Japan Tourism Agency hosted “Bonds Across the Ocean” event in New York, celebrating U.S.-Japan Tourism Year with over 250 attendees.
To celebrate “Bonds Across the Ocean,” a special event was held by the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), in partnership with the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), at Gotham Hall in New York, coinciding with the UN General Assembly week. The event welcomed more than 250 media, travel advisors and travel and food industry stakeholders, alongside visiting Japanese dignitaries, to celebrate the 2024 U.S.-Japan Tourism Year, which promotes reciprocal tourism between the two countries. The celebration featured cuisine from Michelin-starred chef Samuel Clonts, a karate demonstration and interactive experiences, and former sumo wrestler Yasokichi Konishiki as a special guest.
The event opened with words from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who highlighted the latest Japanese travel trends, including the Sado Island Gold Mines which were registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, seasonal seafood and sake from Ishikawa prefecture in Hokuriku region and the Osaka Expo 2025, which starts from April through October next year. Prime Minister Kishida noted that the number of U.S. visitors to Japan had achieved a record high of 1.77 million by the end of August, and is predicted to reach 2.5 million by the end of this year.
Gotham Hall © JNTO
Chef Samuel Clonts – owner of the Michelin-starred Sixty Three Clinton – gave an overview of the special dishes he and his team had prepared which utilized fresh Japanese ingredients. Special guest Yasokichi Konishiki then lead the crowd in a sake toast to begin the festivities.
Afterwards, there was a rousing karate demonstration from Japan’s national women’s team. Former sumo wrestler Yasokichi Konishiki – who was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach ōzeki, the second-highest possible rank in the sport – discussed his favorite aspects of tourism to Japan.
To close the festivities, Alex Lasry, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism at the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce said, “It is a great honor to be here to celebrate the US Japan Tourism Year. Japan continues to be, and has always been, one of our most important and valued markets for the US, and travel between our countries continues to strengthen the special bond between the American and Japanese people.”
“Part of the strategy is to welcome 90 million visitors and who are going to spend over, $280 billion by the year 2028, and we will be able to reach this figure by 2027. The U.S. welcomed 1.5 million Japanese visitors in 2024, making Japan our seventh largest overseas market, foreseeing nearly 4.2 million Japanese visitors by 2028,” Lasry concluded.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
link
