Japan aims to lure more ASEAN tourists
In an effort to compete with South Korea in drawing tourists from the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, Japan has been stepping up exports of cultural content to the region and easing visa requirements for some countries. A weakening of the yen is also expected to boost Japan’s competitiveness in luring tourists from ASEAN member states.
Although Japan and South Korea have been promoting similar attractions such as local cuisine, cherry blossoms, skiing and shopping at city malls, Seoul has been outpacing Tokyo in drawing booming middle-class visitors from ASEAN countries for the last several years.
Among the bloc’s members, Thailand is the biggest tourist source for both countries. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), the number of Thais visiting South Korea jumped 2.4 times in 2012 to 387,000 from the 2008 level. The corresponding figure for Japan came to 260,000, up only 35 per cent, but before visa restrictions have been eased. In a bid to make it easier for Southeast Asian people to visit Japan, the government in Tokyo in July 2013 relaxed visa requirements for citizens of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
A total of 869,000 people from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam visited Japan in the first 10 months of 2013, up from 607,000 in the same period last year and making it likely Japan will achieve its target of doubling the number of visitors from Southeast Asia to 1 million in 2013 from the 2011 level. The Japanese government aims to increase that number to 2 million in 2016.
In an effort to compete with South Korea in drawing tourists from the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, Japan has been stepping up exports of cultural content to the region and easing visa requirements for some countries. A weakening of the yen is also expected to boost Japan’s competitiveness in luring tourists from ASEAN member states. Although Japan and South Korea have been promoting similar attractions such as local cuisine, cherry blossoms, skiing and shopping at city malls, Seoul has been outpacing Tokyo in drawing booming middle-class visitors from ASEAN countries for the last several years. Among the bloc’s...
In an effort to compete with South Korea in drawing tourists from the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, Japan has been stepping up exports of cultural content to the region and easing visa requirements for some countries. A weakening of the yen is also expected to boost Japan’s competitiveness in luring tourists from ASEAN member states.
Although Japan and South Korea have been promoting similar attractions such as local cuisine, cherry blossoms, skiing and shopping at city malls, Seoul has been outpacing Tokyo in drawing booming middle-class visitors from ASEAN countries for the last several years.
Among the bloc’s members, Thailand is the biggest tourist source for both countries. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), the number of Thais visiting South Korea jumped 2.4 times in 2012 to 387,000 from the 2008 level. The corresponding figure for Japan came to 260,000, up only 35 per cent, but before visa restrictions have been eased. In a bid to make it easier for Southeast Asian people to visit Japan, the government in Tokyo in July 2013 relaxed visa requirements for citizens of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
A total of 869,000 people from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam visited Japan in the first 10 months of 2013, up from 607,000 in the same period last year and making it likely Japan will achieve its target of doubling the number of visitors from Southeast Asia to 1 million in 2013 from the 2011 level. The Japanese government aims to increase that number to 2 million in 2016.
