Tourism Expo Japan 2024 commenced on September 26, welcoming representatives from 80 countries and regions to Tokyo to the country’s largest showcase for domestic and international travel.
Organised by the Japan Travel and Tourism Association (JTTA) Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the country’s annual flagship travel event is expected to attract 180,000 visitors through September 29 as well as tourism professionals for business meetings and seminars.
Masanobu Komoda, chairman and CEO of JTTA, opened the event with optimism.
“Japan’s inbound tourism recovery has been remarkable,” he said, adding his hope that growth of the travel industry continues with Osaka’s hosting of Expo 2025.
Prime minister Fumio Kishida said Japan is on course this year to welcome 35 million overseas tourists who are expected to spend eight trillion yen (US$55.3 billion), setting new records for the country’s inbound tourism.
“Tourism is a pillar of Japan’s growth strategy and a game-changer for regional revitalisation,” he stated.
However, there is a need to tackle overtourism and ensure responsible growth of the industry, he explained, noting the government’s aim “to create sustainable tourist destinations and communities that are good for living, good for visiting and good for hosting”.
Atsumi Gamo, president of JNTO, said event organisers would be doing their part to promote less-well-known destinations by hosting 50 buyers on familiarisation trips in Tohoku and Hokkaido after the expo. Participants will experience rafting, cycling and making traditional crafts as part of their adventure tours.
Another theme in 2024 is boosting outbound travel, which has recovered to only 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. With 40 per cent of the 1,384 companies and organisations represented at the expo this year from overseas, expectations are high for full recovery soon, said Komoda.
More than 4,000 students were provided with free tickets to this year’s event to help inspire greater interest in overseas travel among young people, added Hiroyuki Takahashi, chairman of JATA.
