Visitors to Japan to Hit Record 15 Million in 2015: JTB

Tokyo, Dec. 18 (Jiji Press)--The number of visitors to Japan is forecast to reach 15 million in 2015, up 13.0 pct from the estimated figure for 2014, hitting a record high for the third consecutive year, major Japanese travel agency JTB Corp. said Thursday. The weakening yen and easing of visa requirements for some Southeast Asian countries will accelerate growth, JTB said. The number of the visitors from Southeast Asia is expected to surge some 20 pct as Japan started this month to allow Indonesians with biometric passports registered at a Japanese diplomatic mission to enter the country without visas. The number of visitors from Taiwan and Hong Kong is expected to rise by some 15 pct, while visitors from mainland China and South Korea will grow by 10 pct, JTB said. Meanwhile, JTB expects that the number of Japanese traveling domestically in 2015 will increase 1.0 pct to 290.3 million while the number of those who will travel overseas is seen growing 0.4 pct to 17 million. Although Japanese consumers will remain budget-minded due to rises in prices in the nation, they will stay motivated to travel, according to JTB. In 2015, Toyama and Ishikawa Prefectures will come under the spotlight as the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train line is set to be extended to the central Japan prefectures in March, JTB said. Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, is also expected to attract tourists as a statue of Kobo Daishi, a renowned monk, will go on display to mark the 1,200th anniversary of the major Buddhist site. END