Tourism booms in Japan with record number of visitors

Japan is definitely the favourite Asian destination for discerning travellers right now.

Japan welcomed a million more foreign visitors in the first half of 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels, logging a new record of 17.78 million, national tourism organisation the JNTO announced.

The weak yen is attracting large crowds to Japan, with tourists splashing out on everything from kimonos to knives, boosting the local economy, AFP reported.

The January-June figure beat the previous high from 2019 of 16.63 million, an influx that has prompted overcrowding concerns at hotspots such as Kyoto and Mount Fuji.

"It is important that we promote rural regions to visitors, while taking measures against overtourism," Prime Minister Fumio Kushida.told a cabinet meeting on the nation's efforts to expand inbound tourism.

Japan is expecting 35 million overseas visitors in 2024.

Over the 2023 calendar year, 25 million visitors came to Japan, after strict pandemic-era border restrictions were lifted.

The country has set an ambitious goal of luring 60 million tourists a year by 2030 - around double 2019's full-year record of 31.88 million.

But some residents are already fed up with unruly behaviour and etiquette breaches by some foreign visitors.

In a town near Mount Fuji in May, authorities mounted a large barrier at a popular viewing spot next to a convenience store in an attempt to deter photo-taking.

New crowd control measures have been put in place on the volcano's most popular hiking trail, which now has an entry fee of 2,000 yen ($20) plus an optional donation.

Locals in historic Kyoto have complained of tourists harassing the city's famed geishas, with visitors now banned from some private alleys.

And the mayor of Himeji has said the western Japanese city, famous for its castle, could make tourists pay four times as much as locals to visit the World Heritage site.

Australian wines losing their global appeal

More bad news for the Australian wine industry today with news that exports declined by 2% in value to $1.90 billion and 3% in volume to 607 million litres in the 12 months to December 2023.

The Wine Australia Export Report released today said that although these figures are an improvement on than those reported in the September 2023 Export Report, the results are still well below long-term averages.

Particularly disturbing will be major falls in sales in the US, a declining market for Australian wines.

Wine Australia manager for market insights, Peter Bailey said that Europe and North America drove the reduction in Australia’s export value over the year, declining by 7% and 12% respectively.

“In Europe, exports to the top 15 markets declined in value as the region suffers through higher inflation rates than North America and Asia, as well as supply chain issues," he said.

"This includes the United Kingdom, Australia’s largest export market by volume. Pleasingly, Australia’s exports to the UK grew in volume for the first time since mid-2021.

“Both the United States and Canada contributed to North America’s decline in value. In 2023, packaged shipments to these markets continued their decline and unpackaged shipments, which were growing strongly, have started to ease off.

“The decline in exports to Europe and North America has resulted in their share of export value dropping to 29 and 27% respectively. Meanwhile, Asia’s share of export value has grown to 37%.

“Hong Kong and Singapore were stand out destinations for Australian wine in Asia, driving the growth of value to the region. Further, the number of exporters to Hong Kong also grew – up 138 export businesses to a total of 531 in 2023. Hong Kong and Singapore are key trading hubs in the Asian region and, as such, some of the wine is on-shipped to other markets.”

The decline in Australia’s exports comes at a time when most wine producing countries are reporting decreasing sales, Wine Australia says.

The global alcohol market is softening and impacting the entire wine category, especially in mature markets. This trend has been attributed to a combination of global economic tightening resulting in less discretionary spending and consumers being more conscious of their health.

Bridging the gap: Sydney's night-time economy is bouncing back

On a recent visit to Sydney it was impressive to see restaurants busy and bustling - even early in the week.

An now data released this week by the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM) has reported an uptick in Sydney’s night-time economy with a growing number of establishments across the city and a boost in overall sales turnover.

Notable increases were reported across the retail, accommodation, food, drink, leisure and entertainment sectors, highlighting an opportunity for more consumer-facing businesses to adjust their trading patterns to service the growing night-time demand.

The Measuring the Australian Night Time Economy Report covers the 2021-2022 financial year, and despite the impact of Covid restrictions during part of this period, reported encouraging results for Sydney’s night-time economy.

“It’s heartening to see the trajectory of these results as we want to keep our city safe, open and welcoming for everyone at all times of day,” Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore said.

“For years our communities have told us they want a vibrant night-time city where businesses big and small can flourish.

“The report highlights an opportunity for businesses to extend, improve or diversify their evening activities to support a more interesting and successful night-time economy.”

Of the 89 local government areas analysed in the report, Sydney hosts the highest density of night-time establishments per square kilometre in Australia.

Across the week, most businesses remain open at some point on a Thursday night, (particularly for late night shopping), and Friday and Saturday nights have the highest concentration of businesses operating in later hours from 9pm to 3am.

View the complete Measuring the Australian Night Time Economy Report here.

"Drink more alcohol" says politician

Hong Kong residents have been told they are not drinking enough.

With Hong Kong’s economy losing steam, the city state’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan is calling on locals to drink more on weekends at restaurants and bars to boost night-time economy, Chinese website Vino Joy reports.

Chan made his remarks at the opening ceremony of a summer festival.

“After having dinner afterward, remember to grab a few drinks before going home," he said. "Today is Saturday, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit late.

“Apart from having fun with friends and families, I also hope you can share this happy atmosphere in society. With a more positive social atmosphere, business will start booming too.”

This advice is part of the Hong Kong government’s latest push to revive Hong Kong’s once-bustling nightlife following the Covid pandemic.

The government has been in talks with several of the city’s leading property groups to encourage them to extend mall operation hours, hand out free alcohol and vouchers to encourage local spending.

Hong Kong’s dining sector, in particular, was hit by low demand and a drain of local customers who prefer dining and shopping in the cheaper nearby city Shenzhen, in mainland China.

Image: Roberto Moreno, Scop.io

Canada hugely enthusiastic about tourism industry growth

Canada wants to entice more overseas tourists to sample its diverse offerings with the Canadian Government unveiling a new growth strategy that aims to “cement Canada as a top global destination”.

Showcasing the tagline "Canada 365: Welcoming the world", Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault said that “tourism powers the Canadian economy, creating good jobs in every region of the country”.

He said the renewed demand for travel had created a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for Canada’s visitor economy to push past reviving all the way to thriving and successfully competing on the world stage.”

A press release says: "The new strategy will unleash the full potential of Canadian tourism and cement Canada as a top global destination through the following five priorities: Investing in Canada’s tourism assets; embracing recreation and the great outdoors; partnering to grow Indigenous tourism; attracting more international events and improving coordination through a federal ministerial council."

Hmm. Not sure about the last one. Sounds like jobs for the boys and girls.

The press release went straight into jargon, saying: "The strategy is informed by months of consultations with, among others, tourism businesses, industry associations, other orders of government, Indigenous partners and destination marketing organizations.

"Their valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities of the Canadian tourism sector have shaped the strategy and helped set the stage for the long-term growth of Canada’s visitor economy."

The tourism minister is pretty gung ho.

"Now is the time to come together and combine forces - across all orders of government and throughout the industry - to power the economic engine that is tourism," he said.

"With the new Federal Tourism Growth Strategy, we will build on our strengths and propel the sector to new heights.

"Canada has what the world wants, and we look forward to welcoming visitors, 365 days a year.”

Tourism is a major contributor to Canada’s economy. In 2022, the sector supported approximately 623,375 direct jobs and 1.9 million total jobs.

Image: Lake Louise ski resort: Noel Hendrickson