Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), New Delhi, recently hosted a travel seminar to introduce some new tourism products and destination experiences to travel agents. The event witnessed participation from the travel industry who wanted to understand the new opportunities in the emerging market. In 2016, Japan witnessed record number of Indian tourist arrivals of 123,000 depicting a year on year growth of 19.3 per cent as compared to 2015.
The Japan Tourism Board also plans to open a Delhi office to ease travel between the two countries. Speaking at the event, Kenichi Takano, executive director, JNTO preparation office for New Delhi, stated, “Last year has seen a modest rise in the the tourist arrival numbers. The year-on-year growth has been exceptional in comparison to other South Asian countries. We will continue to host trade events for the agents, be part of travel shows and introduce new PR activities in order to tap the potential of the India market.” He informed that a new website will soon be launched with better information for Indian travellers.
One of the major attractions of Japan, Sakura flowers which bloom all across the city is known as the Cherry Blossom Festival. The team from Japan Tourism office gave an elaborate information on the best parts of the city to visit and witness the festival in full bloom. The enhanced capacity via direct flights in the recent months has contributed positively towards creating fresh excitement about Japan and the enthusiasm is reflected amongst the travel trade and media partners in India. Kenko Sone, economic minister, embassy of Japan in India, further informed, “Indian travellers are not as active as we expected. Only 40,000 out of 123,000 were tourist arrivals who explored Japan. The lack of awareness about Japanese states restrict Indian visitors from planning in advance.”
Further, Toshinori Yamada, senior assistant manager, JNTO, explained on how some visa relaxations are available for students in Japan. He highlighted some interesting points about the Japanese economy to attract the Indian travellers. He informed about the no tipping policy in Japan and no hotel bed tax in cities like Tokyo and Osaka. It is projected that Japan will receive 20 million tourists by the year 2020.