The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and Tourism EXPO Japan (TEJ) signed a strategic partnership agreement at the opening of Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 on September 24 at Tokyo Big Sight. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was executed by WTTC President & CEO Gloria Guevara, JATA Chairman Yuji Hara, and TEJ Executive Committee Chairperson Eijiro Yamakita.
The partnership focuses on cooperation in research, market intelligence, innovation, knowledge sharing, business engagement, and involvement in international events. It aims to connect WTTC’s growing global membership and destination network with Japan’s travel distribution sector through JATA
and TEJ’s marketplace, bolstering ties with Asia-Pacific destinations including Hawaii and Guam.
Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 is organized by the Japan Travel and Tourism Association, JATA, and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). The event runs from September 24 to 27, with the first two days reserved for trade professionals and media, and the final two days open to the public. In its 2025 edition, TEJ attracted 1,350 companies from 82 countries and recorded 127,677 visitors, combining walk-in negotiations and pre-arranged meetings.
Japan represents a critical market for WTTC under Guevara’s leadership, with the council rapidly expanding its private sector
membership and regional presence. WTTC’s 2025 Economic Impact Research estimated that Travel & Tourism contributed US$343.1 billion to Japan’s economy, accounting for 8.1% of GDP. The sector grew 4.6% in 2025, outpacing Japan’s overall economy growth of 1.1%. International visitors spent US$63.3 billion in Japan, a 74.9% increase compared to 2019 levels.
Hawai’i Tourism Japan is participating in TEJ 2026 with 16 sub-exhibitors representing hotels, resorts and attractions, including Halekulani, Outrigger Resorts & Hotels, Prince Resorts Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center, Battleship Missouri Memorial, and Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa. Hawaii received 731,922 Japanese visitors in 2025, a 3.3%
increase from 2024.
The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) also highlights the partnership’s regional impact. Guam welcomed approximately 253,600 Japanese visitors in 2025, a 21.5% rise from the previous year. GVB conducted around 410 business-to-business meetings during its January 2026 One Guam Roadshow across Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, where it signed an MOU with JTB and T.P. Micronesia. In addition, GVB held more than 120 meetings with Japanese buyers and media at TEJ 2025 and attracted over 12,000 visitors to its booth during consumer days.
JATA’s membership includes 1,200 full members, 326 associate members, 80 affiliate members, and 137 overseas affiliate
members encompassing airlines, hotel groups, tour operators, cruise companies, conventions, and other tourism entities based outside Japan. This network extends access to outbound Japanese travelers and inbound international visitors.
The WTTC, JATA, and TEJ agreement also addresses challenges faced by the global travel industry, including geopolitical tensions, visa policies, aviation limitations, economic conditions, climate change, and evolving technology. WTTC has expanded its management structure with regional directors to increase engagement with members and destinations worldwide. Its membership base in 2026 includes new private sector participants such as Allianz Partners and Club Med Lifestyle Group, and new destination partners like Switzerland
Tourism and Uganda Tourism Board.
The partnership enhances direct connections between global tourism leadership represented by WTTC and Japan’s travel trade network through JATA and TEJ, enabling broader access for destinations to Japanese distribution channels and vice versa. It also commits to exchanging research, market intelligence, and best practices, supporting digital transformation, and cooperating at tourism events both domestically and internationally.
WTTC President & CEO Gloria Guevara delivered a keynote address at Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 on September 24, joined by UN World Tourism Organization representative Ion Vilcu and GREEN×EXPO Association Secretary-General Masato Komura, emphasizing Japan’s strategic importance in the
global travel sector and the value of this partnership.
