JAPAN EXPERIENCES BOOST IN INBOUND
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Besides encouraging international tourist to adopt e-visas, Japan has waived visas for visitors from Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand and Malaysia. Easier access to visas and the introduction of new low-cost carrier flights between Southeast Asian nations has led to the number of inbound tourists increasing.
According to the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO), the Japanese travel and tourism sector saw a moderate growth in inbound tourism. The number of international trips rose from 8.4 million in 2009 to 10.4 million in 2013, driven by the weakness of the yen. The four leading countries, which accounted for 65 per cent of the inbound tourists, were South Korea, Taiwan, China and the US. Inbound tourist arrivals to Japan are expected to increase at an annual rate of 12.97 per cent, to reach 19.1 million by 2018.
Arrivals from Thailand increased by 26 per cent between 2009 and 2013 and are expected to grow steadily up to 2018. Moreover, visitors from the Philippines and Vietnam are entitled to multiple entry visas since July 2013, which will further increase the number of tourists travelling to Japan.
To boost inbound numbers further, Japan and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi at the start of 2014 to help strengthen cooperation between the two countries and relax visa restrictions for tourists from India.