Measures needed to attract more foreign visitors to regional areas: Japanese govt
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The number of foreign visitors to Japan and consumption by visitors in the first half of 2025 reached a record high.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – The Japanese government has set a goal of increasing the annual number of foreign visitors to 60 million and their consumption to 15 trillion yen (S$130 billion) in 2030.
The number of foreign visitors to Japan and consumption by visitors in the first half of 2025 reached a record high, thanks to recovering demand after the Covid-19 pandemic and the weak yen.
Measures need to be taken to attract foreign visitors to regional areas to achieve the goals set by the government. At the same time, it will also be necessary to alleviate overtourism, which adversely affects the lives of residents.
In Nikko, Tochigi prefecture, a course that lets visitors try their hand at making Nikko geta, a traditional handicraft, is a big hit among foreign visitors at a tourist spot.
“I wanted to visit somewhere that I didn’t know (about),” said a 40-year-old tourist from Singapore, who visited the area on Aug 10, adding that she is happy “with this special experience in Nikko”.
She added that she has been to Japan about 10 times and has already visited famous sightseeing destinations such as Tokyo and Osaka.
To achieve the target set for 2030, the Japan Tourism Agency is stepping up efforts to attract foreign visitors to regional areas, such as Nikko. The agency believes there is little room for more foreign visitors to destinations located in the so-called Golden Route, an itinerary typically covering Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. It aims to entice foreign visitors to various places across Japan, spreading the benefits brought by them.
The agency is mainly targeting visitors from the US, Australia and European countries.
These visitors tend to stay in Japan for a week or longer and many are said to be affluent.
According to data on consumption by country and region, the share of expenditure by tourists from the US and Australia has been growing. As for the average amount of spending per foreign tourist between April and June, those from the UK spent the most, at 444,000 yen, compared with the overall average of 239,000 yen. The UK was followed by Italy and Germany.
The Japan Tourism Agency said that “experiencing Japanese history and traditional culture” and “experiencing the four seasons” are popular among affluent visitors who stay for a long period of time. As a result, expenditures by foreign tourists for activities in regional areas are expected to increase in the future.
“It will be difficult to accept more foreign visitors in urban areas,” said Ms Yayoi Sakanaka of Mizuho Research and Technologies. “More efforts have to be made to draw in visitors to regional areas that are attractive for sightseeing and have more room to accept foreign visitors.”
Meanwhile, various parts of the country are considering introducing the so-called dual-pricing system, in which foreign visitors will be asked to pay more than non-foreign guests, as a measure against overtourism. However, the system is receiving mixed responses.
The Himeji municipal government in Hyogo prefecture considered introducing a dual-pricing system for Himeji Castle, a World Heritage site, and raising admission prices only for foreign visitors. But the city eventually decided to modify the plan and will split the admission into two types, one for Himeji residents and the other for visitors from outside the city.
A dual-pricing system has the risk of discouraging visitors because it may be effectively taken as a price hike.
The Japanese government plans to draw up a Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan, which will serve as the guideline for the country’s tourist promotion measures, by the end of fiscal year 2025. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
