The European Travel Commission (ETC), the association of National Tourism Organisations in Europe, appoints Koichi Numata, as the Chairman of its newly relaunched Japan Chapter. The appointment of Numata marks the official return of ETC in Japan after an absence of 10 years.
The Chapter will comprise the full members of ETC that have a national tourist office or official representation in Japan and are expected to be the organisation’s eyes and ears in the marketplace. Numata, who is the Japan’s Representative at Visit Finland, will lead the Chapter, consolidating cooperation and relationships between the Japanese and European travel and tourism industries. Numata will also help ETC in monitoring and facilitating exchange of information on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the market and on the image of Europe as a travel destination.
ETC’s upcoming communication campaign “Europe invites the curious”, which is co-funded by the European Union, is scheduled to target consumers in the Japanese market. Through its future activities, ETC hopes to encourage the Japanese trade and travellers to experience what Europe has to offer when the time is right.
Japan ranks fifth among all out-of-region outbound travel markets to European destinations. 4.95 million travellers from Japan arrived in Europe in 2019, accounting for a market share of 19.2% of all Japanese outbound travel. Tourist arrivals from Japan to Europe are expected to grow an average of 0.7% per year until 2024 due to Europe’s stunning natural landscapes, cultural heritage, spas and shopping experiences.*
The European Travel Commission is a non-profit association of National Tourism Organisations (NTOs). It was created in 1948 to promote Europe as a tourist destination to the long-haul markets outside of Europe.
ETC’s corporate website is aimed at industry, government and educational personnel interested in tourism to Europe.

* Source: ETC Quarterly Report 4/2021, Tourism Economics data