Brief description of the destination, why I picked it, the past and present of tourism in the destination.
Japan has maintained a certain originality through centuries and been able to keep a tight grasp on their culture. The respect and love for their own culture is what I found to be the most attractive factor drawing me to travel there. Even though past tourism for Japan was entirely for religious reasons, after the 17th century that changed when foreign world leaders and emperors started visiting the island for pleasure. Japan is a country consisting of four major and numerous islands. The islands lie in an arc across the Pacific coast of northeastern Asia, forming a part of the volcanic Rim of Fire.
Tourism organizations related to the destination, particularly its DMO
Japan Tourism Agency: The Japan Tourism Agency was inaugurated on October 1, 2008. The Japanese government is currently working to enhance tourism-related measures, towards the goal of creating a tourism nation. The JTA was newly established as an organization to serve as the hub for these efforts and drive their deployment.
Japan National Tourism Organization: The JNTO is an Independent Administrative Institution of the government of Japan. It provides information about Japan to promote travel to and in the country. It was established in 1964 they operate Tourist Information Centers as well as a well created website. They also distributes information about transportation, lodging, food and beverage, and sight-seeing as well as published tourism statistics and market reports.
Tourism attractions and entertainment sector, the main drags for tourists
Golden Pavilion is the most popular tourist attraction in Japan and Kyoto. The pavilion was originally built as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the late 14th century. Unfortunately, the pavilion was burnt down in 1950 by a young monk who had become obsessed with it. Five years later, the temple was rebuilt as an exact copy of the original.
Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 meters (12,388 ft). The volcano’s exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as a popular tourist attraction for sightseers and climbers.
Tokyo Imperial Palace is set on the ruins of older castles that were destroyed by fire or war, and architects have honored the past by incorporating design elements of the different eras into the modern palace. The new palace is surrounded by traditional Japanese gardens and has many reception and function rooms to receive guests and welcome the public.
The Tokyo Tower is a testament to the advancement of technology and modern life. Inspired by the Eiffel tower design, it is the second tallest man-made structure in Japan and functions as a communications and observation tower. Visitors can climb the tower for unparalleled views of Tokyoand the surrounding areas as well as visit shops and restaurants.
The Todaiji Temple in Nara is a feat of engineering. It is not only the world’s largest wooden building, it is home to the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue. Surrounded by beautiful gardens and wildlife, the Kegon school of Buddhism is centered here and the grounds hold many artifacts of Japanese and Buddhist history.
The Himeji Castle is considered the best existing example of Japanese castle architecture. It was fortified to defend against enemies during the feudal period, but it has been rebuilt many times throughout the centuries and reflects the different design periods.
Transportation, hospitality, distribution sectors at the destination
Transportation
Japan Railways: This an elaborate and well-established network of trains throughout the country. From scenic local trains to the super express shinkansen, if you are traveling on rail in Japan, the chances are it will be with JR.
Bullet train: The world renowned bullet train offers you the highest rail speeds to match its peerless comfort. It is operated from Tokyo and speeds off to major cities around the country at regular intervals.
Bicycle Rental: Many hotels, as well as private shops, offer rental bicycle services. Often located near to train stations, bicycle rental is generally cheap and easy to register for. You may need your passport when signing up. Most shops will have maps and other useful guides that you can make use of. More modern stores may give you the option of an electrically-assisted bicycle, ideal for hilly terrain.
Subway Systems
Other common transportation methods include taxis, buses and ferries.
Hospitality: Thanks to the government, Japan has seen much change in the tourism sector. This yielded to and outburst of many various categories of accommodations and hotels. We can explore this through The Japan Hotel Association website;
https://www.j-hotel.or.jp/en/
Tourism supply and demand, number of tourists, spending, and hotel rooms etc.
Number of Tourists: Japan is experiencing a historic tourism boom, in the wake of that drive to draw 20 million leisure visitors, timed to coincide with the planned Olympics in Tokyo. Last year, Japan welcomed 28.7 million tourists, up from 10.4 million in 2013.
Tourism Spending: Tourist spending in Japan surged to a record $40 billion in 2017 as the weak yen drove the nation’s travel boom to new heights. Spending rose 17.8 per cent on the previous year, with every quarter in 2017 setting a new record, according to data released by the Japan Tourist Agency.
Rooms: The nation offered about 850,000 hotel rooms in March 2016, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. An additional 62,500 rooms will be supplied from 2017 through around 2020, according to Ohta Publications, a Japanese hotel data company.
Tourist motivation, the major reasons of visiting the destination
Economic impact of tourism, revenues, taxes, jobs, etc.
Social and cultural impacts of tourism at the destination
The growth of tourism in Japan has brought about many negative impacts on the society and the culture of the Japanese. Through tourism, Japanese came into contact with foreign cultures and mindsets. This may potentially result in change for the worse in the indigenous culture of the Japanese as they may pick up negative cultures such as binge drinking, or in some extreme cases encourage sex tourism.
Also, crime-rates would go up as thievery from tourists would increase due to the tourist tendency to carry considerable sums of money when traveling around. Through the exchange with tourists as well as the general increase in tourism, locals may learn that it is important to protect their cultures and their natural environment so as to maintain a sustainable environment and tourism.
Environmental impacts of tourism at the destination
The growth of tourism would also affect the general environment for sure. The development of basic tourist accommodation and amenities itself would result in considerable amounts of deforestation. A fine example would be the building of tourist attractions in an attempt to "breathe life into tokyo", a government program. Should the plan on the part of the government materialize, even more nature would be cleared to give way to the attractions such as the mammoth museum. Not to mention the fact that there will also be noise pollution in addition to the negative impacts on the environment already.
Tourism policy and planning of the destination
As there is no specific national policy for sustainable tourism in Japan, specific instruments are lacking. Apart from some exemptions to the rule, initiatives and concern in the white paper on tourism 2008 and the guide book on Tourism Based Community Development mainly taken by JNTO. The main reasons for this lack of governmental interference could be a lack of market demand and societal pressure for ‘sustainable tourism’, a lack of a clear perception of the problem, the way tourism is institutionalized in and scattered out over various departments, and socioeconomic reasons. Restricting unsustainable forms of tourism would have important economic consequences that have to be weighed against the environmental consequences. However, there are a number of general policies and instruments that do contribute to sustainable tourism.
Tourism research regarding the destination
Japan Institute of Tourism Research best describes the efforts to keep a close eye on the new and old trends of tourist flooding the country. Here is their mission statement: http://jitr.jp/eng
“Japan Institute of Tourism Research is an academic organization recognized by the Science Council of Japan. The purpose of the institute is to promote the collaboration of tourism researchers and contribute to the advancement of tourism research. With the original members of some 120 researchers, the former body of the institute was established under the name of “Federation of Researchers for Tourism in Japan” in l986. After eight years of its development as a research-based organization, the federation changed its name to JITR in 1990 to set forth a new beginning in order to enlarge its activities and expand its research resources. The JITR has now become an all-encompassing organization ever since the establishment, composed of leading researchers and educators in the most advanced areas of their respective research fields.
Combined with a researchers’ network in interdisciplinary fields, JITR actively promotes discussions of tourism theories and generates a foundation of academic structure in tourism, while playing a leading role in expanding tourism research with a view to the future. JITR is also dedicated to the international exchange of human resources in furthering the worldwide study of tourism”.
Tourism marketing and future of tourism
Based on the data and information from the Japan Tourism information and following to the “Basic Act on the Promotion of a Tourism-based Country” enacted in December 2006, the Master Plan for the Promotion of a Tourism-based Country, the basic scheme to realize a country based on tourism, was approved by the Cabinet in June 2007. Formulated in the Master Plan were five fundamental goals to be achieved and concrete measures to realize them. These five Fundamental Goals include the following:
1. To increase the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan to 10 million per annum before the end of 2010 and to maintain the number of Japanese tourists going abroad at a similar level, at least, in the future.
2. To increase the number of international conferences held in Japan by more than 50% before the end of 2011, making Japan the largest site in Asia for international conferences.
3. To increase the average number of stays of the Japanese tourist during his/her domestic trips by one night before the end of 2010, making the total to four nights per tourist per annum.
4. To increase the number of Japanese tourists going abroad to 20 million per annum before the end of 2010 and enhance international exchanges with other nations.
5. To increase total domestic tourism consumption in Japan to ¥3 billion per annum before the end of 2010, through the additional tour demand newly created by environments that promote tours and diversified services provided through an improvement in productivity of the tourism industry.
My suggestions for the destination and the DMO for more sustainable development at the destination and rationale for my suggestions
Japan and all DMOs in it have the complex task of implementing reasonable policy and administrative actions to further improve the chances to handle what is coming in the near future. With the rapid increase in tourism and the Olympics coming up, Japan and its DMOs have the challenge of restructuring their major cities and tourist attractions, which have already existed for decades. It is much harder for a country to modify an existing system than to start from zero. My main commendation is to overcompensate and take all actions possible to receive wat is coming.
The second suggestion is a more direct one. Japan has done an amazing job at maintaining their core cultural principals intact. This usually does not happen with countries that experience a tourism boom. Usually, countries become too involve economically and let tourism consume their values and culture. This is more of a reminder than a suggestion to always stay true and formulate regulations to put appropriate brakes on tourism.
References
http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/en/index.html
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180205006111/en/Enjoy-Japan-Global-Campaign-Targets-Long-haul-Travelers
file:///C:/Users/ricar/Downloads/SustainableTourismDevelopmentandJapanPolicies.pdf
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/travel%20transport%20and%20logistics/our%20insights/can%20inbound%20tourism%20fuel%20japans%20economic%20growth/the%20future%20of%20japans%20tourism%20full%20report.ashx
https://www.japan.travel/en/
