The Japan Travel and Tourism Association (JTTA; Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Norio Yamaguchi) and the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA; Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Jungo Kikuma) agreed to integrate Tabi Fair Japan, a domestic tourism exhibition hosted by JTTA, and JATA “TABIHAKU” Travel Showcase, an international travel exhibition hosted by JATA, to hold annually “JATA Tourism Expo Japan” from 2014 expanding its scale and chasing higher quality.
This year marked the 18th Tabi Fair Japan. It is one of the largest domestic travel exhibitions in the country, with corporate and organization-related exhibitors from 120 regions in Japan. The JATA “TABIHAKU” Travel Showcase is one of the largest comprehensive travel events in Asia.
It was started in 1977 with the aim of stimulating demand for outbound travel. This time, which marked its 24th year, it was composed of an international travel forum, international business talks, exhibitions, awards, and a pre-opening reception. A total of 730 organizations and companies from 154 countries participated in 2013.
By integrating these two events, the organizers will be better able to present Japan as a tourism nation to attendees from Japan and overseas. The combined event will build on the strengths of both events to promote outbound, inbound, and domestic travel. It will become the largest comprehensive travel event in Asia, and it will concentrate the strengths not just of the tourism industry but of all industries and regions.
Following ITB Berlin and WTM London, the world’s leading travel shows, the new JATA Tourism EXPO Japan has been recognized by the UN’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It is the first travel show in Asia to be recognized by the UNWTO. This is a result of the high rating given to initiatives of the JATA “TABIHAKU” Travel Showcase such as two-way tourism.
The expo will be managed by the JATA Tourism Expo Japan Organizing Committee. For the Executive Committee to be placed under the Organizing Committee, the chairperson will be JATA’s Chairman Jungo Kikuma, and the vice chairs will be JATA’s Vice Chairman Hiromi Tagawa and JTTA’s Director Yoichi Minami, with Vice Chairman Tagawa as the acting chairperson. As the central office of the expo, the Tourism Expo Japan Promotion Office will be located within JATA.
