Japan Sets $75 Million Campaign to Welcome Back Visitors

Japan Sets $75 Million Campaign to Welcome Back Visitors

Japanese tourism officials were out in force at the World Travel & Tourism Council’s 11th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Las Vegas this week. For one thing, Tokyo will host the summit next April, but Japan also is looking to quickly recover tourism lost after the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant radiation emissions that occurred earlier this year.

As part of that effort, the country is spending $75 million on a global travel and tourism campaign aimed at bringing international visitors back to Japan. Japanese tourism officials’ message is that Japan is back and open for travel and tourism.

While quick to thank the international community for its support and condolence messages after the disaster, Japanese officials attending a press conference at the WTTC summit said the country is quickly repairing the damage to its infrastructure in the northeast region of Japan’s main island near the city of Sendai.

Some 14,918 people died during the earthquake and resulting tsunami and 9,853 people are still missing. Some 115,098 people were evacuated from the area where the tsunami hit, as well as the area surrounding the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which began leaking radiation when power was shut off after the quake.

Next year’s Global Travel & Tourism Summit will take place in Tokyo at the Grand Prince Hotel-New Takanawa, April 17 to 19. Some sessions of the WTTC summit also will take place in Sendai, the city located near the disaster.