On 9 September, we met two staff members from the Wakayama prefectural government’s Tourism Exchange Division. We shared our thoughts about Australian outbound tourism trends, as well as promotions and other efforts by Wakayama to promote its inbound overseas tourism.
Their efforts look to be paying off – last year they welcomed a record largest number of overseas tourists. If trends continue, Wakayama could become one of the most popular destinations in Japan.
They also attended a seminar held by Japan National Tourism Organisation in Sydney, and visited many local travel agencies. Judging by their tourism promotion strategy and results so far, we expect further growth in Wakayama’s tourism market in the medium term.