Japan is too cheap for tourists. It needs more Jack Mas.
The country has much to offer the ultra-rich but it hasn’t figured out how to attract more of them
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After opening its borders last month, nearly half a million people descended upon the country.
PHOTO: AFP
Gearoid Reidy
From Canadian singer Justin Bieber to Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma, foreign visitors are being spotted everywhere in Japan these days.
Since opening its borders in November, nearly half a million people have descended upon the country. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wants to boost annual spending by foreign tourists to 5 trillion yen (S$49 billion), above the 4.8 trillion yen recorded in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.