PRINCIPAL POLICIES OF THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT

Promotion of Tourism

Tourism, a pivotal industry with a broad base, provides extensive economic benefits to a large number of other sectors and is forecast to chart dramatic growth into the future. However, despite the clear importance of this industry, neither the Japanese national government nor the TMG has ever mounted a truly adequate campaign to attracting overseas travelers to Japan and the capital. This has triggered a glaring deficit for Japan in terms of its international travel balance, with the 16.52 million Japanese traveling overseas in 2002 far outstripping the 5.24 million foreigners who visited Japan that same year.

To help resolve this imbalance, the TMG has established the Plan for the Promotion of Tourism in Tokyo and is using the following three approaches to establish Tokyo as a fully fledged cosmopolitan city constantly packed with visitors from around the world:

Conveying the Attractions of Tokyo to the World

TMG's website "Tokyo Tourism" has information targeting both domestic and overseas audiences in four different languages. To promote Tokyo in a more proactive way, the Tokyo city promotion program dispatches key representatives to major overseas cities to convene "Tokyo tourism" seminars, host business meetings and carry out other promotional activities. Likewise, overseas travel agents are invited to Tokyo, the foreign media is mobilized in advertising campaigns and other dynamic strategies are organized to market the boundless attractions of Tokyo. International conventions are also actively courted to come to Tokyo. The Tokyo International Anime Fair and other such events are highly effective in creating a broad-based appeal for Tokyo.

Development of Tourist Resources

Tokyo is noted for producing high-quality goods, with many high-tech and cutting-edge industries. The capital area also has many facilities that support its function as a leading global city. Financial assistance is given to municipalities that are trying to create a tourism-based infrastructure based on these assets and facilities.

The TMG is promoting its own unique approach in the growing field of eco-tourism. The TMG's approach is based on achieving a working balance between tourism and protection for the natural environment, such as in the Ogasawara Islands and other similar locations. In addition, this approach is used in the vast range of sightseeing spots that aim to maintain harmony with their natural surroundings. This is further complemented by the promotion of urban development with tourism in mind, as well as other policies that intricately combine Tokyo's remarkable mix of tourist resources into programs of diversified development.

Improving Arrival Services

To better cater to the needs of travelers to Tokyo from both within Japan and from abroad, Tokyo Tourist Information Centers are operated in three key locations: the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1, Haneda Airport and Keisei Ueno Station. On related fronts, tourist information signs utilizing pictograms have been developed to make it easier to get around; barrier-free access is being promoted in all kinds of accommodation to make travel easier and enhance enjoyment for senior citizens, the disabled and others with special needs; and other measures are being incorporated into a system that will provide a warm welcome to all visitors to Tokyo.

To help allocate the financial resources needed to promote the three core approaches outlined above, Tokyo introduced an Accommodation Tax from October 1, 2002.