“Other destinations are of more interest.” FKA surveyed 100 people last month and more than 50% stated greater interest in other destinations as the primary reason for choosing not to travel to Japan. Even worse news for the Japanese tourism industry, when specifically asked about general interest levels in Japan, almost thirty-percent of the survey participants indicated that they had “little” or “no” interest in the country.

Japan is working hard to boost tourism through its “Inbound Tourism Initiative” more popularly referred to by its campaign slogan “ Yokoso Japan .” Since a roundtable conference of officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport met in 2002 to launch the initiative, the government has aimed to attract “10 million foreign visitors to Japan by the year 2010.”

Currently the imbalance between the annual number of foreign travelers coming to Japan and the number of Japanese travelers visiting overseas still presents a formidable challenge. The United Nations' World Tourism Organization reports that while the number of international tourist arrivals in Japan has been increasing with a record 7.3 million tourist arrivals in 2006, Japan's numbers are comparatively weak vis-a-vis other countries in Asia and the Pacific.

China, with nearly 50 million recorded visitors in 2006 (not including 15.8 million travelers to Hong Kong and more than 10 million to Macao), clearly surpasses the rest of the region. Malaysia (17.5 million visitors) and Thailand (13.8 million visitors) also had significantly more international tourists as well as tourism receipts in 2006 in comparison to Japan. Furthermore, UN data shows that in 2005 and 2006 China ranked as the 4 th most popular worldwide destination for international travel –– following France, Spain and the U.S. respectively.

Highlighting Americans' international travel preferences and opinions, FKA's 2007 survey sheds some light on the “ Yokoso Japan” campaign and also provides some indicators with regard to where Japan may want to focus future campaigns if the 10 million travelers goal is to be realized by 2010. FKA's survey sample included adults, aged 25 and older, of various ethnic backgrounds living in the U.S. Nearly one-quarter of the respondents reported an annual household income of more than $200,000.

Of the places respondents had already visited in the world, Japan ranked fourth from the bottom with only seventeen people out of 100 respondents having visited previously. Conversely, 73% responded that they had been to Western Europe and 71% had traveled to the Caribbean.

In terms of where people wished to travel most “if time and cost were not an object,” Western Europe ranked at the top with 22% while 20% indicated the South-Pacific. Africa ranked as the third most desired travel destination, and “Asia-Pacific other than Japan” ranked fourth. While Japan ranked slightly above Central America, it ranked below the Middle East, the Arctic and Antarctica as a preferred place to travel.

Despite efforts to increase tourism on the part of the government of Japan, flagship initiatives including the multi-million dollar “ Yokoso Japan ” campaign, have fallen largely on deaf ears and uncomprehending eyes. Only three survey respondents indicated that they understood what “ Yokoso Japan ” means even though seventeen people had been to Japan and five of those people had lived there.

As it relates to traveling to Japan, aside from lack of interest, participants also indicated that travel time (50%), airfare costs (37%), and language problems (29%) are other key factors that make traveling to Japan unlikely. The “ Yokoso Japan ” marketing campaign slogan using unfamiliar language geared towards foreigners with a preconceived concern about language problems clearly requires some rethinking.

Out of the 100 people surveyed, 75 cited that experiencing history/culture was among the top interests. Other leading travel interests included, shopping/sightseeing (63%), nature activities such as hiking or skiing (51%), a beach experience (50%), relaxation/spa experience (44%), and a mountain experience (28%). Eleven percent indicated that extreme adventure (e.g. skydiving, rock climbing) was a key leisure travel interest. Others indicated that golf, “kid-oriented” trips, seeing family, food, eco-tourism, fun with friends, photography, nightlife, and “mixing with the natives” were key interest.

When asked to describe what type of travel experience they thought they could best fulfill in Japan answers were rather limited. Despite the publicity that came along the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in the Japanese Alps, only 5% of those surveyed felt that Japan could offer travelers a mountain experience. Just 2% thought that Japan could fulfill a beach experience and no one indicated that Japan could satisfy an interest in extreme adventure.

Although Japan offers a vast array of onsen , rotenburo , and sunafuros throughout the country and countless top-notch spas in Tokyo's world-class hotels, only seven participants felt that Japan could fulfill a relaxation/spa experience. Predominantly, respondents perceived that Japan would fulfill a travel desire that incorporated history/culture (95%) or shopping/sightseeing (74%). However, a few survey respondents indicated that Japan would allow them to experience “technology” and “advanced society.” One person said simply “not sure.”

For more information on FKA's study findings contact the writer at kkernodle@fkassociates.com . Also, to review the United Nations' latest information on international tourism statistics visit the Facts & Figures section at www.unwto.org or read the UN World Tourism Organization's Tourism Highlights 2007 Edition.