During the last decade, inbound foreign tourism rate in Japan underwent an outstanding escalation: from 5.22 million in 2003, the number of tourists visiting the country skyrocketed to 19.3 million...Show moreDuring the last decade, inbound foreign tourism rate in Japan underwent an outstanding escalation: from 5.22 million in 2003, the number of tourists visiting the country skyrocketed to 19.3 million in 2015. The government made active efforts towards this achievement as part of the strategy to strenghten the Japanese image abroad, as well as its national brand. A necessary part of this strategy was constituted by Japanese food, following the international popularity that it enjoyed in the recent years. As the global interest for authenticity and uniqueness grew especially in regards to food and tourism, this resarch tries to understand why Japanese government is using food as a product to give legitimization to its entire national brand, specifically by selling it through tourism consumption, to then establish which strategies are being adopted in order to reach this scope.Show less
