The Japan tourism Agency (JTA) is stepping up efforts to expand gastronomy tourism in a bid to combat overtourism, cater to the high-end market and boost inbound tourism consumption in rural areas.
JTA will provide financial subsidies in fiscal 2024 (April 2024 to March 2025) for the development and promotion of programmes focusing on regional culinary cultures.
The Japanese government considers food and drink an industry with high potential for growth given that inbound visitors spent 1.2 trillion yen (US$7.8 billion), on food and drink in 2023, equating to almost one quarter of their total consumption, according to JTA.
Support includes up to 50 million yen per successful applicant to cover the establishment of bases for collecting ingredients, such as wild plants, and for carrying out local cultural experiences. Advertising, meanwhile, can be carried out overseas,…
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