## Section 2 Approaches to Realizing Tourism Nation

Amid varying recent circumstances around tourism, “the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan” was approved at a Cabinet meeting on March 30, 2012 to advance the national economy further, consolidate and even better the national life, deepen mutual understanding globally and facilitate restoration from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Pursuant to this plan, measures designed to realize a tourism nation have been put into energetic action in an integrated, planned fashion. The Tourism Nation Promotion Headquarters works to strengthen inter-agency coordination and collaboration to propel an integrated, consistent governmental effort.

Further, the “Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Award” is granted to recognize those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the promotion and growth of tourism. So far, 34 individuals and organizations have received this award.

## Forming a Highly Competitive and Charming Tourism area

## (1) Promoting stay-and-exchange type tourism

Tourism areas are working together under the “Act on Promotion of Tourists’ Visit and Stay Through Development of Tourism Areas” to promote the development of tourism areas that address the needs of stay-and-exchange type tourism, in which foreign and domestic tourists stay two nights and three days or longer. FY2012, 49 tourism area development plans had been accredited. In addition, endeavors to plan and sell tourist stay programs, development of relevant human resources and so on are supported with a view to forming “Tourist Area Development Platforms,” or business bodies that serve as a channel of contact between market and region.

Further, “Tourism Area Development Practice Plans” have been accredited, which provide packages of government-controlled projects and measures to support the endeavors to develop regions centering on tourism. The Plans not only support social infrastructures development and other efforts designed to accelerate the development of tourism areas but get the stakeholders connected with tourism and social infrastructures development together in each tourism area to promote an exchange of opinions concerning field surveys preparatory to social infrastructures development, specific approaches and so on. Field surveys had been conducted in 19 tourism areas by March 2013.

In addition, amendments to the “Basic Policy on Promotion of Tourists’ Visit and Stay through Development of Tourism Areas” have been put into effect since March 2013 to promote stay-and-exchange type tourism.

## (2) Enhancing the foreign tourist reception environment

To accomplish the “Get 30 Million Foreign Tourists” program, which projects to increase the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan to 30 million in the future, improving the foreign tourist reception environment at home, as well as staging campaigns on the overseas markets, has become a task of urgent concern. In FY2012, a foreign tourist reception environment improvement project was implemented in 35 of the 45 regions nationwide that have been selected to be a regional point of strategic significance each. The purposes of the project was to encourage foreign tourists to visit these regions by creating an environment in which foreign tourists can move, stay and go sightseeing with both an ease of mind and with comfort and to gain an expanding population of repeat visitors by augmenting their satisfaction. The project not only helped improve the self-reliant foreign tourist reception environment in these regions and proliferate the environment in other regions by itself, but also accelerated its improvement by sending foreign students staying in Japan to tourist sites and having them come up with suggested improvements on the underdeveloped areas of the reception environment from a foreigner’s viewpoint.

In addition, a foreign tourist information office accreditation program was launched to upgrade foreign tourist information offices for greater tourist convenience and satisfaction. During FY2012, 342 foreign tourist information offices nationwide were accredited to form a network of foreign tourist information offices in place. Moreover, taking lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake, a scheme of passing correct information to foreign tourists promptly via a Website has been built to keep them at ease in times of emergencies, such as natural disasters.

To address the diversified needs of foreign tourists visiting Japan more precisely, actions have been taken to better the Licensed Guide-Interpreters System by sponsoring programs to enhance the quality of Licensed Guide-Interpreters, such as training sessions designed to augment their expertise, as well as pursuing steady implementation of the preferential