YOKOHAMA — Aiming to stimulate domestic tourism and boost foreign tourism, Tabi (Travel) Fair 2009 kicked off Friday in Yokohama with promoters and public organizations from around the nation pitching their local specialties.
"The situation facing the primary and secondary (agriculture and manufacturing) industries is quite tough in the rural areas. As a result, the flow of people (into remote areas) needs to be increased to energize these areas," said Takeshi Koda, executive director of the Japan Tourism Association.
"Tourism is one of the big pillars for that," he said.