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Sri Lanka won an award for Tourism Promotion at the annual JATA Tabihaku Travel Showcas on Thursday, September 12.
Sri Lanka’s ambassador in Japan, Admiral (Rtd.) Wasantha Karannagoda received the award from Jingo Kikuma, Chairman of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) at a ceremony at the Tokyo Big City where all leading tourism personalities were present including Dr Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
The travel event in Japan is the biggest travel and tourism event in Asia held with the participation of over 150 countries and regions along with 730 exhibitors manning 1,353 booths.
From Sri Lanka alone, 19 companies participated along with the Tourism Promotion Development Authority.
Meanwhile, in a further effort to boost the inbound travel market by getting more Southeast Asian tourists, Japan has allowed visa free travel to visitors from Thailand and Malaysia.
Also, travellers from the Philippines and Vietnam will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, while Indonesian tourists will be able to obtain multiple-entry visas valid for longer than the current 15 days.
Retailers and other businesses have high hopes for the changes - with good reason. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, tourists from Thailand and Malaysia spend an average of 130,000 yen ($1,326) during their stays here. That is 80% more than South Koreans, who account for the largest number of visitors to Japan.
According to the Tourism Agency, Thais and Malaysians stay in Japan for more than two weeks on average.
Japan is striving to attract 10 million visitors overall, and it hopes at least 1 million of them will hail from Southeast Asian nations. Last year, 780,000 people came over from the region.
Such visitors' willingness to part with cash should also help in reaching another goal of Japan: increasing spending by travelers to 4.7 trillion yen a year by 2030, up from 1.08 trillion yen in 2012.
It is also interesting to note that South Korea attracted 1.3 million visitors from Southeast Asia last year by virtue of eased visa rules and cultural promotions.
Japanese government data shows that Japan waives tourist visa requirements for 64 countries and regions, while South Korea does so for 110. South Korea is also a step ahead in loosening requirements for visitors from Russia and India.
According to Norifumi Ide, commissioner of the Tourism Agency Japan will need to consider easing its rules for citizens of more nations.
In 2012, 8.37 million foreigners visited Japan, up 60% from a decade earlier. But that number pales in comparison to the figures of countries like France, which reeled in nearly 80 million visitors in 2011.
Even in 2010, when a record 8.61 million visitors set foot on Japanese soil, the nation ranked only 30th in total visitors and 19th in tourism-related income.
Sri Lanka’s ambassador in Japan, Admiral (Rtd.) Wasantha Karannagoda received the award from Jingo Kikuma, Chairman of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) at a ceremony at the Tokyo Big City where all leading tourism personalities were present including Dr Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
The travel event in Japan is the biggest travel and tourism event in Asia held with the participation of over 150 countries and regions along with 730 exhibitors manning 1,353 booths.
From Sri Lanka alone, 19 companies participated along with the Tourism Promotion Development Authority.
Meanwhile, in a further effort to boost the inbound travel market by getting more Southeast Asian tourists, Japan has allowed visa free travel to visitors from Thailand and Malaysia.
Also, travellers from the Philippines and Vietnam will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, while Indonesian tourists will be able to obtain multiple-entry visas valid for longer than the current 15 days.
Retailers and other businesses have high hopes for the changes - with good reason. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, tourists from Thailand and Malaysia spend an average of 130,000 yen ($1,326) during their stays here. That is 80% more than South Koreans, who account for the largest number of visitors to Japan.
According to the Tourism Agency, Thais and Malaysians stay in Japan for more than two weeks on average.
Japan is striving to attract 10 million visitors overall, and it hopes at least 1 million of them will hail from Southeast Asian nations. Last year, 780,000 people came over from the region.
Such visitors' willingness to part with cash should also help in reaching another goal of Japan: increasing spending by travelers to 4.7 trillion yen a year by 2030, up from 1.08 trillion yen in 2012.
It is also interesting to note that South Korea attracted 1.3 million visitors from Southeast Asia last year by virtue of eased visa rules and cultural promotions.
Japanese government data shows that Japan waives tourist visa requirements for 64 countries and regions, while South Korea does so for 110. South Korea is also a step ahead in loosening requirements for visitors from Russia and India.
According to Norifumi Ide, commissioner of the Tourism Agency Japan will need to consider easing its rules for citizens of more nations.
In 2012, 8.37 million foreigners visited Japan, up 60% from a decade earlier. But that number pales in comparison to the figures of countries like France, which reeled in nearly 80 million visitors in 2011.
Even in 2010, when a record 8.61 million visitors set foot on Japanese soil, the nation ranked only 30th in total visitors and 19th in tourism-related income.
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