JAPAN National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) has established a partnership with The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) to increase the number of Malaysian visitors to the country.

The partnership is also part of the Japanese strategy to push its international tourist count to 40 million by 2020 in tandem with the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.

JNTO Malaysia ED Chiemi Maruyama said the incorporation of JNTO’s office in Malaysia last year shows that Malaysia is considered a significant market for Japan.

“Among South-East Asia countries, Malaysia ranks second after Thailand as top visitors to Japan, while overall, Malaysia ranks eighth — making it a large market for us to leverage on for the Olympics,” she said in a press statement yesterday.

The organisat ion also expects to reach the consumptions of ¥8 trillion (RM291.41 billion) by 2020, and 60 million international visitors and ¥15 trillion (RM546.41 billion) for 2030.

Matta president Datuk KL Tan said Japan was on the top list of sales revenue recorded for international destinations at the September 2017 fair.

He said tourism traffic from Japan to Malaysia on record was 326,594 in 2017, while Malaysian tourists visiting Japan during the same year was approximately 439,500 people.

JNTO plans to highlight Japan’s charms such as the four seasons, the different key attractions in different states and cities, as well as its food.

Maruyama said Japan always has something new to show to repeat visitors and would offer satisfaction for first comers.

“Even if you go to the same area as you have before during a different season, you’ll see different things. I can say that Japan is an endless discovery,” she said.

While leisure remains one of the top priorities, Maruyama added that educational trips will also be featured at the fair.

“There will be people promoting short-term educational trips for those interested in learning Japanese during their travels,” she said.

The tourism organisation also expects to leverage on the Muslim travel market, projected to be worth RM424 billion by 2025.

The upcoming Matta fair is expected to be the host for 23 exhibitors from Japan, including prefectural offices, government and private organisations promoting the country as “Asia’s Favourite Destination”.

The Matta Fair is also projected to house a total of 245 organisations, occupying 1,348 booths at the fair that will be held between March 16-18 at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

An admission fee of RM4 will be charged per person and is free for children below 12.

During its previous edition, Matta recorded a total of 228 participating organisations and 1,315 booths.