Japan Tourism Agency moves up goal of attracting 20 million foreign visitors to Japan by 2016

The Japan Tourism Agency has decided to move up their target by four years and now is trying to attract twenty million foreign visitors to Japan by 2016. To accomplish this Japan Tourism Agency’s budget for 2010 will be 25 billion yen, which is four times as much as in 2009.

Due to the worldwide recession the number of visitors to Japan in 2009 is likely to be around six to seven million, a 20% decrease on 2008. The agency is required to increase the visitor numbers by a factor of three in the next seven years. The Tourism Agency will put their main effort into attracting tourists from Korea and China, since these two countries represent the largest markets for foreign visitors to Japan.

The Minister of Land, Infrastructures, Transport and Tourism announced tourism is designated to the main pillar of the ministry’s growth strategy.

(Translated from an article in the Nikkei).