1. State of international tourism in the world
According to the estimation by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the total number offoreign tourists accepted by all countries in 2009 was 876.89 million (4.0% decrease from theprevious year) and the total revenue of international travel of all countries was 850.8 billion dollars(9.4% decrease from the previous year), both of which were affected by the new influenza virus, etc.
35

In recent years, the decrease rate in the number of foreign tourists accepted by the Asia Pacificregion (1.7% decrease from the previous year) which has experienced a rapid increase of the numberof foreign tourists was lower than the decrease rate in the Europe region (5.0% decrease from theprevious year) and in the North and South America region (4.9% decrease from the previous year).
In addition, the decrease rate in the growth rate of the international travel revenue of the Asia
Pacific region was significantly lower (2.2% decrease from the previous year) than the decrease rateof the Europe region (12.9% decrease from the previous year) and the North and South America
region (12.1% decrease from the previous year), so that it is a good opportunity for Japan to makeefforts for realizing a tourism nation by promoting the visit by foreign tourists who visit
neighboring countries to Japan.
Chapter 2 Creating Attractive, Internationally Competitive Tourist Destinations
Section 1 Creating Attractive, International Competitive Tourist Destinations
1 Providing quality services that draw on the characteristics of tourist destinations throughcollaboration between local public bodies, tourism businesses and other parties concerned(1) “The Tourism Spheres Development Implementation Plan” of 15 regions was newly accredited in
FY2010 based on the “Act on Promote Visits and Stays by Tourists Through the Development ofTourism Spheres” in order to promote the formation of tourism spheres that will encourage tourism
involving at least two overnight stays by the collaboration among wide parties concerned in local
areas. In addition, 41 areas were selected for “the Assistance System for Tourism Spheres
Development Project” that supports efforts by the private sector integrally and comprehensively.
Moreover, after selecting plans made by entities that work on grass-root tourism such as theplatform for developing tourist destinations, a digest of case examples was prepared to provide
parties concerned who are involved in the development of tourist destinations.
(2) Taking into account diversified needs of tourists, we implemented the “consulting project fordeveloping tourist destinations” in order to promote the collaboration and cooperation between local
tourism industry representatives who are familiar with local attractions and travel agencies from apoint of view of creating new demand for travel and activating local communities by creating anddistributing appealing travel products which utilize resources unique to each region.
2 Developing hotel facilities, restaurant facilities, information facilities and other travel-related
and public facilities(1) Treasury loans and special tax exemption measures have been taken available for thedevelopment of hotels and inns.
(2) Comprehensive support for independence and revitalization of local communities was provided
based on the “Act on the Development of Infrastructures for Wide-Area Local Revitalization.”(3) Our development of travel-related and public facilities includes the development of street
environments such as unique district development, scenic modification to the exteriors of housing,etc., undergrounding of power lines, development of local facilities such as roads and parks,
development of a town environments such as the maintenance of visually important buildings, androad improvement taking accounting of scenic views.
Section 2 Creating Attractive Tourist Destinations that Draw on Local Characteristics by Using
Tourism Resources
1 We are promoting the protection of the national treasures, important cultural and otherproperties, and the world cultural heritages, as well as the promotion of the national trust
movement.
2 We are promoting measures to protect, nurture and develop tourism resources connected withhistorical features such as the conservation of historical features in Kyoto and other ancient
capitals and development of the Asuka area, particularly the Asuka/Heijo Palace Historical
National Government Park.
3 We strive to protect, nurture and develop tourism resources related to natural scenic beauty
such as the national and quasi-national parks, the world national heritage areas and other places ofoutstanding natural beauty36

4 We strive to protect, nurture and develop tourism resources related to natural beauty bysupporting efforts, mainly the preservation and utilization of visually significant buildings andtrees, based on “the Landscape Act.”
5 We have taken steps to protect, nurture and develop tourism resources related to hot springsand other cultures/industries, etc.
Section 3 Comprehensive Development of Transport Facilities Necessary to Promote Visits by
Tourists
We have promoted the development of international transport facilities such as the expansion of
the number of arrival and departure slots of Narita Airport and the full-fledged launch of new
international scheduled flights arriving at and departing from Haneda International Airport, andthe improvement of international transport facilities and development of Shinkansen andhigh-speed railways, expressways, etc.
Chapter 3 Strengthening the International Competitiveness of the Tourism Industry andDeveloping Human Resources to Contribute to the Promotion of Tourism
Section 1 Strengthening the International Competitiveness of the Tourism Industry
We decided on the “Guidance for Promoting Innovation of the Tourism Industry” which extracts
the essence of success and issues obtained from demonstrative projects implemented in the past to
create a new and innovative business model designed to improve customer service and profitability
in the tourism industry and its business characteristics. In addition, we held seminars in which thisguideline was explained, cases of demonstrative projects were presented and specialists ofmanagement of the tourism industry or of regional development delivered lectures.
Section 2 Developing Human Resources to Contribute to the Promotion of Tourism
1 Development of Human Resources to Support the Competitive Tourism Industry(1) Enhancing higher education by the industry-government-academia collaboration
In developing human resources in tourism-related industries, the Japan Tourism Agency has
strived to establish a curriculum model for developing educational materials and deepening studies
on tourism through the industry-government-academia joint study in order to promote efforts
related to the development of human resources in the business management field and to enhance
education on tourism in adult and higher education facilities taking into account needs of humanresources required in the industrial world.
In addition, we implemented the internship model project with the participation of 62 students
from 17 universities that focus mainly on tourism under the cooperation of tourism organizations
and tourism-related companies as an effort for raining awareness of students on profession anddeveloping human resources who are effective immediately upon graduation required by
tourism-related industries.
2 Developing human resources playing a major role in developing attractive tourist destinations(1) Support for efforts for developing human resources that play a role in developing tourist
destinations
To enhance efforts for developing human resources that play a role in developing autonomousand sustainable tourist destinations in each region, we held seminars in line with “the draft
guidelines on human resources development for formation of tourist destination” in the six model
areas toward the formulation of guidelines for developing human resources in the region.
Also, we held “the symposium on human resources development for formation of tourist
destination” in May 2010 with the participation of 271 persons from local public bodies, tourism
associations, tourism organizations and private businesses. In the symposium, innovative cases fordeveloping human resources that play a part in developing tourist destinations were presented.
3

Developing generations that take care of districts and tourism in the future
The JTO has promoted “tourism nation education” in collaboration with parties concerned byawarding the Commissioner prize for efforts such as “the National Tourism Nation Education
Contest”, “the Tourism Koshien” and “Tourism Education Study in High School in Japan” held
under collaboration among education officials and tourism-related organizations.
37

Chapter 4 Promoting International Tourism
Section 1 Encouraging Visit by Foreign Tourists
1 Prioritized and effective PR on the attraction of tourism in Japan(1) Overseas PR on the attraction of tourism in Japan
(i)
Overview of the Visit Japan Campaign
The growth of foreign tourists supplements diplomacy among the nations by enhanced mutual
understanding through opportunities for the Japanese and foreigners to exchange, contributes tothe safety security, and has effects of vitalizing local economies and creating job opportunities dueto the increase of influx of the people from neighboring countries where the economy is rapidly
growing in spite of such problems as a falling population caused by the declining birthrate andaging population.
Therefore, the government and the private sector have integrally promoted “the Visit Japan
Campaign” that disseminates the attraction of Japanese tourism in overseas and supports thecreation of visit-Japan travel products since FY2003. The number of foreign tourists visiting Japanwas 5.21 million in 2003 when this campaign started and it has steadily increased since then.
However, the number decreased significantly to 6.79 million in 2009 due to the global economic
recession and the epidemic of the new influenza virus in 2009. Although the original target (10million) was not achieved in 2010, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan recovered to 8.61
million at the highest rate since the Osaka Expo and marked the record high.
(ii)

Projects in the Visit Japan Campaign
Fifteen countries and regions (South Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore,
Malaysia, India, Australia, USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France and Russia) where foreign tourists
visiting Japan are expected to increase have been identified as priority markets. There, we have
implemented PR activities to promote the trip to Japan.
We have invited overseas media to Japan, provided support for their coverage, posted
advertisement on overseas travel magazines, transmitted information on websites and participatedin overseas travel expos in order to raise interests in Japan as a tourist destination and stimulate
the demand for trip to Japan as main contents of projects to promote the visit to Japan by foreign
tourists. In addition, we have invited persons in charge of foreign travel agencies to Japan, provided
support for creating and selling attractive visit Japan travel products by holding business fairs withdomestic travel agencies, and attracted the educational trip to Japan for expanding exchanges at ayouth level.
(iii)
Examples of specific efforts in the Visit Japan Campaign
In the Korean market from where many tourists visit Japan repeatedly, we promoted new travel
routes in Japan called J-Route in accordance with diversified needs of them using different
advertising medium as the 2010 Visit Japan Campaign. Also, in the European market where there
is a high interest in the Japanese culture, the campaign website that uses traditional Japanesecultures represented by Kyoto, etc. as a motif has been opened in each market to promote the visits
to Japan. In markets of Singapore, Malaysia and other countries, information on the visits to Japanis transmitted using social networks services such as Facebook.
(2) Transmission of information at foreign bases
The Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) has set up 13 overseas offices in the countries
and regions from where many foreign tourists visit Japan, and positively implemented activities forthe purpose of collecting information on the tourism market, publicizing and promoting theattraction of tourism in Japan, supporting the creation and sales of visit-Japan travel products tolocal travel agencies, providing consultation services to local public bodies and private businesses inJapan that sell products in other countries, and most importantly contributing to “the Visit Japan
Campaign” to increase the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan.
In addition, the JNTO operates a portal site (http://www.jnto.go.jp) of information on the travel
to Japan in 11 languages (English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, French, German,
Thai, Russian, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish) to increase the degree of recognition of Japan as a
tourist destination and support visitors to Japan in creating travel plans and making a large
38

variety of bookings. This website has had a great effect on information transmission.
(3) Overseas PR on local attractions
Each Regional Transport Bureau, etc., implements “the Visit Japan Campaign regional projects”
that transmits the appeal of tourism of each region and supports the creation of attractive visit
Japan travel products in collaboration with efforts made by local public bodies and others forpromoting the visits to Japan by foreign tourists.
(4) Besides the efforts mentioned above, the JNTO has promoted the dissemination of culture byartists and cultural figures, and the dissemination of information on Japanese food, Japanese
ingredients, pop culture and Japanese contents, and the strengthening of information provision
through networking and international broadcasting.
2 Providing information on the cost of domestic transport, accommodation and other aspects of
tourist travel(1) Providing information on travel costs
As efforts in line with “the Visit Japan Year,” a campaign was implemented for a limited time toprovide foreign tourists who came to Japan during that period with discounted products. In
addition to this promotion of reasonable trip to Japan, information on prices in Japan has been
provided.
(2) Promoting measures to encourage information provision by public transport businesses, etc.
It has become an obligation for public transport businesses (247 businesses as of April 2009) toprepare and carry out “the plan for promoting and implementing the provision of information” inareas that are used with particular frequency by foreign tourists. Currently, public transportbusinesses and others are implementing the “projects for measures to encourage the provision of
information” in foreign languages based on the plan.
3

Promoting the attraction of MICE (international conference, etc.)
The number of international conferences held in Japan in 2009 was 538. Although Japan could
not reach Singapore (689), it keeps the 5th place in the world.
Various efforts have borne fruits in terms of the promotion of holding and attracting
international conferences. However, competitors in Asia such as Singapore and South Korea, theUnited States and Australia are actively promoting not only international conferences but also theentire MICE (Meeting, Incentive travel, Convention, Event/Exhibition). Thus, it is also necessary
for Japan to promote not only international conferences but also the entire MICE, because those
events in addition to international conferences have a great significance for the increase of foreign
tourists visiting Japan, economic effects and internationalization/vitalization of local areas.
To this end, “the MICE Promotion Action Plan” which summarizes particular roles thegovernment and related bodies should play, the content of activities and terms thereof wasformulated in July 2009. This Action Plan states that the government and related bodies shallcollaborate to promote MICE.
We designated the year 2010 as the “Japan MICE Year,” the first year of MICE to convert theconventional attraction of international conferences into the promotion of the entire MICE so thatconcentrated and active appeal was made to other countries.
4 Developing an environment to accept foreign tourists such as the improvement of measuresrelated to immigration of foreign tourists, improvement of translator guidance services and others(1) Expeditious and smooth visa issuance procedures
The measure to facilitate the issuance of visit-Japan visa for Chinese nationals has been
implemented since July 2009. To be more specific, the number of diplomatic missions and Chinese
travel agencies (proxy application agents) that handle the issuance of visa has been expanded. Thismeasure has improved the usability of the visa. As a result, the number of Chinese nationals who
visit Japan as individuals has increased significantly.
(2) Expeditious and smooth immigration procedures
We have strived to reduce the time required for immigration procedures at the arrival by39dispatching immigration officials to local airports and ports where no immigration officials are
stationed and effectively utilizing “the secondary examination” and “the Advanced Passenger
Information System (APIS)” at the time of landing examination. “Examination booth concierges”
who provide guidance on the immigration procedures have been stationed effectively at airports
and ports from where a number of foreigners enter the country annually. In addition, efforts weremade to reduce the waiting time for arrival examination at an arriving port by conducting theexamination on shipboard before arriving in a port in the case of ocean-going cruise ships with morethan 2,000 passengers. Moreover, the automated gates that allow pre-registered guests to passthrough such dedicated gates to the immigration procedures have been installed at Narita
International Airport, Chubu International Airport and Kansai International Airport. In October
2010, the gates have been newly installed at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) to start
their operation.
(3) In addition, we strive to develop tourist information offices for foreign tourists, enhance thelicensed guide system and disseminate volunteer guides.
(4) We strive to promote the improvement of guidance for foreigners at museums, art museums,
national theaters, national parks, etc.
Section 2 Promoting Global Interchange
1 Promoting cooperation with governments of other nations(1) Strengthening trilateral tourism exchanges and cooperation between Japan, China and SouthKorea
The 5th China-Japan-Korea Tourism Ministerial Meeting and related events were held in China(Hangzhou, Huzhou) in August 2010, and Seiji Maehara, Minister of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism Japan (at the time), Shao Qiwei, Chairman of National Tourism
Administration of the People’s Republic of China, and Choung Byoung-gug, Minister of Culture,
Sports and Tourism Republic of Korea issued a joint announcement for the purpose of further
promoting tourism exchanges and cooperation between the three countries toward the achievementof a new target of 26 million exchange population between the three countries by 2015.
(2) Promoting efforts for bilateral tourism exchanges(i)Promotion of tourism exchanges between Japan and Korea
The exchange population between Japan and Korea reached 5 million in 2010 for the first timein the history. In the “25th Japan-Korea Tourism Promotion Council” held in Takamatsu, Kagawa
Prefecture, Japan in December 2010, opinions on issues concerning the promotion and expansion of
tourism exchanges between parties of the two countries that are involved in tourism were
exchanged actively.
(ii)

Relaxing of the requirements for issuing the tourist visa for individuals in China
The visit-Japan visa for group trip has been issued since 2000 and the number of Chinese
tourists visiting Japan has steadily increased. In addition, the issuance of tourist visa for
individuals apart from “group trip” has started in response to the request for a freer travel with asmall group if they satisfy certain requirements. The requirements for issuing the visa have been
eased since July 2010 so that the number of diplomatic missions and Chinese travel agencies that
handle the application has increased.
(3) International tourism promotion through the cooperation for international organizations
We provided support for international tourism promotion through discussions and opinion
exchanges with other governments at multilateral meetings held for the purpose of promotinginternational tourism by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
2 Promoting regional exchanges between Japan and other countries(1) Promoting overseas travel by Japanese citizens
The demand for overseas travel has been stimulated through the cooperation for the “Visit World
40

Campaign” which is implemented mainly by the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA).
(2) Making use of sister and friendship city agreements
Sister and friendship city exchange projects are being implemented via the “Visit Japan
Campaign regional collaboration projects” from a viewpoint of increasing the number of tourists
visiting Japan by activating mutual exchanges. To this end, efforts in collaboration with regions arebeing implemented.
3 Promoting international youth exchanges(1) Promoting educational trips to Japan
The “National Council for the Promotion of Educational Trips to Japan,” a joint public-private
sector organization, actively promoted efforts to encourage educational trips to Japan.
(2) Promoting exchanges with young people from other countries
Young people from other countries have been invited to Japan to take part in a variety of
exchange projects. In particular, a total of 8,500 young people were invited from East Asian
countries in FY2010 based on the “21st Century East Asia Youth Exchange Plan.”
Chapter 5 Improving the Environment for Encouraging Tourist Travel
Section 1 Making Tourist Travel Easier and Smoother
1 Encouraging holiday taking
To form a national consensus for decentralizing the holiday taking from a viewpoint of economy,
industry, work and education, etc., the regional block explanatory meeting (held twice by 10 blocks
nationwide, of which one meeting opened the symposium by the Kanto block) and the National
Panel on Vacation Reform (first panel: October 6, 2010, second panel: October 21, 2010) were held.
In addition, the special poll by the Cabinet Office was implemented (period: October 21~October 31,2010) to grasp the nation’s consciousness.
Furthermore, the project for taking spare time for family (demonstrative project for
decentralizing and promoting the vacation taking) was implemented to verify educational andsocial effects of taking spare time for family on families, schools and regions, issues and measures
for improvement by matching vacations for adults and children by means of the promotion of taking
paid leave of companies and flexible setting of school holidays in each region.
2

Easing the concentration of demand for tourist travel in specific seasons
Holidays of elementary and junior high schools are being made flexible, through measures suchas setting holidays that draw on unique features of the region, autumn holidays, two-term system,
school holidays linked to local events, and so on.
The “Working Team on Vacation Decentralization” (Chairman: Vice Minister of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Members: Vice Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries for
related ministries and agencies) was established under the Tourism Nation Promotion
Headquarters in December 2009 to promote the decentralization of vacation taking that havevarious effects such as the reduction of travel costs by equalizing the demand for tourist travel, theimprovement of productivity of the tourism industry and the stabilization of employment integrally
and comprehensively by the government. A plan for decentralizing vacations and an
implementation schedule were discussed.
3

Protecting the interests of consumers in connection with tourism
A guidance was provided for the appropriate application of “the fair competition convention on
the display of travel souvenirs” in order to secure fair competition of travel souvenirs.
4 We strived to enhance public understanding of the significance of tourism by holding the “Travel
Fair 2010” and the “JATA World Travel Fair 2010” and others.
Section 2 Improving Hospitality Towards Tourists
1 Improving facilities related to travel
In order to develop easy-to-understand signboards in tourist areas, we strived to diffuse and41

publicize the “Guidelines for Signboards to Revitalize Tourism.” In addition, we have strived tofacilitate the transfer of foreign tourists by implementing multilingual guidance using various
measures including guidance displays such as digital signboards, on-board announcement andnumbering of bus stops so that foreign tourists do not have any trouble in terms of language fromthe transport base to destinations (major tourist destinations).
2 We strived to promote regional brands by enhancing the introductions to Japan’s outstanding
traditional food culture as well as other aspects of Japan’s lifestyle culture and industries,
developing attractive products that harness national or regional characteristics, and implementing
the “VJC Attractive Souvenirs of Japan Contest 2011.”
Section 3 Enhancing Convenience for Tourists
1 Developing travel-related facilities so that the elderly or disabled, foreigners and other tourists
who require special consideration may use them smoothly, and improving the convenience of thesefacilities(1) We are promoting the preparation of basic concepts by municipalities for the barrier-freeconversion for travel-related facilities such as public transportations and others based on the Act
on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc(Barrier-Free Act). As of the end of December 2010, 354 basic concepts have been prepared in
265 municipalities.
(2) We strived to increase the efficiency of road transport by expanding the information provision
range of the Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS).
2 We provide the “Online Land Web System” by which local public bodies transmit tourist maps
and information on tourism.
Section 4 Ensuring the Safety of Tourist Travel
1 In addition to providing meteorological and other information, we promoted the provision of
information on the state of occurrence of accidents, disasters, etc. in tourist destinations both inJapan and abroad, by for example rigorously informing of disaster-prone areas, evacuation sites
and evacuation routes, etc.
2. We addressed issues such as preventing the occurrence of accidents during tourist travel,
including safety measures for public transport, road/marine transport and hotel facilities, responseto accidents or incidents overseas and safety measures for the same.
Section 5 Opening Up New Fields of Tourist Travel
In order to promote new tourism such as eco-friendly tourism, green tourism, health tourism,
industrial tourism, etc., monitor tours of travel products that are expected to create new travelneeds and contribute to local revitalization have been planned and created. Their effects wereverified by implementing a questionnaire survey on participants and persons concerned.
Deliberations have been made on comprehensive promotion measures of various tourism menus
such as eco tourism, green tourism, culture tourism, medical tourism, sports tourism, etc., by thecollaboration of related ministries and agencies in the “Tourism Collaboration Consortium”
established under the Tourism Nation Promotion Headquarters since January 2010.
1. Promotion of cultural tourism
The tourism division was established in the “Short Short Film Festival,” the largest
international short film festival in Japan. Films sent from the entire country and the film
created by the Japan Tourism Agency, “Heaven’s Island,” were used as a tool for tourism
promotion.
2. Promotion of medical tourism“The Study Group on Inbound Medical Tourism” was held. Target countries for Japan wereselected and overseas trend surveys were implemented for those who are involved in medical
tourism for the purpose of organizing target fields of accepting medical examination. Besides,
the doctor promotion was implemented for the purpose of forming Japanese brand of medical
tourism and improving the degree of recognition.
3. Promotion of sports tourism“The Sports Tourism Promotion Liaison Conference” was established as a place for jointly
42exchanging opinions on the improvement of liaison for sports tourism promotion and sharing
information by sports organization, tourism organizations, companies, etc. Deliberations on
future sports tourism promotion were made.
Section 6 Conserving Environments and Scenic Views in Tourist Destinations
In addition to preserving environments in tourist destinations, we are striving to protect scenic
landscapes in tourist destinations, by for example promoting the application of the Landscape Act,
diffusion and publicizing of its basic principles, enhancing systems related to outdoor advertising intourist destinations, and supporting town development that harnesses history, culture and local
features.
Section 7 Developing Statistics on Tourism
1 Developing statistics on Tourism by the Japanese nation
As for the “Overnight Trip Statistics Survey,” survey items to grasp the number of occupied
rooms of hotels and inns were added to publicize the room occupancy ratio by municipalities. As forthe “Consumer Outlook Survey in Tourism,” a method of survey was revised to grasp the annual
travel ratio by the Japanese nation and the average number of trips. In addition, as for the“Common Standards for Inbound Tourist Statistics,” statistical surveys based on the standards
have started in FY2010 in 45 prefectures. The standards specify
the standardization of survey methods and estimation methods adoptable by local public bodies forstatistics related to day-trip tourists and other tourists.
In addition, in order to encourage future researchers and practitioners of tourism policies to
conduct studies, the commissioner prize of the Japan Tourism Agency was founded for “research
papers on empirical analyses utilizing tourism statistics” and the awards were given by theCommissioner in March 2010.
2

Introduction of TSA
In order to create TSA (Tourism Satellite Account) which has been widely introduced at aninternational level) to conduct international comparison of economic effects of tourism, a method of
establishing Japanese TSA in compliance with the standards for formulation (TSA:RMF08) of the
UNWTO was created.

43

Tourism Policy in FY2011
Introduction
The Great East Japan Earthquake has caused a considerable effect on various fields around thecountry. Not only regions directly affected by the earthquake but also other tourist destinations
have been in a serious situation due to the significant decrease in tourists.
Tourism has a strong influence on the local economy, because it has wide economic and job
generation effects. In addition, the tourism business can be restarted at a relatively early stage sothat it is of extreme importance to promote tourism around the country including the affected areas
by promoting domestic tourist travel and attracting foreign tourists as mentioned below.
From such viewpoint, we will strive to take measures in FY2011 actively and urgently toward
the early reconstruction of the affected areas.
Chapter 1 Creating Attractive, Internationally Competitive Tourist Destinations
Section 1 Creating Attractive, Internationally Competitive Tourist Destinations
1 Securing the provision of quality services that harness the characteristics of tourist destinations
through collaboration between local public bodies, tourist businesses and other parties concerned(1) In order to promote the development of attractive and internationally competitive tourist
destinations and the visits and stays of tourists from Japan and other countries, we provide
comprehensive support for tourism promotion efforts made integrally by parties concerned such asprivate local organizations, local public bodies, tourism-related parties and local residents. In
addition, in order to support business operators that have a corporate status and address theautonomous town development by making their own profits, we provide support for establishing“tourism community development platform.”(2) We provide support for efforts made broadly and comprehensively by designing uniquedifferentiated strategies with the participation of various parties concerned such as unique regional
industries, those who are involved in manufacturing and urban areas. In addition, we analyze
advanced cases of efforts implemented under the scheme of the “Project for Supporting Vitalizationof Regional and Tourism Industries” and summarize the principle for improving tourism andattraction of customers.
2 Developing hotel facilities, restaurant facilities, information facilities and other travel-related
and public facilities
In order to develop the infrastructure for revitalizing towns of Japanese inns in each region, thestate of hotels and inns that form nationwide towns of Japanese inns was grasped and interregional
analysis was made. Its results are utilized in each region to promote the region-based revitalizationof towns of Japanese inns.
Section 2 Forming Attractive Tourist Destinations That Harness the Characteristics of a Region by
Making Use of Tourism Resources
1 Protecting, nurturing and developing tourism resources related to cultural properties
We promote comprehensive efforts that contribute to culture promotion, tourism promotion andregional revitalization in line with the actual state of each region by taking advantage of rich andvarious regional cultural heritages which can be thought to be the national treasures.
2 Protecting, nurturing and developing tourism resources related to areas of outstanding natural
beautyWe strive to disseminate the concept of nature protection, protect and make use ofnational/quasi national parks, conserve and manage the world natural heritage sites in an
appropriate manner.
Section 3 Comprehensively Developing Transport Facilities Necessary to Encourage Visits by
Tourists
Transport facilities such as international hub airports and expressways will be developed.

44Chapter 2 Strengthening the International Competitiveness of the Tourism Industry andDeveloping Human Resources to Contribute to the Promotion of Tourism
Section 1 Strengthening the International Competitiveness of the Tourism Industry
1. Developing human resources to support the competitive tourism industry
We have strived to develop educational materials and nurture educators and researchers
through academic-industry joint studies. To further promote the nurturing of human resources thatare involved in the tourism business management, we continue to develop educational materials
through achievements of academic-industry joint studies and provide opportunities for transmitting
know-how such as educational contents and methods taking into account the world trend to
Japanese educators who engage in tourism by inviting educators who have an establishedreputation in the tourism education from Japan and other countries. We strive to enhance andstrengthen the education on tourism business management toward the strengthening ofinternational competitiveness in the Japanese tourism field thorough the aforementioned efforts.
2. Developing human resources that are responsible for developing attractive tourist destinations
To develop human resources required for developing tourist destinations, we will hold trainings
by inviting tourism specialists from Japan and other countries and dispatching them to tourist
destinations in Japan and other countries where innovative efforts are being implemented.
In addition, to formulate guidelines for human resource development in each region, trainings
will be held in line with the “draft guidelines for developing human resources that are responsiblefor developing tourist destinations” to further bring them into shape.
Chapter 3 Promoting International Tourism
Section 1 Promoting Visits to Japan by Foreign Tourists
1 Prioritized and effective PR on the attraction of tourism in Japan(1) PR for other countries on the attraction of tourism in Japan
Based on the “30 Million Foreign Tourists Program” which was set to raise the number oftourists visiting Japan to 30 million in the future, we designate Eastern Asian countries as theimmediate priority market. Also, we will design an optimized marketing plan based on
measurement results of KPI and deplore effective overseas promotion by selection andconcentration. However, we strive to recover the number of foreign tourists visiting in Japan in2011 expeditiously and fully taking into account the serious effect of the Great East Japan
Earthquake by providing information from a viewpoint of overseas consumers and actively working
on overseas mass media and travel agencies for full-fledged restart of the visits to Japan.
(2) Promotion of cool Japan and collaboration for it
Based on the “Action Plan for Promoting Cool Japan” which is being formulated by the Liaison
Conference on the Promotion of Cool Japan of Related Ministries and Agencies (decided by thechairman of the planning board, Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, October 22, 2010),
the development of travel routes in Japan under the theme of cool Japan will be promoted and thecollaboration of tourism, contents, food, etc. will be strengthened.
(3) PR in overseas bases
The JNTO is expected to work on local parties concerned such as the travel industry and media
and implement overseas management of the visit Japan campaign as a government tourism officeinstead of the Japan Tourism Agency that does not have any overseas office based on the “Basic
Principles on Reviewing Businesses and Projects of Incorporated Administrative Agencies” (decided
by the Cabinet on December 7, 2010). To this end, the overseas promotion system of JNTO will bestrengthened by expanding the Beijing office.
(4) PR on Japanese food and ingredients for other countries
As a measure for promoting the export of Japanese agricultural and marine products and food,information on Japanese food and ingredients will be provided utilizing existing PR materials
related to food in cultural PR activities held by foreign diplomatic missions and the support projectfor overseas operation by JETRO in FY2011.
45

(5) PR on Japanese contents and networking
High-quality Japanese resources such as traditional arts, culture, Japanese inns and food will
be introduced to other countries to revitalize the economy by the visit of the overseas affluent
people.
(6) Overseas operation of regional contents
Contents that introduce the attraction of tourism resources such as nature, culture and food will
be produced under the collaboration between local broadcasters and local public bodies and local
businesses. Opportunities for transmitting those contents through overseas broadcasters will becreated to provide various information local areas in Japan effectively and continuously and topromote the visit of foreign tourists.
2

Promoting the convening of MICE (international conferences, etc.)
We actively appeal to the world that Japan is an ideal place for MICE and promote theconvening of MICE in Japan for the vitalization and internationalization of local areas. Also, we
strive to develop an environment for promoting MICE through human resource development,
support for promoting internationalization of MICE and surveys related to MICE.
3 Improving measures for entry to and departure from Japan of foreign tourists, improving
interpreter-guide services, and other measures for welcoming foreign tourists(1) Expeditious and smooth visa issuance procedures
To promote human exchanges between the two countries, we continue to provide the expeditious
and smooth visa issuance procedures so that the convenience for applicants would be enhanced.
(2) Expeditious and smooth immigration procedures
We strengthen efforts for reducing the waiting time for landing examination at an arriving port
by providing on-shipboard examination services before the entrance to a port for ocean-going cruise
ships with more than 2,000 passengers. In addition, “examination booth concierges” who assists inthe examination procedures for entrance to and departure from Japan will be increased to further
reduce the waiting time.
(3) Improvement of the standard of environment for acceptance
We strive to provide an environment where foreign tourists visiting Japan are able to enjoy safe
and comfortable stay around the country and promote their visit by supporting the autonomous
development of strategic and regional bases as well as environment for accepting tourists toward
the realization of 30 million foreign tourists. Also, we strive to improve the degree of satisfaction
and increase repeaters.

Section 2 Promoting International Exchanges
1. Strengthening tourism exchange and cooperation between Japan, China and South Korea
In 2011, the 6th Japan-China-Korea Tourism Ministerial Meeting will be held in Japan. We willcontinue to strengthen tourism exchange and cooperation between the three countries.
2. Promotion of efforts for bilateral tourism exchange
Efforts for expanding bilateral mutual exchange will be made as part of the Visit Japan
Campaign using opportunities such as the exchange year, because they contribute to the enhanced
understanding of the people of the two countries and the expansion of tourists visiting Japan. The
year 2011 is the 150th anniversary of the exchange between Japan and Germany so that thepromotion of visits to Japan will be implemented in collaboration with events held as theanniversary project
Chapter 4 Improving the Environment for Encouraging Tourist Travel
Section 1 Making Tourist Travel Easier and SmootherSpecific measures for the decentralization of holiday taking which is positioned as a priority
strategic field to be addressed by the entire nation will be considered at the “Tourism Nation
Promotion Headquarters Working Team on the Decentralization of Holidays.” In addition,
discussions on specific measures for forming a national consensus will be held at the “Vacation46

Reform National Conference” consisting of members from various fields in order to widely explore
the national movement toward the preparation and implementation of the decentralization ofvacation taking.
Section 2 Ensuring the Safety of Tourist Travel
To alleviate tsunami disasters, the new distant tsunami database that has a higher prediction
accuracy of tsunamis (distant tsunamis) that occurred in other countries far away from Japan
starts to operate in FY2011. In addition, we strive to implement publication and PR activities onappropriate use of tsunami warnings by using newly-prepared materials of tsunami images.
Section 3 Opening up New Fields of Tourist Travel
We consider measures for promoting autonomous efforts to improve the degree of satisfaction ofcustomers by grasping the state of marketing, creation, sales and improvement of travel products
created by utilizing unique regional tourism resources in each region.
In addition, PR for inviting the visit of ocean-going cruise ships will be implemented fromvarious angles taking into account the situation that the demand for cruise is increasing in the
Asian region.
Section 4 Protecting Environments and Scenic Views in Tourist Destinations
The formation of an optimal-sized “regional cycle sphere” according to characteristics ofrecycling resources will be promoted utilizing regional characteristics. As an example of the efforts
in the tourism sector, there is a project to make compost out of the leftovers from hotels and to use
agricultural products cultivated by using the compost for hotel’s menus. In FY2011, innovative
efforts will be supported as a model project under the agreement of the regional council in the threeblocks of Hokkaido, Tohoku and Kanto. In addition, the regional council will be operated in the
Chugoku and Shikoku blocks to form a consensus on measures for collecting and using potential
regional recycling resources.
Section 5 Establishing Statistics on Tourism
To implement the Basic Survey on Tourism Industry Structure (provisional title) at a full scale
in FY2012 to reveal the number of business operators and the state of employment in the Japanese
tourism industry, we will strive to plan the survey through preliminary surveys.

47