Japan planning to boost foreign tourism in rural areas

TOKYO, Feb. 3 Kyodo -
A government working group has drafted a plan to attract more foreign visitors
to rural Japan in its aim to raise the annual number of overseas visitors to 20
million by 2020, a target set last year, government sources said Tuesday.
Japan's most appealing holiday destinations are often found in the countryside,
the draft plan says, and if more attractions are promoted there, more foreign
tourists are likely to make repeat visits to Japan.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency, about 70 percent of foreign tourists
visit only Japan's top three metropolitan areas around Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya,
covering 17 of the 47 Japanese prefectures.
The working group's draft plan calls for setting up more tourist information
centers and signs written in foreign languages at airports and railway stations
outside major cities so that foreigners can find their way on their own.
The draft also urges the government to promote international cultural and
athletic events and have Japanese cities cultivate sister-city alliances with
more localities abroad as such steps are expected to help attract foreigners to
Japan regardless of economic vicissitudes.
The draft plan calls for prefectures to join forces in their advertising
campaigns and suggests the government make it easier for foreigners to obtain
tourist visas.
Some estimates say that if 20 million foreign tourists come to Japan in 2020,
their yearly spending in Japan will triple from the current level to 4.3
trillion yen.
According to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization, the
number of foreign visitors to Japan is estimated at 8.35 million in 2008.
The group intends to finalize the draft plan for submission to the government
in March, the sources said.
==Kyodo
2009-02-03 22:06:49