Japan Schedule Coodination / Japan Aeronautic Association

The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) was inaugurated on October 1, 2008. The Japanese government is currently working to enhance tourism-related measures, towards the ultimate goal of creating a tourism nation. The JTA was newly established organization to serve as the hub for these efforts, and drive their deployment.

In addition to carrying out measures to expand international tourism exchange such as the ‘Visit Japan Campaign’, the JTA works to prepare a national environment friendly to tourist travel. This includes creating appealing tourist destinations in Japan, upgrading tourism industries to fit traveler needs, promoting training and utilization of talent in the tourism field, encouraging the Japanese people to take vacations, and preparing safety measures for Japanese travelers abroad.

Visit Japan Campaign
What is the Visit Japan Campaign?

The public and the private sectors are working together to promote the ‘Visit Japan Campaign’, which publicizes Japan’s tourism appeals abroad while developing and supporting attractive tourism products to Japan toward the goal of attracting 10 million overseas visitors to Japan in 2010.

The Visit Japan Campaign Headquarters is established in the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Please visit the official Visit Japan Campaign Headquarters website which is also a good source of Japanese tourism information.

The Purpose of the Visit Japan Campaign

The ‘Visit Japan Campaign’ was launched to “achieve the goal of 10 million overseas visitors to Japan in 2010” laid out by the then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in his January 2003 policy speech. Japan’s tourism appeal is a soft power that can inspire empathy in foreign nationals. It contributes to mutual international understanding through one-on-one exchange, and in this age of shrinking national population, the arrival of international visitors can result in regional revitalization and business expansion. For these reasons, the public and the private sectors are working as one, with the JTA coordinating the effort.

The Visit Japan Campaign’s Activities

The JTA is conducting promotional activities targeting the 12 nations and regions (Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Germany, France and Australia) that send a large number of visitors to Japan, designating them as priority markets. In addition, three nations (India, Russia and Malaysia) were designated as promising emerging markets in 2007, and targeted for market research.

The JTA is also working to increase satisfaction among overseas visitors and encourage repeat visits, under the ‘Visit Japan Upgrade Project’ starting in 2008. In addition to promoting even greater understanding of Japan’s many appeals, the effort will also work towards greater convenience for travelers such as IC card standardization and compatibility. For more details about the project, please visit the official Visit Japan Campaign Headquarters website.