Japan Tourism Industry Optimistic For 2012

Japan's tourist industry is optimistic that 2012 will see a major rebound in tourist numbers.

According to The Star.com:

TOKYO—The Japanese capital is all dressed up for the holidays and people are bundling up to head out and enjoy the sights. Many flock to the brick-lined Yebisu Garden Place to see its solar-powered Christmas tree, hear live music, and marvel at the Baccarat Eternal Lights chandelier. Five-metres tall, three-metres wide, and adorned more than 8,400 crystal parts and 250 lights, it’s a mesmerizing display, symbolic perhaps of the hopes people here have for the future. After the pall that fell over this country following the March 11th disaster, most are looking forward to a brighter 2012.

That includes the folks who work in tourism. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) says foreign visits dropped 73% in the days after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident. But with time, and thanks to a Herculean effort to salvage a $19.4 billion (CAD) industry, travelers are returning. As of October, visits were only down about 15% overall.

There is one downside that the article omits: the poor rate of exchange between the dollar and yen. The number of American tourists to Japan will rise once the rate of exchange improves.

The article then goes through a list of Japan's regions people should visit.

To view the full article, go here.