The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and the Tourism EXPO Japan Executive Committee, WTTC said on September 24.
The agreement gives JATA’s members and Tourism EXPO Japan exhibitors a direct line to WTTC’s private-sector membership, and commits WTTC to take part in the expo. It comes as international visitor spending in Japan reached $63.3bn in 2025, according to WTTC. That was 74.9% above 2019 levels and lifted Japan from 15th to seventh place worldwide for inbound spending.
WTTC president and CEO Gloria Guevara signed the MOU with JATA chairman Yuji Hara and Tourism EXPO Japan Executive Committee chairperson Eijiro Yamakita.
Under the agreement, the three organisations will explore sharing research, market intelligence and best practice, and will look at joint research and activities at travel and tourism events in Japan and abroad. They will also look at closer cooperation with national, regional and city destination management organisations, and at support for digital transformation and the adoption of AI across the sector.
WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Research shows travel and tourism contributed $343.1bn to Japan’s economy in 2025, or 8.1% of GDP. That makes Japan the world’s fifth-largest travel and tourism economy. The sector grew 4.6% last year, against 1.1% growth for the wider Japanese economy. Inbound spending rose 8.8% year on year.
WTTC said the rapid growth in international arrivals was also putting more focus on destination stewardship, with policymakers and industry weighing how to manage tourism growth alongside the needs of local communities.
“As the sector enters a new era shaped by AI and digital transformation, innovation and collaboration will be more important than ever,” Guevara said.
Yamakita said WTTC’s participation in Tourism EXPO Japan would “help enhance the event’s international presence”. Japanese participation in WTTC events would raise Japan’s profile in the international tourism sector, he added.
WTTC, which represents the global private travel and tourism sector, will hold its Global Summit in Valletta, Malta on October 7-9. JATA is Japan’s trade association for travel agencies. It has 1,200 full members, 326 associate members, 80 affiliate members and 137 overseas affiliate members.