JNTO opens first Mideast office in Dubai

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has opened its Dubai Office - its first overseas office in the Middle East - ahead of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

By opening the Dubai office, JNTO aims to contribute to the further development of tourism exchange between Japan, the UAE, and the wider GCC.

By 2030, Japan aims to attract 60 million visitors with a JPY 15 trillion consumption annually. The Middle East is a priority market for the organization and a key focus in achieving this goal.

Interest in Japan in the UAE is high with two Emirati athletes bringing home three medals from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. New Japanese restaurants continue to open across the city, and Japanese traditional culture is attracting more attention, with the first Emirati ikebana teacher receiving certification.

In 2019, Japan saw a record high number of visitors from the GCC countries with 28,222 visitors making the journey, a 28.4% increase on the previous year and the figure doubling in the past five years.

According to a survey conducted by the JNTO in six GCC countries from May to June 2021, approximately 30% of respondents answered that they would like to go to Japan in the future. Shopping, relaxing at resorts and hotels, and appreciating the abundant nature were ranked high as reasons to travel to Japan.

Conversely, almost 40% of the respondents answered that "I don't know much about Japan", presenting an opportunity for the JNTO Dubai office to broaden awareness of the many attractions of the destination, further increasing interest in travel to Japan and increasing the number of visitors from the GCC in the future.

The Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has been a key highlight of the event, with its architecture being a three-dimensional expression of Japanese origami combining traditional Arabesque and Japanese asanoha motifs, as well as a natural cooling system incorporating Arabic and Japanese techniques.

Since Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, will be held in Japan, JNTO will promote tourism to the country in collaboration with the Japan Pavilion as well as the authorities of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City.