Chinese tourists biggest spenders in Japan

 Inbound tourism reached a record 19.7 million people in 2015

 

 With the 25% decline in the yen since the beginning of 2013, Japan has become an increasingly popular destination. Inbound tourism reached a record 19.7 million people in 2015, nearly double what it was in 2013, a quarter of which came from mainland China, according to Japan's National Tourism Organization (JNTO). The Chinese economy may be slowing down, but Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan are not, and this holiday week is particularly busy. "According to the tour operators, there is no indication that there are fewer visitors from China during this Lunar New Year holiday," said JNTO researcher Quartz Minako Aoshima. In fact, bookings are even bigger than last year, she said. The "explosive shopping explosions" for which the Chinese have become known, however, have been somewhat relaxed, said Aoshima. "Some [Chinese visitors] said their money was more for something for themselves instead of 10 rice cookers for their neighbors," she said.

The Chinese reached a record high in July

Now, the Japanese government is trying to drive out international visitors to less traveled areas. His website suggests that visitors interested in purchasing one of these high-tech toilet seats visit the Toto Toilets Museum in southern Japan. For those less interested in plumbing, there is the bucolic splendor of Shizuoka Prefecture or the Biwa Birdman Lake competition. The Chinese reached a record high in July with 731,400 Chinese arrivals, up 26.8% year-on-year and 160% over the number of Chinese visitors two years ago, according to the Administration's data. national. Japan Tourism. Although many people have feared that the stronger Japanese yen will reverse or slow down the Chinese tourism boom, the arrival numbers show the opposite picture. Instead, the consumption patterns of Chinese tourists in Japan are changing.

The Hokkaido Tourism Administration

 

The yen, which was cheaper in 2015, gave birth to the Chinese tourism boom in Japan, which led to bakugai, or "explosive shopping," which has become the buzzword of the year in Japan. As retailers, city dwellers and Japanese tourism authorities began to understand the opportunities and challenges associated with the growth of Chinese tourism, some malicious initiatives, and other successful initiatives have come to fruition. The Hokkaido Tourism Administration has begun distributing a Chinese-language flyer that tells Chinese visitors how not to behave during their travels in an attempt to mitigate their impact on local communities and has been ridiculed as condescending to Chinese visitors. Metropolitan Japan experienced a boom in retailers offering duty-free shopping, and Chinese-speaking staff soon began appearing on the floors of major and minor retailers, to guide Chinese visitors with their purchases. Japanese airports have begun to feel the competition and have started planning downtown duty-free shops to compete with the yen tax-free in China.

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