Matsuzaka = $75 million in Tourism--Exec--USA Today

"Matsuzaka's arrival will freshen Boston's tourism pitch after 20 years of showcasing its academic institutions, historical sites and proximity to Cape Cod, says William MacDougall, CEO of Tourism Massachusetts, the agency that markets Boston and Massachusetts worldwide.

MacDougall already expects

• Massachusetts this year will win at least 20,000 extra visitors from Japan, worth an additional $75 million in economic impact. The new Japan connection could even help the city win non-stop air service between Boston and Japan, he says.

"This suddenly puts Boston on the map at a different cultural level," he says. Developing tour packages will be key, he says, because about 42% of Japanese travelers to the USA buy packaged tours.

• Nationally, the USA can use the help in building up Japanese tourism. Japanese arrivals to the USA remain below pre-9/11 levels, down 23% in 2005 from their peak in 2000.

Since catcher Kenji Johjima joined the Mariners in November 2005, tour operators have started selling packages from his native region of Kyushu, says Michael Kurtz, who heads the Seattle bureau's efforts in Asia." From USA Today Business section, 1/2/07, by Barbara De Lollis

Tweet Stumbleupon StumbleUpon