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The number of foreign visitors to Japan in the first half of this year reached a record high. In order to further convey the attractiveness of regional areas, the dissemination of information overseas through regional cooperation should be strengthened.
The number of visitors to Japan from January to June this year increased by more than 60% from the same period last year to about 17.78 million. The figure was a record high for the first half of the year, surpassing the previous record set in 2019. The amount of money spent by them was also a record high at ¥3.9 trillion.
The number of visitors to Japan has been recovering steadily since the classification of COVID-19 under the Infectious Diseases Law was lowered to Category 5 in May last year and strict behavioral restrictions were eased.
Japan’s appeal as a leading tourist destination in Asia is probably gaining ground overseas. The depreciation of the yen has also made travel to Japan more affordable.
The government has set a goal of 60 million visitors to Japan in 2030. To achieve this goal, it is important to increase the number of visitors who visit Japan multiple times.
To this end, it is also important to convey to travelers from foreign countries the attractiveness of regional areas.
It has been reported that nearly 90% of visitors to Japan are concentrated in nine prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido and Fukuoka.
Since the problem of overtourism, in which an increase in the number of tourists has a negative impact on the lives of local residents, has also resurfaced, it is desirable that visitors to Japan will disperse to various regions.
Regional areas have many attractive tourism resources, with unique characteristics such as food, hot springs and festivals. As there is a strong interest in learning about Japanese culture among foreign visitors, it could be beneficial for both regional areas and the visitors.
The city of Ureshino in Saga Prefecture is known for tea production, and inn operators and farmers in the city have jointly been promoting “tea tourism.” A program to enjoy Japanese tea while listening to explanations about the types of tea leaves, cultivation methods and local history is said to be popular.
Gastronomy, the study of regional food culture, is also attracting worldwide attention. For Japan, which is blessed with various foodstuffs from the sea and mountains and has cultivated a variety of cooking methods, this will be a tourism resource to be proud of.
When strengthening the dissemination of information, the appeal of individual regions is limited if they promote themselves individually. It is necessary for local governments, restaurants, lodging facilities and others to collaborate as representatives of a wider region, such as Tohoku, Hokuriku and Kyushu.
In order to improve the readiness to receive the tourists in regional areas, there is also an urgent need to address the labor shortage. An increasing number of municipalities are considering a lodging tax to secure labor and improve public transportation networks.
However, that could effectively increase lodging rates, and there is concern on the lodging operators’ side that their competitiveness could decline. It is also important to add value to the lodging businesses so that the price increase will not cause a loss of customers.
