HANGZHOU, China (Kyodo) The tourism chiefs of Japan, China and South Korea agreed Sunday to get 26 million people to visit their three countries in 2015 — nearly double the total for 2009.
The target, mentioned in a joint statement from their trilateral meeting in China, noted that the three countries' earlier goal of 17 million "intervisitations" in 2010 is expected to be achieved. A total of 13.5 million people traveled among the three East Asian countries in 2009.
"It is significant that the three countries set a target and confirmed what must be done to that end," Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Seiji Maehara said after signing the statement.