The Japan Tourism Agency has unveiled a new slogan and logo as part of vamped up tourism promotions to increase international inbound visitor numbers, as the country reaches the first target year of the Visit Japan Campaign.

The new slogan ‘Japan. Endless Discovery’, implies that Japan is a destination with countless historical, traditional, and cultural attractions, encouraging travellers to see the country as a destination for visiting more than once.

The red and white logo  encompasses Japan’s iconic cherry blossom against a sun background.

The Japan Tourism Agency is aiming to attract 10 million visitors to Japan in 2010, having designated the year Visit Japan Year, then 15 million visitors per year by 2013 and 30 million per year in the years beyond.

The number of international visitors to Japan was 6.79 million in 2009, down 18.7 percent on 2008 figures, due mainly to the global economic crisis.

However, 2010 is off to a good start with cumulative visitor arrivals for the first two months of the year totalling 1.3 million - up 32 percent on 2009 figures – according to preliminary figures estimated by the Japan National Tourism Organization.

JTA Sydney office website www.jnto.org.au