Tourism Expo Japan 2023 Osaka-Kansai, one of the world’s largest travel events, is being held at INTEX Osaka (Suminoe-ku, Osaka City) for four days from October 26 to 29.
At the opening ceremony, Kenichiro Yamanishi, Chairman of the Tourism Expo Japan Organizing Committee and President of the Japan Association for the Promotion of Tourism, declared the event open and stressed the significance of holding the event in Osaka, which is attracting attention from around the world, approximately 500 days before the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Touching on the current state of the travel industry, he said, “The recovery of overseas travel has been slow compared to inbound travel, but many countries and regions are exhibiting at this event. We hope to use this event as a foothold for the revival of outbound travel, by enabling visitors to experience the joy of traveling not only domestically but also internationally. People’s values are changing due to the pandemic, and I am confident that Tourism Expo Japan 2023 will be an event that embodies a new form of travel.
At the ceremony, Mr. Tomoyuki Ishizuka, Deputy Director General of the Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Ms. Zolitisa Wloczewicz, Executive Director of UNTWO (United Nations World Tourism Organization), delivered congratulatory speeches, and Mr. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister, delivered a video message.
Prime Minister Kishida said, “I am pleased to see the grand opening of this event with participants from all over Japan as well as from all over the world. Japan’s waterfront relaxation has brought many tourist destinations back to life. Inbound tourism has already exceeded pre-Corona levels and travel spending is higher. On the other hand, some regions are facing the challenge of overtourism, but we will promote the creation of a system that is good for living, good for visiting, and good for accepting visitors through measures such as the overtourism countermeasures outlined at the October 18 Ministerial Meeting. I hope that the success of Tourism Expo Japan 2023 will serve as a catalyst for the success of the Osaka-Kansai Expo two years from now,” he said.
© Source travel watch