The number of foreign tourists to Japan has been on a sharp increase this year, helping boost the world’s third-largest economy at a time when it is struggling with sluggish domestic consumption.
In the first 10 months of the year, more than 11 million foreign travelers visited Japan, breaking the record high of 10.36 million set last year. The number is expected to exceed 13 million by year-end, according to Japan’s state-run tourism agency.
This steep increase is mainly attributable to a rising flow of tourists from its neighboring countries in Northeast Asia. The number of visitors from mainland China and Taiwan increased by 80 percent and 26 percent from a year earlier in the 10-month period. Japan also saw a 58 percent rise in its number of Korean tourists in October, picking up from a slow pace of increase in previous months.
The weak yen may be cited as the main reason for the growing number of foreign travelers to Japan. But attention needs to be paid to a wide range of measures taken by government and tourism industry officials to draw more tourists. Their counterparts in Korea should be alerted by and at the same time learn from Japan’s efforts to boost its tourism sector as a key part of its growth strategy.
The Japanese government has pushed for drastic deregulation in contrast to regulatory restraints here, which hamper work necessary for enhancing convenience for foreign visitors.
It has eased requirements for issuing visas to travelers from Southeast Asian nations, where the number of middle-class consumers ― potential tourists abroad ― is rapidly increasing in keeping with continuous economic growth in the region. Tokyo plans to go further by allowing affluent citizens above the age of 60 from 66 countries, including Korea, to stay in Japan for up to a year for the purpose of sightseeing.
Haneda Airport in Tokyo has expanded its connections to foreign cities and flights to local destinations, a move that will result in a decrease in the number of passengers using Incheon Airport near Seoul.
The scope of duty-free items has been widened to cosmetics and food products, with regulations being eased to help build more regional facilities to accommodate and entertain foreign visitors.
Japan is planning to increase its number of foreign tourists to 20 million by 2020 and further to 30 million by 2030. Its ambitious push should prompt Korean government and tourism industry officials to accelerate deregulation and carry out a long-term plan to make the country a more attractive destination for foreign travelers.
