A delegation from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau will be visiting Dubai this month as part of efforts to encourage more visitors from the UAE and Gulf countries to visit the Japanese capital city.

The delegation will be exhibiting for the first time at the Arabian Travel Market, which will be held at Dubai International Exhibition Centre from April 22 to 25, where they will be promoting Tokyo’s unique mix of traditions and exciting urban culture with variety of entertainment, shopping and dining options and the latest tourist attractions to travel industry professionals.

Today, Tokyo is not only the political and economic centre of Japan, but it has also emerged as a centre of the world economy and culture. There are several large-scale downtown areas, including Ginza, where luxury brand shops and department stores stand side by side; the sleepless Shinjuku, that has become the "new city centre of Tokyo"; Asakusa, which is reminiscent of the traditional Edo; and Shibuya and Harajuku that start the trends for the young people. Other unique areas include the computer town Akihabara, where manga and anime fans flock from around the world. 

With daily direct flights with Emirates from Dubai to both Tokyo/Haneda and Tokyo/Narita International Airports and Etihad from Abu Dhabi to Tokyo/Narita Airport, Tokyo is not only easily accessible, but open and welcoming to all international guests from all backgrounds.

To make Muslim and Middle Eastern guests as welcome and comfortable as possible, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government holds seminars five times a year to educate the participants with the cultural and religious needs of Muslim guests, provides individual counseling to hotels, hospitality and restaurant partners and other commercial entities, and publishes “Tokyo Muslim Travellers’ Guide” with thorough information on where to eat, pray, stay and shop for Muslim travellers.

Japan was ranked sixth place among the non-OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) destinations in the annual Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2017, moving up two places from the previous year, and Tokyo was ranked the top out of 47 prefectures of Japan.

Akito Tadokoro, director of Tourist Promotion Department of Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, said: “It is an exciting time to visit Tokyo more than ever: Japan will host Rugby World Cup next year, Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020 and the visa waiver arrangement was introduced last year for the UAE nationals. We welcome citizens and residents of the UAE and Gulf countries. In addition to exhibiting at the Arabian Travel Market, we will conduct the Tokyo Tourism Seminar at Novotel World Trade Centre on April 23 for travel agents and media. We hope to see as many travel industry professionals of the UAE and the Middle East countries in order to establish mutually prosperous relationships.” - TradeArabia News Service