Japan’s Tourism GDP Grows 2 T. Yen in 4 Yrs: White Paper

June 5, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's tourism gross domestic product grew 2 trillion yen between 2012 and 2016, contributing to the country's economic expansion, a government white paper said Tuesday.

According to the 2018 white paper on tourism, adopted at a cabinet meeting, tourism GDP, or the sum of the value added of industry sectors with direct interactions with tourists, increased from 8.5 trillion yen in 2012 to 10.5 trillion yen in 2016.

Pointing out that the nation's nominal GDP expanded around 43 trillion yen during the four-year period, the annual report said tourism GDP contributed about 4.5 pct to the increase in the total goods and services produced in Japan.

The Japanese government aims to attract 40 million foreign visitors in 2020.

If the goal is achieved, it will boost tourism's contribution to economic growth, the white paper said, adding that visitor spending would be a growth engine for the country. Jiji Press