On September 14, JATA (Japan Association of Travel Agents) held a regular press conference to explain the highlights of Tourism Expo Japan 2022. Tourism Expo Japan is one of the world’s largest travel events, co-hosted by JATA, JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), and JATA (Japan Association for the Promotion of Tourism). The venue is Tokyo Big Sight.
Manabu Hayasaka, Director of the Tourism Expo Japan Promotion Office, introduced that more than 1,100 booths (70% from Japan and 30% from overseas) are currently scheduled to exhibit, which he said is about 70% of the scale of previous years. The total number of participating companies is approximately 1,000, with participation from 47 prefectures in Japan and 70 countries/regions from abroad. The number of first-time exhibitors was 79 from Japan and 17 from overseas.
He explained that some countries and tourist bureaus have difficulty in visiting Japan due to visa reasons, and that the final figures will be announced at the press conference on the first day of the exhibition, but that at this point the goal in terms of the scale of exhibits has been achieved. Frederic Mazenck of the French Tourism Development Agency, a member of the organizing committee, said that “it is miraculous to have 70 foreign countries exhibiting at this time of the year,” and Mr. Hayasaka also expressed that “it shows how high the world’s expectations are for Japan.
Ms. Etsuko Ishii, Tourism Expo Japan Public Relations Manager, gave a presentation on the highlights of the event, details of which will be reported in another article.
Ahead of the event, which will be held in approximately one week, JATA President Tadasu Shimura said, “We need to present an image of tourism in the post-Corona-with-Corona era. The implementation of national travel support is in sight, and although it has not yet been announced, the lifting of the ban on individual travel to Japan is also expected. I believe that this event itself will be timely,” he commented. On the other hand, Japan is the only G7 country that requires three vaccinations, and there are not enough quarantine officers for cruise ships, which used to carry about 9 million passengers, and only about 40% of flights on East Asian routes have been restored. He then noted that “significant progress” has been made, particularly with regard to inbound travel, including the elimination of PCR inspections within 72 hours prior to departure and the daily limit of 50,000 passengers.
© Source travel watch