Japan’s Inbound Tourism: Evolving into a Unique and Sustainable Tourism Superpower (G1 Global 2019)

G1 Global Conference @GLOBIS Tokyo, Sept. 16, 2019.
Japan has seen a five-fold increase in inbound tourists in 5 years. In 2020, it will likely achieve its target of 40 million visitors, thanks to the Olympic Games. However, another key target for the same year—tourist consumption of 8 trillion yen—will see a wide miss. Average consumption per inbound tourist has stagnated at 150K yen. Further, increasing dependency on visitors from East Asia (China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong) accounts for three-quarters of inbound visitors, adding the sector’s vulnerability to regional diplomatic tensions. To meet its goals, Japan needs to attract more affluent tourists and a more diversified portfolio of countries. This means improved quality of tourist destinations and experiences, both of which call for the right balance of traditional uniqueness and infrastructure development. The panelists, who have led the tourism industry’s transformation and helped the government shape its policy, will discuss how Japan may realize itself as a sustainable tourism superpower.

David Mark Atkinson (CEO, Konishi Decorative Arts & Crafts)
Shiori Ryu Harada (Founder, LandReam Inc.)
Yoshiharu Hoshino (CEO, Hoshino Resorts Co., Ltd.)
Moderator: Tak Umezawa (Japan Chairman and Partner, A.T. Kearney)