Foreign visitor target set at 18 million by 2016

Japan hopes to boost the annual number of foreign visitors to 18 million by 2016 by repairing the country's damaged reputation as a safe travel destination in its next five-year tourism plan. The Cabinet is expected to endorse the plan to be implemented from fiscal 2012 possibly in March, according to a draft obtained by Kyodo on Tuesday. The number of foreign visitors to the country, which hit a record high 8.61 million in 2010, is estimated to have dropped to 6.22 million last year following the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and the ensuing nuclear crisis. The nation had previously set a target of 10 million foreign tourists annually by 2010. (Japan Times)