1 out of 2 hotels and Japanese-style inns in major cities across Japan expects an economic fillip from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, according to a Nikkei Research survey. Of the 1,001 hotels and ryokan responding to the survey late last year, nearly 52% expressed high or moderate expectations for the games' po
1 out of 2 hotels and Japanese-style inns in major cities across Japan expects an economic fillip from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, according to a Nikkei Research survey.
Of the 1,001 hotels and ryokan responding to the survey late last year, nearly 52% expressed high or moderate expectations for the games' potential to improve business. Around a third reckoned that they would have little or no positive impact.
Enthusiasm was predictably high at 75% in Kanto, the region that includes the capital, but also at nearly 57% in Kansai, the Osaka-Kyoto region.
About one-third of respondents in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, and in Fukuoka Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu also expect a pick-me-up.
But almost 61% of respondents said foreigners make up less than 10% of their guests now -- a sign that these hopes may be a bit of a stretch.
Nearly 60% want to serve more guests from overseas, while 46% have plans to invest in their facilities. Of this latter group, about 20% said they will provide free Internet connections, the lack of which is a common frustration for foreign tourists.