Japan’s tourism ministry says it will develop six domestic ports into ‘international cruise hubs.’
The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry wants to upgrade port infrastructure at the six pots to respond to increased demand for port space fuelled by the booming cruise industry, driven mostly from China.
The six ports are Yokohama, Shizuokam Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, Yatsushiro in Kumamoto and Motobu and Hirara in Okinawa.
Cruise operating companies will be given preferential use of ports as long as they help develop terminals capable of handling big ships and a large volume of international arrivals.
Carnival Corp is reportedly showing interest in Yokohama Port.
Japan has targeted five million arrivals by cruise ship by 2020.
Last year 1.9 million tourists came to Japan by cruise ship, a five-fold increase on just two years previously.
