Japan hopes to attract PHL tourists

With its “very robust economic growth,” the Philippines is now being eyed as a source of tourists by Japanese tourism officials and travel agencies.

Masahide Adachi, director of the Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) in Singapore said that in the Philippines, not a lot is known about Japanese tourist attractions, and that this has to change.

“Now is the time to [attract] more tourists from the Philippines and let them get to know more about Japan. The very robust economic growth [of the Philippines] allows more and more people to travel to foreign countries and we want to attract these people  to come to Japan,” said Adachi on Wednesday at the launch of the Japan Travel seminar and business meeting in Makati City.

Hiroshi Masuda, executive director of the Bangkok office of the Japan National Tourism Organization, said that Japan's four seasons can be a big draw that can attract Filipino tourists, who can enjoy the colorful cherry blossoms in April and May or snow activities in the winter months.

According to Japanese tourism officials at the event, the lowest rate for a four-day, three-night stay in Japan can be as low as US$600 for the accommodation, exclusive of airfares.

Masuda said traveling to Japan is also easy as there are many airlines that offer direct flights to various areas in Japan. Philippine Arlines, for instance, flies several times a week to Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.

When it comes to Southeast Asian tourists to Japan, the Philippines is near the bottom of the list, official records show. According to Adachi, 80,000 Filipinos visited Japan as tourists in 2010 and only 60,000 in 2011, largely due to the earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan that year.

For 2012, however, the number is expected to reach 90,000. — BM, GMA News