Kathmandu, September 27 :

Nepal Airlines, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and other tourism related organisations took part at the Japan Association of the Travel Agents’ (JATA) fair held from September 21 to 24, 2006 in Tokyo, in a bid to attract Japanese tourists to Nepal.

According to a press release issued by NTB today, they also participated at World Travel Fair. This year, a large number of exhibitors from all over the world participated at the JATA World Travel Fair, says the statement. The organisers of the fair, Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) stated that 38,048 trade visitors and media persons and more than 68,000 consumers visited the fair this year.

NTB participated at the fair with its new tourism brand, Naturally Nepal, once is not Enough. A large number of travel trade representatives as well as consumers visited the Nepal stand and collected latest information on Nepal.

The changed political situation of the country seemed to have a positive impact on Japanese travellers’ confidence, which may well reflect on the arrival figures in the coming season, hoped NTB. Further, this year Nepal and Japan are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Nepal’s participation at this significant tourism forum will definitely bring out positive outcomes, says NTB. Japan ranks as one of the top tourism source markets in terms of outbound numbers as well as tourism spending.

According to the Japan Tourism Marketing Corp, the Japanese outbound market has grown significantly due to the recuperated travellers’ confidence and the total number of overseas Japanese visitors reached 17,403,565 in 2005. The departure figure of Japanese nationals until June, 2006 is 8.3 million and is expected to reach the level of 2000 when 17,81,8590 Japanese travelled abroad.

Japanese tourist arrivals to Nepal till August 2006 has been 9,027 (by air only). The small number shows that Nepal is yet to tap the potential of Japanese tourism market which stands as a steady and reliable source market for tourism destinations all over the world.

In 2000 more than 41,000 Japanese visited Nepal, but owing to the tarnished image of the country as well as external factors, the number declined by almost 50 per cent.

This fall in visitors’ number points SORRY, No Suggest immediate need for coordinated promotional interventions in order to regain the confidence of Japanese visitors.