JAPAN is sending a 3,000-strong travel trade mission to China in May, with high hopes of attracting even Chinese tourists to the country.
Diplomatic relations between Beijing and Tokyo have been fractious in recent years, causing serious impact on both leisure and business travel between the two nations, but tensions appear to have eased in recent months, encouraging Japan’s travel firms to win new business in a country with a booming economy and a populace with a new-found desire to travel.
Hiroyuki Seishi, a spokesman for the Japan Association of Travel Agents, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “The public and private sectors in both countries are striving to cultivate friendly relationships between China and Japan. And this time, we have support from both governments, as well as embassies and NTOs.”
Besides representatives of travel companies, the delegation will include officials from local governments across Japan and cultural organisations.
The delegation is scheduled to leave on May 22 for Beijing and, over the following two days, take part in a series of sightseeing and cultural events, visit the Japan Travel Fair in the Chinese capital, and attend an official reception.
On the final day, some delegates will travel to other Chinese cities for promotional activities.
Motohisa Tachikawa, a spokesman for JTB Corp, said: “We hope that this event will help to open the door to more Chinese tourists coming to Japan.
“It is significant that the delegation is being welcomed by the Chinese government and that they are keen for us to go there and explain the real opportunities that exist for tourists who wish to come to Japan.”
Figures suggest that China is becoming an important – and lucrative – market for Japan’s tourism sector. Nearly 2.4 million Chinese tourists visited Japan last year, a year-on-year increase of 83 per cent, and that number is expected to rise significantly again this year.
In January alone, 226,300 Chinese visited Japan, up more than 45 per cent year-on-year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation.
