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Reflecting increases in the amount of spare time and growing leisure-orientedness,
the needs of tourism and recreation are now becoming sophisticated and diversified
qualitatively in addition to expanding quantitatively. In order to cope with
these trends, the Ministry of Transport is currently pushing ahead with the
following measures to promote tourism and recreation comprehensively and systematically,
in both hardware and software aspects, to enable people to enjoy relaxed and
affluent life-styles.
(1) Promotion of "Tourism Action Program in the Nineties (TAP '90s)
In a bid to promote tourism further toward the 21st century, the Ministry
of Transport is currently pushing ahead with various measures to promote domestic
travel and visits to Japan by foreign tourists, in accordance with "Tourism
Action Program in the Nineties" (TAP '90s), which was formulated in April 1988.
Under this epochal action program, it is intended to a "Tourism Promotion
Conference " composed of intellectuals chosen by the central government and
prefectual government will be held in each prefecture to present advice on concrete
measures to promote tourism through the united efforts of central and prefectural
governments and the private sector, and translate such measures into action.
By 1990, four such conferences had been held, achieving tangible results.
Again, the Ministry of Transport, in an effort to promote domestic travel,
is now forging ahead with measures to develop new resorts, such as comprehensive
health resorts and family travel villages, in accordance with the Resorts Law.
In addition, it is promoting a variety of steps to build model zones for international
tourism and international exchange villas, and to promote international convention
city plans from the standpoint of encouraging Japan visits by foreign tourists.
Moreover, the ministry extends elaborate guidance and supervision to travel
agents from the standpoint of protecting the traveling public.
(2) Promotion of "Program for Doubling Japanese Tourists Going Abroad" (Ten
Million Program)
At present the Ministry of Transport is pushing ahead with various measures
on a systematic and comprehensive basis to promote overseas travel in accordance
with the "Program for Doubling Japanese Tourists Going Abroad" (Ten Million
Program), which was formulated in September 1987. It is felt to be certain that
the number of Japanese tourists going abroad will reach 10 million in the course
of 1990 - one target year in advance.
Under concrete measures to promote overseas travel by Japanese, the ministry
is now promoting the improvement of airports, enforcing model program charters,
forging ahead with comprehensive plan to support international tourism development
(Holiday Village Plan) to facilitate the acceptance of guests from developing
countries, dispatching foreign travel promotion missions (to the U.S. and Britain
in FY1990) and supporting tourist publicity activities.
(3) Promotion of Travel Aboard Ocean-going Cruisers
The number of people enjoying travel aboard ocean-going cruisers continued
to increase in 1990 as it did in 1989, the so-called first year of cruising,
with a succession of ocean liners commissioned into service and new regular
passenger service routes opened to link with neighboring countries. Because
of this, the Subcommittee on Ocean-going Passenger Services is currently studying
how to promote travel by sea, centering around navigational safety measures
and the protection of users.
(4) Promotion of the "Marine '99 Plan"
The Ministry of Transport, in a bid to respond to increasing public interest
in and demand for marine recreation, is carrying out a wide range of measures,
including the enhancement of the attractiveness of waterfront space through
the construction of marinas and other functions for the berthing of pleasure
boats, and man-made beaches, and the improvement of passenger terminals to secure
safety in marine leisures, to bolster information supply systems and to respond
to the demand for cruising.
(5) Promotion of Air Leisures
Air leisures, including paraglider flights, are now gaining popularity in
the midst of the diversification of leisure activities. In view of this, the
Ministry of Transport established the National Sky Leisures Promotion Conference
in October 1990 and is currently pushing ahead with a wide variety of measures
to secure safety in air leisures and to promote local development through air
leisures.
(6) Toward the Promotion of Future Tourism
In order to deliberate on how to properly promote future international and
domestic tourism, the Ministry of Transport has established an international
tourism subcommittee within the International Tourism Committee of the Council
for Trans-port Policy and a domestic tourism subcommittee within the General
Affairs Commit-tee of the Council for Transport Policy.
At present, these subcommittees are deliberating how to promote domestic
travel further, how to promote Japan visits by foreign tourists and how to promote
overseas travel by Japanese people.
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