Tourism EXPO Japan Promotion Office has begun receiving applications for Tourism EXPO Japan 2019 in Osaka from exhibitors since June 7 2108. The Japan’s largest tourism event is organized jointly by Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), Japan Travel and Tourism Association (JTTA) and Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
Tourism EXPO Japan 2019 will be held in INTEX OSAKA in the period from October 24 to 27 2019. Osaka will be the first host city outside of Tokyo. Like the event in Tokyo, forums & seminars, exhibition and business meeting, networking events and an award program will be organized.
The organizers has forecasted 130,000 visitors in total (34,000 from the tourism industry and 96,000 general visitors), which account for 70% of expected 195,000 visitors in the this year’s event in Tokyo.
For exhibitors, ‘Super Early Discount’ of 15% cheaper exhibition fee than usual will be offered by October 31 2018. The organizers plan to organize FAM tours to Tokyo for exhibitors after the event in Osaka in order to provide them opportunities to inspect new facilities for Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020.
For buyers, financial supports for accommodation or transportation will be offered for attendances from Tokyo and other local cities. For general audiences, the organizers will try to raise awareness of Tourism EXPO Japan in the Kansai area to welcome more visitors than the initial goal.
A reason for choosing Osaka as the host city is that Tokyo Big Site, the ever year’s venue, will be closed for public because it is used for the Olympics and Paralympics in both 2019 and 2020. JATA Chairman Hiromi Tagawa emphasized, “We are appealing Osaka not as an alternative city but as a new host city.” The organizers expects that for the big tourism event in Osaka will be chances to upgrade Osaka to a tourism hub in Western Japan and promote tourism events in local regions, which may become a driver for economic revitalization. Tourism EXPO Japan will be held in Okinawa in 2020.
Shinichi Fukushima, Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau (OCTB) Chairman, said that it will be a great chance for Osaka to have synergy effects on following up large events after 2019, such as Kansai World Master Games in 2011, bidding of the World EXPO in 2025 or early open of IR.
Fukushima also said, “We are trying to support Tourism EXPO Japan 2019 by exhibiting an Osaka theme zone and appealing Osaka’s original attractions, like foods, sports or wellness.”
The photo below: (from left) Satoshi Seino, JNTO President, Shigeto Kubo, JTTA President, Hiromi Tagawa, JATA Chairman, Shinichi Fukushima, OCTB Chairman, Takashi Yoshida, OCTB director
