Japan's ambassador to Australia has been treated to Cairns’ best attractions today in a bid to reignite travel between Tokyo and the tropical north.

Mr Shingo Yamagami, who’s been Japan’s top diplomat in Canberra for more than a year, is currently in the region for the first time in his role.

After meeting Cairns Mayor Bob Manning this morning, Mr Yamagami took a tour on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

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Joining him in the gondola was Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen, who’s pushing for a full-service carrier to operate between Cairns and Japan’s capital cities.

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“Back then more than 240,000 Japanese visitors arrived on our shores here in Cairns with a full-service carrier connecting their capital city,” he said.

“In 2019, before COVID, they were our fourth largest market in terms of visitor number of nights and visitor spend.

“We would love to see a full-service carrier start up again.

While Jetstar flights between Cairns and Tokyo, as well as Osaka, were due to recommence this month, they’ve been pushed back to June.

The budget airline is set to bring daily flights from Tokyo and six from Osaka per week.

“The Japanese government has travel caps in terms of the number of people coming in and out,” Mr Olsen said.

“[The recommencement of flights] is an ongoing conversation as Japan comes out of their COVID peak.

“They’re starting to get it well under control, and we’re really hopeful that we can bring those flights forward to perhaps May.

“As soon as we do know those dates Cairns will be on the plane ready to go back into Japan.”

Mr Yamagami said although Cairns is a popular destination among Japanese travellers, it is just as important to get Australians to visit his home country.

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“It has an abundance of natural beauty including the rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.

“[Along with] the general warmth of people here, there are great incentives for many Japanese to come back to Cairns.

“Of course, Cairns occupies a big part of the minds of so many Japanese, but tourism has to be a two-way street.

“On my part I have welcomed the flood of Aussie skiers to Japan [to places like] Niseko and Hakuba.  

“The flood of Aussie skiers to Japanese ski resorts has been instrumental in the upgrade of the quality of ski resorts.”

Also during his visit, the Ambassador will bestow Member for Leichhardt Mr Warren Entsch with The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star in a ceremony on Thursday night.

Mr Entsch will receive the decoration for his efforts to strength bilateral relations between Australia and Japan.   

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
DIPLOMACY
At its peak in 2005 the Japanese market injected more than a million dollars a day into Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.
Mark Olsen
Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO
Cairns has the natural advantage of being so close – the closest part of Australia to Japan – only seven hours on a direct flight.
Mr Shingo Yamagami
Ambassador of Japan to Australia