Japan has welcomed 10 million visitors to Japan in 2013. According to statistics released by Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) in early December, about 9.5 million visited the country as of the end of November, with the figure reaching 10 million visitors in December 2013. JNTO estimates that as of the end of November 2013, a total of 70,200 Indians travelled to Japan, a 9.3 per cent increase from 2012. 2013 was a great year for Indian arrivals to Japan.
In 2003, the Japanese government set a target of attracting 10 million visitors a year by 2010. Despite the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Japan has bounced back on track and was able to achieve its goal of reaching 10 million visitors per year. The previous annual record was 8.6 million in 2010.
Ryoichi Matsuyama, the President of JNTO commented, “As JNTO’s mission is to realise a “tourism-based” nation with expanded inbound tourism, it is our great pleasure to achieve our dream to have reached the goal today and we wish to offer our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has helped us by sending visitors to Japan. With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games now just over six years away, we look forward to further developing Japan’s tourism infrastructure and welcoming many more visitors to Japan in the coming years.”
