RETURNING IT&CM China 2016 exhibitor, Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau (FCVB), is hosting the show’s first-ever post-show tours to Japan to promote Kyushu as Your Meeting Place.
Aimed at attending buyers with interest in holding an upcoming event in Japan, the Five Day Four Night tour will cover Kyushu destinations including Beppu, Fukuoka, Kurume, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, and Sasebo, across two concurrent itineraries.
With Fukuoka being a new MICE city and tourist destination positioned as an alternative to Tokyo and Kyoto, FCVB is spotlighting the destination – one of Japan’s largest cities with a 1.5 million population and excellent infrastructure – as the hub for MICE activities in the Kyushu region, with access to neighboring attractions and sites across Kyushu that can offer variety to an experiential MICE programme.
Izumi Shimada, director of marketing, sales & business development of FCVB shared, “Fukuoka has flourished as a gateway for cultural and economic exchange, and is easily accessible from other Asian countries, like Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and China. Fukuoka has the best access from the airport to the city center. In addition, the seaport, train terminals, convention facilities, hotels and shopping districts are all located within a 2.5km radius of the city center.”
She continued, “The ease of access is what makes Fukuoka unique from the other Japanese destinations. It also helps in reducing the stress on MICE participants in terms of transit and wait times so they can efficiently spend their time on business negotiations, and or sightseeing. There are many tourist spots for MICE participants to visit, including temples, shrines, hot springs, advanced technology plants and seasonal fruit picking.”
Packed with visits, inspections, sightseeing and hosted meals, the tours offer buyers the options of seeing one of more attractions like Unitamago Aquarium in Oita, Aoshima island in Miyazaki, Hashima UNESCO World Heritage site, Nagasaki Brick Hall, and Peace Park, Glover Garden in Nagasaki and Dazaifu in Fukuoka.
“We are looking forward to demonstrate Japanese hospitality to this select group of IT&CM China buyers and they will be able to understand why Fukuoka and Kyushu as a region in particular are popular destinations for international conferences. We are excited to introduce Kyushu, the home of World Heritage sites, where a variety of sightseeing spots are accessible within a day due to our well-maintained transportation network. Fukuoka and Kyushu, with their rich nature, history and culture, will bring a different experience beyond their expectations,” Shimada continued.
During the tour, buyers will be able to meet with ten CVBs and suppliers from the Kyushu region at a scheduled business session on April 12, 2016. This gives the opportunity for buyers to learn more about the Kyushu destinations they have visited as well as others not featured in the tour.
This 2016 post-show tour event by FCVB is co-hosted by Nagasaki International Tourism and Convention Association, Sasebo Convention & Visitors Association, Miyazaki Convention & Visitors Bureau, Tourism Oita, and Kurume Bureau of Tourism and International Exchange.
For more information on IT&CM China, visit www.itcmchina.com
