Comment by jacobgkau
7 months ago
It makes sense Japanese business owners would be interested in attracting inbound tourists as a financial solution to population decline for their businesses. At the same time, it can be possible for tourism to not be a solution to the underlying problem of population decline for wider society (including longer-term longevity of businesses, and the feasibility of future businesses).
As devil's advocate, do you not see a potential disconnect here between what makes financial sense for your customers and what makes logistical sense for the nation as a whole?
Developing a healthy tourism industry, developing English skills to communicate with the world at large, all make great sense for the country as a whole. I think these can be developed without losing the cultural aspects that make Japan great.
One could argue that the tourism industry was already beyond healthy, that the impact on English skills is negligible and that it hurts others, such as business people having problems do travel because hotels have doubled or trippeled their prices.
English skills put hospitality staff in a better position to serve guests, and ultimately reduce the burden/friction on the operators themselves.
As for business travel, the price of business hotels in Japan overall has not dramatically increased—certainly not beyond what corporate budgets can afford—and much of business travel is to cities that are not of particular interest to tourists. Staying outside the city and commuting by train is also an option.
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