The natural spectacle of cherry blossoms, the activity that moves billions of dollars each year to Japan

The Cherry flower flourished and with it began one of the most important seasons Japan, both for locals and for millions of tourists who want to see how pink and white tones paint the Asian country at this time of the year.

According to a study of Kansai UniversityIt is estimated that 63 million people, including foreign tourists and domestic tourists, visit parts of Japan where flowering is visible and thus spend about $ 2.7 trillion. This year, a record number of visitors are expected.

However, the cherry blossom fever wave is not limited to Japan. In Washington, cherries ceded by Japan more than a century ago reached their peak flowering point and are a major tourist attraction. But not only in the US capital, there are cherry trees, BuilderGeorgia, a city in the central part of the state, is home to more than 300,000 cherry trees.

Compared with the 31.2 million recorded in 2018, the Japanese government wants to attract 40 million foreign visitors by 2020, when Tokyo is the venue of the Olympic Games. To achieve this goal, the country has relaxed its visa policy, spent more on infrastructure, and tightened restrictions on coastlines and cruise lines. The number of international flights on low cost airlines each week has increased from less than 20 in 2007 to nearly 3,000 in 2018.

The weaker yen, which has been bothering the Bank of Japan for years, is a blessing for tourists looking to spend more money.s. For the government, it is an opportunity to boost economic growth and convince investors that it still has a lot to offer, despite its global importance. The total economic impact of cherry blossoms is about $ 5,800 million, according to an estimate from the University of Kansai.

Many companies are ready to take over some of this lucrative business. And Hanami, Japanese tradition of observing the beauty of flowers, is the ideal excuse for some businesses. For example, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Asahi are just a few of the companies that are trying to influence the drinks available at meetings with friends around this tradition. UberEats encourages hanami users to place orders directly at their picnic spot.

Tokyo-based companies that make deliveries to customers now offer the opportunity to book a coveted spot to enjoy the flowers, paying fees of course. One of these companies charges about $ 26 an hour or more, if customers want the space to be equipped with tables, cushions, food and drinks.

There is not only the traditional picnic, there is also the "glamping": transparent domes, shaped plastic igloo, under the trees, with low tables and heating for enjoy a comfortable dinner outside. Groups can rent tickets at CHANDON Blossom Lounge for about $ 80 and receive a variety of sandwiches and champagne for an hour and a half.

There are also companies that completely abandon the outdoors. There is hanami on the inside: private rooms with artificial grbad and images of cherry trees projected on the walls are more and more popular.

The cherry blossoms and the social dynamics that reign in the hanami are practically designed for networks like Instagram, which has spurred the tourism boom of cherry blossoms. Japan is one of the most active Instagram markets, with a number of users that has more than doubled in the last two years, reaching 29 million.

And the government takes the opportunity to boost tourism. Japan's national tourism organization collaborated with Instagram last year to promote a new hashtag, #InconnuJaponAccording to Ryoko Ichimura, spokesperson for Instagram in Japan, Ryoko Ichimura has encouraged Internet users to share images of less emblematic places and more than 5 million foreign visitors.

With information from Bloomberg