While the Japanese government will establish a Sports Agency while the JTB dreams of multiply by ten its revenues for the fiscal year 2020…
TOKYO- Japanese people have the reputation of being discreet, rather low profile people. But the perspective of hosting the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 seems to shatter any Japanese inhibitions. Japan National Office of Tourism JNTO is already posting messages on its website. “Japan National Tourism Organization is thrilled that Tokyo has been chosen to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. It’s still seven years away, but we are already so excited about Tokyo being the Olympics host city for 2020!” said the official agency which also indicates to “look forward to seeing visitors in Tokyo in 2020 for the Olympics!”…
Government is already estimating that Olympics hosting is likely to boost the country GDP by an additional 0.5%, creating a positive impact estimated at ¥ 4.2 trillion. The 8.5 million tourists that the Tokyo metropolitan government estimates will visit Japan for the 2020 Olympics, meanwhile, is greater than the total number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2012, revealed recently SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. in a report about the effect of the Olympics.
The Japanese government is now pushing a plan to establish a Sports Agency which would nurture sport spirit in the population across the archipelago. Japan must be prepared to have athletes at the top: the government already fixed an ambitious goal of collecting 70 to 80 medals during the Games, including 25 to 30 gold ones. By comparison, Japan won 38 medals – including 7 Gold ones- during the 2012 Olympics in London. The Government hopes that the new agency will also help improve good health practices in the population and revitalize the sense of community feeling.
Meanwhile, Japan’s leading travel agency JTB Corp. has announced to forecast ¥ 300 billion in revenue from sports-related operations in fiscal 2020, about 10 times the agency’s current revenues. The number was provided during an interview of JTB President Hiromi Tagawa. “Tokyo’s successful bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Games will enable Japan to demonstrate to the world that it can safely and comfortably host international sporting competitions,” Tagawa declared to Japanese journalists. A new sport division within JTB will be launched in December with an objective to attract large sports events until the Olympics hosting. JTB was the travel agency already in charge of welcoming foreign travellers for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
