UNWTO shows support for tourism in Japan

The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and its members in the Asia-Pacific region have expressed their support for Japan following the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country earlier this month.

At a recent annual meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai underlined the organisation's optimism that the Japanese tourism industry would recover from the disaster.

He acknowledged that the event will have a short-term impact on the industry, but stressed that the 'dynamism and resilience' of Asia's tourism sector will ensure a swift recovery and continued growth in the region.

Official figures show that international travel to the continent increased by more than 13% in 2010 - making it the first region to recover from the economic crisis - and tourist arrivals are expected to rise by up to 9% in 2011.

'Destinations in the region are making significant efforts to tap this potential, putting targeted marketing strategies in place, such as the theme-year initiatives planned for 2011 in Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Nepal, Vietnam and others,' said Mr Rifai.

Source = opodo.co.uk