Remarks by the Chairperson

Serving as responsible leaders for Promoting a Tourism-Oriented Nation and establishing a robust, attractive travel industry

We have long stressed the importance of two-way tourism, and outbound travel has finally become a key pillar of the nation's tourism policy. As is well known, the Japan Tourism Agency�fs budget for the 2026 fiscal year has been increased to JPY 138.3 billion, and the Fifth Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan launched in April, explicitly identifying the "expansion of domestic tourism and outbound travel" as one of its three fundamental policies.

Although outbound travel was already mentioned in the First Basic Plan in 2007, this is the first time it has been positioned as a fundamental policy and a key pillar of the national tourism industry. Moreover, the government has set a target to surpass the 20.08 million outbound travelers recorded in 2019 by the year 2030. Therefore, we must make every effort to revive outbound travel and achieve balanced, two-way tourism.

The plan also emphasizes concerns about overtourism, setting a goal of simultaneously increasing the number of tourists while balancing the accommodation of visitors with the quality of life of local residents. To that end, it calls for promoting the dispersion of inbound visitors across regions and smoothing out domestic travel demand to revitalize local economies and establish a sustainable tourism industry. Naturally, the travel industry is expected to play a key role in these efforts.

To fulfill our responsibilities as a driving force in Promoting a Tourism-Oriented Nation, we must transform our industry to make it more robust and attractive. Adding high value to travel products is essential. In addition, we must consistently address a wide range of challenges: securing talented personnel, improving productivity, further reforming work practices, and establishing legal frameworks that foster the development of the tourism industry.

JATA will stand at the forefront of these efforts, fully dedicated to the development of the travel industry and the realization of a Tourism-Oriented Nation.