Japan Trying to Snare Chinese Tourists

With Japan´s population starting to dwindle, the nation´s tourism industry as well as the central and local governments are turning their eyes to China, hoping that a large number of travelers from the market with 1.3 billion people will rejuvenate Japanese regional economies.

The government of Shizuoka prefecture, the home of Mt. Fuji, is no exception. As part of a state-funded project to invite foreign travel agencies to Japan, the prefecture recently had five Chinese officials tour the area.

“Mt. Fuji is recognized as a Japanese symbol and the No. 1 tourist attraction,” said Liang Bin of Suzhou Overseas Tourist Co. in China´s Jiangsu Province. “You have to make sure that travelers have a good view of it regardless of weather conditions, by booking accommodations nearby.”

After traveling in the central Japan prefecture in two days under the pilot tour program, Liang told Shizuoka officials at a hotel in Hamamatsu, “Japanese tea tastes differently from Chinese one. You should provide explanations on Japanese tea culture.” Shizuoka is famous for its green tea production.

The number of tourists visiting Japan from mainland China stood at 185,801 between January and November 2005, up 4.5 percent from the same period the previous year, but ranking fifth after South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Hong Kong, according to the Japan National Tourist Organization.

The overall number of foreign visitors to Japan, including those on business trips, transit passengers and students is estimated at a record high 6.7 million in 2005, up for the second straight year.

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry, which is in charge of tourism promotion, attributes the rise to the relaxed visa requirements for South Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese nationals implemented last year.

Since 2003, the government has been promoting “Visit Japan Campaign,” with the goal of increasing the annual number of foreign tourists to 10 million by 2010.

Travelers from mainland China face more restrictions than those from South Korea and Taiwan, as Japan changed its requirement in 2005 to accept visa-free short-term visits from the two economies. In contrast, Japan receives only travelers on package tours from the mainland due to Japanese authorities´ concerns about security.

Because the number of people who can travel to Japan is limited, tourists from the mainland tend to buy many Japanese items as souvenirs for their families and friends. Shiseido cosmetics and electrical appliances such as digital cameras are especially popular, he said.