- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,050
- 18,903
The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) and other governmental tourism organizations will be targetting wealthy visitors from abroad, especially those who spend at least one million JPY (USD 7,200) during a single visit. These travellers, mainly from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Australia and China, accounted for only 1 per cent of all inbound tourists in the pre-pandemic year of 2019; however, their spending made up 11.5 per cent of the total, according to a survey conducted by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Although increasing numbers of tourists have been arriving in Japan since the relaxation of COVID-19 border controls in September, the JTA and JNTO want more "premium tourists" to enter.
Perhaps a good job opportunity for foreign residents?
The number of people with at least $1 million in assets is expected to grow by about 1.5 times worldwide over the five years from 2021, according to a private institution. But Japan trails the United States and European countries in attracting wealthy tourists. Japan ranked 36th in the list of overseas travel destinations for wealthy British tourists, a JNTO survey showed. Japan was also 13th for wealthy U.S. travelers, falling behind such countries as Italy and Thailand. Wealthy tourists tend to prefer nature and cultural experiences, contributing to the preservation and development of cultures and industries, according to the JTA and JNTO. Since October, the two government bodies have been inviting travel agencies catering to wealthy clients to join night tours guided by monks at Mount Koyasan in Wakayama Prefecture and visit luxury hotels in Kyoto and Nara prefectures.
Perhaps a good job opportunity for foreign residents?
However, she added: "The industry is lagging behind in personnel training. There are also not enough English speakers."