Traveler flows and spanish-japanese tourism relations

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to encourage some reflection on the links and tourism flows which exist – in both directions – between Japan and Spain. In the case of Spain, Japan is one of the most interesting long-distance markets. Numerous actions have been taken with regard to the Japanese market, particularly within the field of cultural tourism. And still the results have not always been as expected, showing quite an asymmetrical performance throughout the years. Spanish tourists visiting Japan, in turn, represent only quite a small share of the total tourists visiting this country. In any case, China’s recent appearance in this market has introduced significant changes which will probably intensify during the next few years. We will end our reflection with a small section focused on the parallelisms which exist between the pilgrimage routes to Santiago and Kumano, both offering good prospects for future collaboration projects.