Gateway to Japan

Events

Oct 23

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike headlines a special ACCJ event on the future of tourism.

Photos Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14

From left: ACCJ Tourism and Hospitality Committee Vice-chair Mayumi Birt, Executive Director Laura Younger, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, ACCJ President Victor Osumi, and Tourism and Hospitality Committee Chair Stephen Zurcher

On October 8, more than 120 attendees joined the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) at the new JW Marriott Tokyo, part of the East Japan Railway Company’s Takanawa Gateway City development, for a discussion about ways to reimagine Japan’s inbound tourism.

Hosted by the ACCJ Tourism and Hospitality Committee, the event kicked off with a keynote by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who highlighted how the city is leading the way as a global tourism destination under its Tokyo 2050 Strategy.

Following Koike’s extensive presentation, committee Chair Stephen Zurcher moderated a thought-provoking discussion on the future of tourism in Japan with three tourism and hospitality leaders:

Dr. Tadayuki Hara associate professor and senior research fellow at the University of Central Florida’s Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies
Yoshiya Amanai, manager of the marketing headquarters for the East Japan Railway Company’s Shinagawa Community Development Division
Christopher Clark, general manager of JW Marriott Tokyo

With Japan welcoming 28.38 million visitors for the year through August, and a target of 60 million annual visitors by 2030, this event came at a critical point for the country’s hospitality and tourism industry.

Key themes discussed include:

Melding traditional omotenashi hospitality with data-driven, connected-city strategies.
Cross-sector collaboration among hospitality, rail, and urban planning.
Leveraging Japan’s existing rail network to expand tourism beyond the Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka “Golden Route.”
A focus on high-value, experience-driven tourism and repeat visitors.
Practical ways to fill critical staffing gaps and cultivate multilingual, digitally fluent teams.

The ACCJ extends a sincere thank-you to Governor Koike, our distinguished panelists, and all the attendees, as well as JW Marriott Tokyo for its support of this event.