Japan National Tourism Organization President Tadatoshi Mamiya (pictured) has praised tourism industry partners from all over the world for the level of material and emotional support that was received in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster.

In an industry update, Mamiya revealed: “After the earthquake, our country has come together, working rapidly in the affected areas towards a quick recovery. With the strenuous efforts of various personnel, we have made good progress towards the reconstruction of our transportation infrastructure.

He added: “Sendai Airport, which was struck by the earthquake, was opened again on April 13, and the entire Tohoku Shinkansen network (the high speed rail network that serves locations in East Japan) was restored on April 29. Additionally, Tokyo Disneyland reopened on April 28, and other tourist attractions and facilities are back to providing the same level of service and enjoyment that they always have.”

According to Mamiya, many top officials from various tourism industry partners around the world have visited Japan to see Japan’s famous tourist sites and offer encouragement. We have also exchanged honest opinions and received positive suggestions from government officials of different countries at various events, such as the Japan-China-Korea Trilateral Tourism Minister’s Meeting in Kangwon-do, South Korea and at the Japan-U.S. Tourism Export Expansion Conference in San Francisco, U.S.A.

Mamiya went on to explain the strategies and projects which are being implements. He explained: 

“First of all, in addition to providing accurate information about conditions in Japan just as before, we will host a large-scale observation tours for overseas industry and media partners, so that they can see the progress Japan has made and discover how safe Japan is. We expect to host 1,000 guests from different parts of the world starting in May until July. We believe that by vigorously promoting the “vibrant and appealing side of Japan”, it will not only leave an impression on people from overseas, but it will also become a source of support to the people and areas who have been affected by the disaster.

“The next step will involve promoting Japan tour offerings so that travelers will know about them.

“Japan is a country with four distinctive seasons, blessed with beautiful nature, world heritage sites, rich culture and respected traditions. At the same time, these all co-exist together with modern high-tech attractions and pop culture. We encourage you to visit our country, and we look forward to welcoming you with omotenashi -our traditional spirit of hospitality.”

City.Mobi

Also in Asia today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Japan.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Tokyo.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.