On July 11, JATA (Japan Association of Travel Agents) and JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) held a press conference to outline the “Tourism Expo Japan 2022.
As one of the world’s largest travel events, Tourism Expo Japan brings together government tourism bureaus of various countries, regional tourism bureaus of Japan, airlines, travel agencies, and related organizations to set up booths. Tourism Expo Japan has been making its presence felt as a major autumn event that attracts a large number of travel enthusiasts.
In previous years, the event has been held at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center in Ariake (Tokyo Big Sight), but due to the Tokyo 2020 Games, it was held in Osaka in 2019 and in Naha in 2020, but due to the spread of the new coronavirus from the first half of 2020, the Naha venue took a greatly disrupted form, and in 2021 (Osaka venue) was postponed. This means that it will be the first time in four years since 2018 that the event will be held in Tokyo.
The exhibition will be held at Tokyo Big Sight’s Conference Tower and East Exhibition Halls (East Halls 1, 2, 4, and 5) on September 22-23 as the Industry Days and September 24-25 as the General Days. Pre-registration is required to visit the exhibition, and admission tickets for the General Days will go on sale on July 25 on the official website (1,000 yen in advance, 1,300 yen at the door).
At the press conference, JATA Chairman Hiroyuki Takahashi commented on this year’s conference, “We would like to make this year’s conference a place where we can challenge new forms of tourism. It is very meaningful to present new tourism from Tokyo. Needs for travel are changing after the Corona Disaster. Businesses are demanding an unprecedented level of safety and security, and travelers are willing to pay for it,” he said, noting that the situation is completely different from the previous Tokyo event.
The theme of the event will be “ReStart: Challenges for a New Era,” and it will be an opportunity to promote the following four points: “experiencing new forms of travel in the new normal era,” “contributing to regional development through the power of travel,” “introducing a new form of international exchange from Japan,” and “promoting sustainable tourism.
The catchphrase “HELLO NEW JOURNEY” prominently displayed on the poster expresses the hope for what Mr. Takahashi calls “a new form of tourism,” and the key visuals convey a sense of excitement and exuberance that makes one want to embark on a journey.
The number of visitors for the 2018 event exceeded 200,000 for all four days, “revealing how great the expectations for tourism are,” but the number of exhibitors has been reduced this year, and the number of exhibitors is currently expected to exceed 1,000 booths, with a total of 150,000 visitors, 50,000 on the industry days and 100,000 on the general days. The number of visitors is expected to total 150,000, including 50,000 on industry days and 100,000 on general days.
On the first day of the exhibition, the 22nd, a keynote speech will be delivered by Mr. Shinichi Inoue, President of the Association of Scheduled Airlines (ANA), and the 5th TEJ Tourism Ministers Meeting will be held with ministers of tourism from about 8 countries invited. Mr. Takahashi also announced that he has been approached by Kiev, Ukraine, to participate in the exhibition, and that he hopes to help promote tourism in Ukraine in the postwar period.
© Source travel watch