Northstar

10 | www.travelweekly-asia.com DESTINATION Japan PHOTO CREDIT: SEANPAVONEPHOTO/GETTYIMAGES Japan is a consistent favourite among international travellers -- its iconic face Tokyo ranking eighth in Mastercard's 2017 Global Destination Cities Index, pulling in 11.93 million international visitors – that's 40% – of the 28.7 million who visited countrywide that year. The country fared even better in 2018, with foreign visitor arrivals jumping 8.7% to cross the 30 million mark -- though some way off Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's lofty tourism goals: foreign visitor numbers to hit 40 million foreign by 2020 and 60 million by 2030. If Japan is to realise these ambitious targets, then the sports sector will be pivotal. This year, Japan will host the Rugby World Cup (RWC), while the capital takes centre stage next year with the 2020 Summer Olympics. As Tokyo prepares for her big show, neighbouring Yokohama is also sprucing up its tourism allure, in preparation for hosting key World Cup matches -- including the final -- as well as Olympics baseball/ softball and football events next year. "Sports tourism is one of the growing segments," said Nobuyuki Furukawa, chairman of Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB). With seven RWC games slated in Yokohama, a "9.8 billion Yen economic effect is expected during the period (as per provision by Bank of Japan)," he added. Sports-cations Located in the Greater Tokyo area, Yokohama can be reached via a 30-minute bullet train ride from Tokyo's downtown, making it a fantastic option for day trips. Numbers don't lie: Yokohama recorded 29 million day trips in 2018, led by visitors from China, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States. Tourists are also increasingly wanting to include at least a night in Yokohama. For instance, just 10,073 Singaporean travellers chose to base themselves in the city in 2014, but this number went up to 13,814 by 2018. China clocked the highest jump in arrivals into Yokohama, going from 99,801 visitors in 2014, to 199,098 in 2018. Other territories regularly flying tourists into Yokohama include Hong Kong, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia in Asia, as well as France and Germany. According to Geraldine Lim from JTB, Japan's largest travel agency, there's rising interest in sports travel to Japan, where sales for JTB's rugby packages have been positive in Asia Pacific, especially in Singapore". Sports events happen all year round, with modern sports spectator travellers not only willing to pay for the trip and ticket but also ready to travel several hours to reach a destination. Parents of sports- playing kids do research on hotels and restaurants near the sporting event site, not forgetting attractions and things to do once the games are over. From an economic point of view, both active and passive sports travelling equates to millions of people and significant revenue. Family vacations are transformed into "sport-cations", with positive outcomes for both travellers and the communities they fly into. With the Rugby World Cup this year and the Olympic Games in 2020, sports tourism isn't just revving up in Tokyo but in neighbouring Yokohama too. By Natalie Joy Lee Raising Its Game: Yokohama View of Cosmo Clock 21 from Minato Mirai Manyo Club Yokohama skyline at Minato Mirai waterfront district.

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