Marketing Japan's travel and tourism industry to international tourists

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer some marketing suggestions for increasing the number of international tourists visiting Japan.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a combination of the author's personal experiences and past associations working in the travel industry in Japan for 12 years. Data sources included amongst others: newspapers, business news magazines, academic journals, internet, the Japan National Tourism Organization database and other sources.FindingsJapan will have to move beyond its lip service “Yokoso! Japan” campaign slogan, and formulate a long‐term tactical and strategic marketing plan.Research limitations/implicationsSome of the data used in the paper are inconsistent. While, for example, the Japan National Tourism Organisation ( JNTO) recorded 3.8 million foreign visitors in 2004, the official figure used during the launching of “Yokoso! Japan” campaign in 2003 was 6.14 million. It should be noted that, because all short‐term visitors either for sightseeing, diplomatic, conference or business to Japan are issued a 90‐day tourist visa, it is difficult to differentiate who is a tourist. For this reason, this paper, using JNTO's data, defines all foreign visitors with a 90‐day visa to Japan as tourists.Originality/valueSome of the recommendations will help all stakeholders in the industry to increase the number of international tourists visiting Japan.