The number of foreign visitors to Japan surged 29.4 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year, setting a new high with 13.41 million visitors.
It was the second consecutive record-breaking year for the number of foreign tourists, which surpassed 10 million visitors for the first time in 2013.
A weaker yen made shopping in Japan more affordable for overseas visitors, though for more records to be broken, several issues still need to be addressed.
The government has set a goal of increasing the number of foreign tourists to 20 million by the time the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are held in 2020.
“The goal feels realistic. We hope to exceed 15 million this year,” said Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Akihiro Ota.
Foreign visitors were also active consumers last year, spending 43.3 percent more than in 2013 for a total of ¥2.03 trillion, the first time the figure has exceeded ¥2 trillion.
Expanding the items exempt from the consumption tax in October last year to include cosmetics, food and other products appears to have had a positive effect.
Tokyo International Air Terminal Corp., which manages gift shops and other businesses at Haneda Airport, reported a 1.5-fold increase in customers to its duty-free stores last year.
“I bought about ¥600,000 worth of brandy, food and other products on this trip,” said a 61-year-old former president of a household equipment company from Shanghai.
He added: “Japan is close and has high-quality products. I hope to visit numerous times.”
Chinese visitors spent an average of ¥231,753 per person in 2014, much higher than the overall average of ¥151,374.
Laying out the red carpet
Businesses are looking to benefit from big-spending foreign visitors.
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. and others plan to open an airport-style duty-free store on the eighth floor of Mitsukoshi’s Ginza store in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, in the autumn of 2015.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Products in the store would be not only except from consumption taxes, but also import duties and alcohol and tobacco taxes.
The hotel industry is also benefiting.
The Seibu Holdings Inc.’s Prince Hotels had about 740,000 foreign visitors in January to November 2014, a 25 percent rise over the same period the previous year.
About 70 percent of guests at the Shinjuku Prince Hotel are foreign tourists, the company said.
Local areas are also trying to get in on the game.
Nine prefectures in the Chubu and other regions have named themselves the “Dragon Route” to promote tourism in the area as a whole.
The name aims to attract visitors from China, where dragons are seen as lucky.
The Kyushu District Transport Bureau is promoting “wedding photo tours” in the region, which are popular among newlyweds from Hong Kong.
East Japan Railway Co. President Tetsuro Tomita wants to encourage tourists from overseas to visit the Tohoku region.
“It could boost local economic activity and help create new jobs,” he said.
27th worldwide in 2013
Globally, however, the number of tourists visiting Japan is not all that high.
Japan ranked 27th for number of foreign visitors worldwide in 2013, according to the Japan National Tourist Organization.
As Japan is inaccessible by land, getting here is often costly compared to other nations.
According to the Tourism Agency, Chinese visitors to Japan pay 1.5 to 2 times more in travel expenses compared to when they visit South Korea, which they can access by sea.
Hokkaido, which is popular with visitors from Taiwan, China and other areas, is experiencing a shortage of chartered buses.
And it can be difficult to get a hotel reservation in popular spots such as the Tokyo area and Kyoto.
“We’re having to turn more people away because we’re full up,” an executive at a Tokyo hotel said.
Many visitors are also unhappy they cannot make full use of their smartphones while in Japan.
A survey by the Tourism Agency of foreign travelers revealed that one in three people were dissatisfied with the lack of wireless Internet access.
“It’s essential to get enthusiasts who come to Japan over and over,” said Hiroyuki Ihara, head researcher at the Nippon Research Institute. “An environment that foreigners do not feel is inconvenient must be quickly created.”
Shopping tourists spend record ¥2 tril. - The Japan News
