Japan's new tourism drive, designed to double the number of foreign visitors to the country by 2007, should send a shiver down the spine of conservationists and environmentalists.
Why a badly-needed tourism campaign should be a cause for concern reflects both Japan's prior neglect of the industry, and the effects of that neglect on the country's cultural landscape.
By 2000, tourism accounted for nearly 8 percent of the world's total export earnings, ahead of automobiles, computers, oil and gas. The World Tourism Industry estimated that in 1999 some 657 million tourists spent over $530 billion. Japan got precious little.