FY2019 Summary of inquiries received by Consumer Hotline for Tourists

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (NCAC) launched the Consumer Hotline for Tourists in December 2018 to offer telephone consultation that inbound tourists to Japan can use if they experience consumer detriment while visiting Japan. The Consumer Hotline for Tourists is accessible in seven different languages, i.e. English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, French and Japanese with use of interpretation service through a three-way call system. French was added to the list of languages in April 2020.

The following summary reflects inquiries received by the Consumer Hotline for Tourists in FY2019. Details of the information will be described on the "Annual Report on Consumer Affairs 2020", which will be released on NCAC's website in October 2020.

Trends and characteristics in FY2019

Inquiries received by Consumer Hotline for Tourists

• The Consumer Hotline for Tourists received 369 inquiries in FY2019. According to the breakdown of the inquiries by month received, more inquiries were received in October 2019 and between January and March in 2020 compared to other months. The main factors are considered to be a surge in inbound tourists to Japan due to the Rugby World Cup and the spread of COVID-19 infections. Incidentally, there were 62 inquiries in FY2018 from the launch in December 2018 to March 2019, specifically in four months.

Inquiries from inbound tourists to Japan

• Of the 369 inquiries received by the Consumer Hotline for Tourists, 264 inquiries were from inbound tourists to Japan. The breakdown of the inquiries by timing received showed that inquiries received during their visit to Japan amounted to 145 (55%), the highest percentage of the total. Those received after leaving Japan amounted to 85 (32%), the second most, followed by those received before their visit to Japan which amounted to 34 (13%).
• The breakdown of the inquiries by language showed that 161 inquiries (61%) were in Chinese and 61 inquiries (23%) were in English. Those in Chinese and English accounted for more than 80%.
• The breakdown of the inquiries by product/service category showed that inquiries about "accommodation" amounted to 75 (28%), followed by 31 inquiries (12%) about "dining out".
• The breakdown of the inquires by language and product/service category showed that the hotline received a certain amount of inquiries about "accommodation" and "dining out" in each language, while inquiries about "health foods" and "cosmetics" were mostly in Chinese.
• There were numerous inquiries about "contract, cancellation" and "service to customers".