ITM Master 1. Sem.
8001: International Tourism Management I (Seminar): Tourism in the 21st century

 Tourism in Japan today

Tourism delivers only app. 2% of GDP (2,2% in 2000, 1,9% in 2003) and less then 3% of jobs (2,9% 2000, 2,7% 2003) (OECD 2002, TIJ 2004). The average for OECD countries in both respects is 4-5%.

Inbound tourism amounts to app. 8 mio. visitors per year only, less than Singapore, and less than half the global average in the ratio of arrivals/population.

95% of overall revenues of the Japanese tourism industry stem from domestic tourism (TIJ 2004).

The “Yokosa Japan” (Welcome to Japan) campaign increasing the number of visitors from 5.3 mio. in 2003 to 8.3 mio. in 2008, but in 2009 it fell back to 6.8 mio., for 2010 a maximum of 8 mio. visitors can be expected, a long way from the aim of bringing 10 mio. visitors to Japan by the year 2010. Japan will continue not to be among the 25 major tourist destinations.

2010: "Japan. Endless Discovery." is a new slogan that refers to "Japan—a country offering inexhaustible delights". This slogan expresses our hope that foreign visitors will come to Japan many times and gain a deep understanding of the various tourism resources in Japan. Each visit is an opportunity for travelers to encounter the rich nature of Japan as represented by cherry blossoms, the history and traditional culture of Japan, and the modern culture, cuisine and everyday life of Japan's people.

Taking into account the four factors mentioned before, these results are not surprising:

  Domestic tourism is an exercise in definition of 'Japanese-ness'.

  Furusato tourism is not for foreigners, just the opposite, as even trips to ’Peter Rabbit Country’ and ‘Heidiland’ become visits to “A furosato away from home” (Rea 2000).

  The guilt-ridden briefness of absense from home leads to short-term, event-orientated travels with onsen (hot springs) as the major non-temporary attraction. This is also reflected in the hardware: hotels with no wardrobes, airport transit busses without luggage departments.

  The overarching influence of construction companies in tourism resort development is reflected in the concentration on big projects designed for visitors arriving in big groups and in the limited concern on giving reasons for return-visits; a form of tourism in decline since the end of the bubble economy.

  The event-orientation expands from cultural festivals also to en-masse visits to specific nature resources on specific occasions (blossoms, coloured leaves, heatwave etc.). The preference of man-made nature makes understandable the construction of huge artificial beaches within view of the ocean like the famous Ocean Dome in Miyazaki/Kyushu.

  The Acquisition and consumption of spatial and cultural resources by tourism is comparatively limited in Japan.

  As a positive result of its weekness, tourism in Japan has not succeeded in forcefully opening up the inside of sacred places like Shinto shrines to the tourist gaze. In the cities, however, the same weekness results in demolition of profane historic buildings, the filling-up of canals, the blocking of vistas as part of landscaped gardens etc.

   Local rural cultures – idealised, commodified – are nourished.

 Shirakawa-go UNESCO World Heritage Site

  Contact: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt FRGS
Bachelor and Master Program International Tourism Management
arlt@fh-westkueste.de, Office 2.018, Tel. 0481 8555-513
Consultation hours (during lecture period): Friday 10.00 - 11.00 h