New JNTO Sydney executive director

BTN News

Friday, 05 July 2019

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has appointed Yoko Tanaka as the new executive director of its Sydney Office.

Tanaka has been appointed to build on the recent successes of the Sydney office, which encouraged more than half a million Australian tourists to visit Japan last year, a new record.

“My goal is to continue driving the remarkable growth that we have seen in recent years from Australia,” Tanaka said.

“I intend to maintain the momentum by further educating Australians on the variety of things to see and do in Japan. I will also continue to raise awareness of the regional and less-well-known areas of Japan as well as upcoming major sporting events including this year’s Rugby World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Tanaka began working for JNTO in 1992 at the Tourist Information Center at Narita International Airport. Since then her career has encompassed a wide variety of roles with the company including senior director of JNTO’s Singapore office, and most recently as a manager in the Human Resources Section.

Outgoing executive director Kana Wakabayashi will work alongside Tanaka until July 12 to ensure a smooth transition - and then return to Japan.

Editor’s note: It will be interesting to see if Japan can maintain its popularity with Australians as a visitor destination following its government’s decision to resume whaling. Most Australians are against it. Japan has refused international requests to reconsider its decision.