Japan to invite 100 Chinese officials to revive tourism

Japan's Tourism Agency said Friday it would invite a 100-member delegation from China to rejuvenate tourism follwoing the biggest monthly decline on record in the number of overseas visitors in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake disaster and the nuclear emergency.

The Chinese delegation is to arrive Monday and will stay until Saturday to meet 200-300 officials from Japan's tourism industry and local municipalities.The delegation includes Shao Qiwei, head of China's tourism administration, and executives of Chinese travel agencies and airlines and will also discuss how to enhance travel exchanges between the two countries.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao suggested the meetings in talks with Prime Minister Naoto Kan Sunday on the sidelines of a trilateral summit that also included South Korean President Lee Myung Bak.Japan has been desperate for overseas tourists, especially from Asia, after seeing visitor numbers plummet 62.5 per cent to 295,800 in April from a year earlier, the Japan National Tourism Organization said.

The sharpest fall stemmed from the negative image from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the group said.Since the plant was hit by the March disaster, it has leaked radioactive substances into the environment.

The number of Chinese tourists fell 49.5 per cent to 76,200 in April. But China became the biggest market that month since the number of South Koreans plunged 66.4 per cent to 63,700.Japan drew 8.6 million overseas visitors in 2010, the largest figure ever recorded in the country.

Source = monstersandcritics