Japan’s Tourism Reality From Olympics: Build It and Maybe They Will Come Later
Photo Credit: Spectator stands will be empty at the 2020 Tokyo Games and leave tourism reeling, but Tokyo's long-term commitment to the industry will eventually pay off. Japan National Tourism Organization / Courtesy of Japan Online Media Center
Skift Take
The 2020 Tokyo Games will be a big financial hit for Japan's tourism sector, but vaccines now under way plus pent-up demand and infrastructure boosts could make it come out of this tough stretch a winner — sooner than one might think.
The postponement by Japan of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to this summer came as a hard blow for its pandemic-hit tourism industry. Since that announcement, Covid outbreaks and inconsistent global travel rules, not to mention a surprisingly low vaccination rate for the country, at 21 percent, cast doubts that the Games would even be held.
Still, the Games will go on. As the Tokyo prepares to kick off on Friday with the opening ceremonies, amid the country’s fourth state of emergency, the ban on tourist and local crowds at the mega event could result in the biggest hit yet to Japan’s travel economy.
Yet, the government remains steadfast, keeping its target of 60 million visitors and $136 billion in tourism revenue by 2030, while staying hopeful for an international audience this year, even if nowhere near pre-Covid levels that saw record tourism for seven straight years. Still, the long-term economic boost from hosting well-attended Olympics has been elusive over the years. Th
