Credit: 123rf
TRAVEL firms have welcomed news of Hokkaido receiving bullet train services from March 2016 by drawing up plans to attract more visitors.
East Japan Railway, teaming up with Hokkaido Railway, will commence operation of its high-speed Shinkansen trains from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station on March 26.
Initially, Hayabusa trains will make 10 round trips a day, operating at speeds of up to 260 kph but reducing that to 140 kph when passing through the Seikan Tunnel, which connects the main Japanese island of Honshu to Hokkaido.
“We have seen great success in increasing tours to the Hokuriku region since that Shinkansen route opened in March this year, so we have similar high hopes for this link to Hokkaido,” Motohisa Tachikawa, senior manager at JTB told TTG Asia e-Daily.
Tachikawa believes demand will come mainly from FITs and older travellers, so new products will need to cater to their needs.
Sara Suzuki, spokesperson from the Sapporo Convention Centre, said the tourism industry across Hokkaido is positive that the new high-speed rail link will have a positive effect on their business, pointing out that tourists will be able to get to the island even if aircraft are grounded by bad weather in the winter months.
“We are not planning promotional campaigns at this moment, but we are considering inviting people from the Tohoko and North Kanto regions to come to Hokkaido for educational tours,” she said.
