Literature Review

Hospitality and Tourism Project

[Name of Writer]

[Name of Institution]

Tourism is a very important and thriving industry in Japan. People from all over the world make up the diverse demographic of international tourists in Japan. Chinese tourists make up the majority of tourists in Japan but in recent years there has been a rise in tourists in Japan from countries other than China. There has been a significant increase of around 50% in tourists from Western countries including North America, Australia and Europe. CITATION Str17 \l 1033 (Strielkowski, 2017) The current landscape of tourism in Japan is therefore more diversified as compared to earlier times. Much of this is owed to the several different ways through which Japan attracts its tourists. A lot of the tourism in Japan depends on natural attractions. As different seasons of the year merge into each other, Japan’s tourism evolves with those. Cherry blossom festivals in Japan happen annually in the spring festival celebrated earnestly throughout the country. These attract tourists from all over the world. In some incidents, the frequency of international tourists visiting Japan to see the cherry blossom is so great that it has led to an undermining of the local festivals around it. CITATION Mor19 \l 1033 (Moriuchi, 2019) Another similar attraction is the autumn foliage viewing which brings in a large number of international tourists into Japan. CITATION Liu19 \l 1033 (Liu, 2019) Another basic attraction for international tourists in Japan is media-induced. Films can be attributed to alluring international tourists to Japan but the major appeal for them in the country is its content media and the pop culture to which international tourists flock. CITATION Bee16 \l 1033 (Beeton, 2016) One of the greatest examples from a recently peaked cultural interest in Japan is manga.

Another statistically significant factor in promotion of international tourism in Japan is its cuisine. Food tourism in general acts as an excellent catalyst to kickstart the influx of people from all over the world. Tourism studies have started to focus on the crucial relationship between food and tourism only recently. CITATION Kim15 \l 1033 (Kim, 2015) There has been a global increase in international conferences that discuss food and tourism. Moreover, a rise in literature about this topic has also been noticed and reported. CITATION Yeo15 \l 1033 (Yeoman, 2015) The tourism industry has been aided tremendously by the agriculture and food industry. There are various approaches through which food can make a lasting impact on tourism. Some do it via managing a local market around its cuisine and pitching it to tourists as an exotic destination that is special because of its food. Tourists are consumers whose satisfaction and motivation is primary. CITATION Gua15 \l 1033 (Guan, 2015) Another approach that does not hold a business-related mindset in such high regards is one that involves sociological outreach through food. Moreover, a geographical approach aims to convert production places of a certain food into its consumption spaces. This way the food attracts people instead of being exported to these people in their own countries. Japan has successfully used its noodle tourism to effectively boost the number of international tourists that visit the country.CITATION Kim151 \t \l 1033 (Kim, 2015) Preserving the culture and presenting it as a luring invitation is therefore the key here.

Since it has been established that food has a very significant relationship with the tourism industry, the various aspects related to food and its dynamics in the industry have to be discussed. Certain foods can prove to be a hindrance for certain communities. The biggest issue regarding food tourism and selective avoidance is Muslims and their deterrence from non-Halal food. Muslims are a growing market segment for tourism. CITATION Moh16 \l 1033 (Mohsin, 2016) There has been speculation for a while about a significant growth of international tourists all over the globe primarily from the Middle East. There is enough corporate motivation induced by these statistics. Therefore, the world is expected to see a steady rise in the halal tourism industry. This depends on rising Muslim population, a rise in the overall living standards in Muslim countries as well as greater stability in Islamic banking. Thomas Reuters with DinarStandard have reported that the share of the Muslim travel market is supposed to rise from 11.5% of global expenditure in 2013 to 13% in 2019. CITATION Bat18 \l 1033 (Battour, 2018) There is hence growing realization that catering to the needs of the Muslim faction of tourists is important for the tourism industry anywhere to properly thrive. There is also empirical evidence to prove that many countries have jumped atop the bandwagon to exclusively release concepts like Muslim-friendly airports and tourist apps. Halal cruises in Turkey also point to the same trend. Japan has also not shied away from asserting that their fish restaurants have an ‘all-Halal’ menu. CITATION Bat16 \l 1033 (Battour M. I., 2016) There has been greater focus on customer satisfaction of Muslims as well as the question of destination brand equity are all studied now. CITATION Sha15 \l 1033 (Shafaei, 2015)

More Muslim travelers mean more business for the tourism industry. For corporate benefit out of this situation, it is vital that the needs of the Muslim travelers are met. Although it is quite evident that the level of adherence to orthodox Islamic principles vary, CITATION Hen16 \l 1033 (Henderson, 2016) accommodating the whole spectrum is important for the tourist industry. Several terms have been officially given to the Muslim tourism market. It has been called halal, Islamic or Sharia tourism. However, each title denotes a different adherence to Islamic rules. CITATION ElG15 \l 1033 (El-Gohary, 2015) The demand for Halal food is more or less universal and tourism industries will only be able to sustainably attract Muslim tourists if they start producing Halal food.

Singapore is a very well-defined example of managing the food tourism of an increasingly diverse population. The Muslim population in Singapore is a minority. However, the country still employs an Islamic Religious Council of Singapore to overlook halal certifications.CITATION Hen161 \t \l 1033 (Henderson, 2016) There have even been research and case studies in Singapore that aim at increasing the consumer base of halal food industry. The proposal is spreading awareness among non-Muslim population so the market for halal food grows. CITATION Noo16 \l 1033 (Noor, 2016) The entire core idea of marketing Singapore as a food destination is its diversity and its options. By merging traditional and modern as well as global and local; the food culture is dynamic and diverse.CITATION Hen162 \t \l 1033 (Henderson, 2016)

The conclusion brings this review towards the current scene of availability of halal food in Japan. Tourism that tugs at cultural values is significant to Japan and Muslims constitute an important part of their consumer base. When countries like Singapore can harmoniously display food options for a wide range of communities, Japan must also have a credibly footed halal tourism. A majority of Muslim tourists in Japan are from Malaysia or Indonesia. Japanese airports as well as their eateries are becoming more and more welcoming of their Muslim guests. CITATION Sam16 \l 1033 (Samori, 2016) The word ‘Halal’ has even been a recently trending word in the Japanese business-spheres. This indicates a better understandings of the demands and desires of Muslim tourists in Japan. CITATION You18 \l 1033 (Yousaf, 2018) As a result of this, several Japanese cities have emerged as favorites for their Muslim tourists. CITATION Kan18 \l 1033 (Kaneko, 2018) This can significantly enhance the already successful tourism industry of Japan.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Battour, M. (2018). Muslim Travel Behavior in Halal Tourism. In L. Butowski, Mobilities, Tourism and Travel Behavior: Contexts and Boundaries (pp. 3-16). Books on Demand.

Battour, M. I. (2016). Halal tourism: Concepts, practises, challenges and future. Tourism Management Perspectives, 150-154.

Beeton, S. T. (2016). The Mediatisation of Culture: Japanese Contents Tourism and Pop Culture. In C. Scarles, Mediating the Tourist Experience (pp. 139-154). Routledge.

El-Gohary, H. (2015). Halal tourism, is it really halal? Tourism Management Perspectives, 124-130.

Guan, J. J. (2015). The contribution of local cuisine to destination attractiveness: An analysis involving Chinese tourists' heterogeneous preferences. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 416-434.

Henderson, J. C. (2016). Halal food, certification and halal tourism: Insights from Malaysia and Singapore. Tourism Management Perspectives, 160-164.

Henderson, J. C. (2016). Local and traditional or global and modern? Food and tourism in Singapore. Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism, 55-68.

Henderson, J. C. (2016). Muslim travellers, tourism industry responses and the case of Japan. Tourism Recreation Research, 339-347.

Kaneko, M. (2018). Let’s Vacation In Japan! A Study of Indonesian Images of Japan Through Tourism. PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, 3.

Kim, S. E. (2015). Noodle production and consumption: from agriculture to food tourism in Japan. Tourism Geographics, 151-167.

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Liu, J. C. (2019). Impact of climate-related changes to the timing of autumn foliage. Tourism Management, 262-272.

Mohsin, A. R. (2016). Halal tourism: Emerging opportunities. Tourism Management Perspectives, 137-143\.

Moriuchi, E. B. (2019). The Sustainability of Ohanami Cherry Blossom Festivals as a Cultural Icon. Sustainability, 1820.

Noor, N. D. (2016). Factors affecting halal food purchasing by non-Muslims in a multicultural society: a case study in Singapore. International Journal of Islamic Marketing and Branding, 366-387.

Samori, Z. S. (2016). Current trends on Halal tourism: Cases on selected Asian countries. Tourism Management Perspectives, 131-136.

Shafaei, F. &. (2015). Involvement and brand equity: A conceptual model for Muslim tourists. International Journal of Cultural Tourism and Hospitality Research, 54-67.

Strielkowski, W. (2017). Promoting tourism destination through film-induced tourism: The case of Japan. MARKET/TRŽIŠTE, 193-203.

Yeoman, I. M.-B. (2015). The future of food tourism. Bristol: Channel View Publications.

Yousaf, S. &. (2018). Halal culinary and tourism marketing strategies on government websites: A preliminary analysis. Tourism Management, 423-443.