Japan hopes for tourism boost after Tokyo wins bid to host 2020 Olympic Games

Japan’s Prime Minister hopes that Tokyo’s successful 2020 Olympic Games bid will boost tourism to the country.

“We’ve got a great chance to make Tokyo and Japan shine,” he told Bloomberg news.

“I want to overcome 15 years of deflation. Hosting the Olympics and Paralympics will have good effects on a wide range of areas such as infrastructure and tourism.”

The Japanese capital beat Madrid and Istanbul to be elected the host city after winning a vote by the International Olympic Committee on Saturday.

Tokyo will become the fifth city to host the Summer Olympics twice, having held the Games in 1964.

In its final presentation, Tokyo made its case as the ‘safe pair of hands’ but the prospect of Japan hosting the greatest show on earth had raised concerns due to reports of a leak of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant just 150 miles away.

Tourist numbers in Japan fell more than 50 per cent year-on-year during the three months after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered meltdowns and explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Around 16,000 people were killed in the double disaster.

The embattled utility firm Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) has struggled to keep the Fukushima site under control since the 2011 natural disaster hit the plant.

Tepco has acknowledged that tons of radioactive water has been seeping into the Pacific from the plant for more than two years after the disaster led to meltdowns at three of its reactors.

Mr Abe reassured IOC delegates by saying: “Some may have concerns about Fukushima. Let me assure you the situation is under control. It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo.”

He added that the contamination was limited to a small area and had been “completely blocked.”

“There are no health related problems until now, nor will there be in the future,” he said.

Fears over the nuclear safety of Japan, which gets most of its power from atomic power plants, have seen tourism badly affected.

The country offered 10,000 foreigners free airfares to visit the country last year in an attempt to boost its ailing tourism industry.

Tourism authorities hoped that positive reports from travellers about the experiences in Japan would help ease international worries about visiting the country.

Cheapflights.co.uk’s travel expert Oonagh Shiel believes that the country that brought us the bullet train is well-placed to deliver organised and on-time Games: “Tokyo is probably the safest choice for staging and it will be interesting to see how it opens up to a wider tourist market as a result of interest in the Games.

“The city has a certain appeal, particularly for foodies as it’s been awarded the most Michelin stars of any city in the world. With local delicacies including horsemeat, Fugu and the potentially deadly blowfish which requires very careful preparation so as not to poison diners, Tokyo is not for the faint-hearted.”

But, while Shiel praises the city’s transport links, she warns that the city is consistently rated as one of the most expensive in the world: “If you’re toasting British success, a pint in a Brit-style pub will set you back around 1,000 Yen, about £6.50; and make sure you watch the service charges.

“Current Air Passenger Duty (APD) from the UK to Tokyo is also a whopping £83 for an economy ticket to Tokyo. If you’re flying any other class it’s £166 per person. On that basis, it would cost £89,806 in Air Passenger Duty alone to fly the 541-person GB Olympic squad from the London Games to Tokyo!”

London Mayor Boris Johnson was among the first to offer his congratulations to the Japanese after the announcement was made.

Mr Johnson said that Tokyo had a lot of work to do but masses to look forward to: “Huge congratulations to Tokyo for winning the honour of hosting the greatest sporting spectacular on the planet.

“I am sure that, like London, your great city will put on an extraordinary event. This is a magical moment of celebration to savour before the years of hard work ahead.

“Staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a tremendous privilege that unleashes golden opportunities for the host city.

“London has seen its transformative effect having embedded from the outset a long lasting legacy that reaches far beyond the weeks of sporting drama.

“We’ve been happy to welcome Rio to our city and we’ll be delighted to share our experiences with Tokyo as they embark on their own journey to 2020.”

 

 

- Daily Mail Online