Shopping becomes Japan’s top draw: study

Japanese have long been big spenders on overseas trips and now their counterparts in other Asian countries are returning the favor, said the study by the private Japan National Tourist Organization.

Nearly 35 percent of tourists visiting Japan cited shopping as their chief travel motive, replacing traditional culture and historical sites as the number one attraction for the first time since the annual survey was launched in 2003.

The study said visitors from South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong placed shopping among their top three reasons for coming to Japan, alongside hot springs and restaurants.

An overwhelming 71 percent of tourists from Hong Kong visited Japan primarily to shop, it said.

The average tourist spends 280,000 yen (US$2,400) on a visit to Japan, it said. Although the study did not specify which products they bought, Asia’s largest economic power is known as a hub for electronics goods and fashion.

On the contrary, Japan’s traditional culture and lifestyle remained the top attraction for American and British tourists, the report said.

But more than half of the Asian travelers visited Japan more than twice, compared with only 15 to 30 percent of Western tourists who flew longer distances. Japan has set a goal of drawing 10 million foreign visitors to Japan by 2010, nearly double the figure in 2003.

The government has aired television commercials abroad, waived visa requirements and expanded amenities for tourists in a bid to draw foreigners who may be put off by Japan’s high prices and language barrier.

Last year a record 8.1 million foreigners visited Japan, according to the government. The tourism group said that 4.98 million came for tourism.

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