After announcing a similar deal with US-based HomeAway last month, Japan’s newly-launched homesharing player Rakuten Lifull Stay is now turning to the Chinese market through its latest partnership with China’s leading vacation rental platform Tujia.

The deal will see Rakuten Lifull Stay providing Japanese property listings from its tentatively-titled Vacation Stay service to Tujia, while Tujia Japan will promote Japanese tourist destinations to its users.

The two will also share information on trends in tourism from China to Japan and on popular Japanese destinations for Chinese tourists with the goal of enabling Rakuten Lifull Stay’s efficient acquisition of new vacation rental properties.

Tujia was launched in 2011 and now has over 500,000 vacation listings in 1,100 cities across 70 countries. Tujia Japan launched a Japanese language website in March 2017 and aims to acquire 200,000 Japan-based vacation rental property listings by 2025.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan in fiscal year 2016 was 6.4 million, an increase of 27.6 per cent over the previous year.

MGM Resorts International has appointed former charge d’affaires to the US Embassy in Tokyo, Jason Hyland, as the representative officer and president of MGM Resorts Japan, a subsidiary established in December 2014 to enter the country’s integrated resorts market.

Hyland’s “substantial experience as senior diplomat, deep understanding of the Japanese culture, extensive network and strong command of the Japanese language” were key to his hiring, said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM.

With 14 years of living experience in Japan, Hyland was engaged daily with senior officials in government, business and academia during his tenure at the US Mission. He is also a strong advocate for US-Japan business partnerships and international tourism.

At the same time, the company is also allocating development specialists from the US to Japan to reinforce MGM Resorts Japan’s organisational structure as it works towards the launch of a Japanese resort.

To accommodate its expanding team, MGM Resorts Japan will relocate its Tokyo office from Akasaka to a brand-new office in the Otemachi CBD on September 1, 2017. The company also plans to open a new office in Osaka in the future.

With the greater availability of charter flights, more Chinese and Indian tourists heading to Indonesia are choosing destinations beyond the traditional hotspot of Bali.

Charter flights from China and India have increased 40-50 per cent from last year, driven by intense promotions and multi-destination packages, said Gajah Tour Bali general manager Bambang Sugiono.

Lombok, Banyuwangi, Bromo, Komodo and Belitung are most popular, according to Bambang, who added that tourists typically stay five days and favour water sports. Gajah Tour is planning to add more destinations such as Padang and Morotai.

Meanwhile, a recent charter addition is Korean Air’s seven flights from Incheon to Lombok between July and October 2017.

Testament to their success, some charters from China have turned into scheduled flights. These include Lion Air’s services to Jakarta from Sanya (Hainan) and to Manado from Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as Garuda flights linking Jakarta to Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Charter flights are a way to escalate arrivals as the government works towards the target of 20 million visitors by 2019, said Eddy Sunyoto, international marketing manager at Association of The Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies.

TTG Asia will be taking a break for the public holiday in Singapore on Wednesday, August 9, in recognition of the country’s 52^nd National Day.

News will resume on Thursday, August 10.

Happy National Day in advance to all Singaporean readers!

Tokyo-headquartered hospitality company Fujita Kanko plans to open its 10^th Hotel Gracery hotel in the fall of 2018.

Located near Asakusa subway station in Tokyo, Hotel Gracery Asakusa will feature 125 guestrooms and have an emphasis on concierge service.

The 10th Hotel Gracery will have an address in Asakusa; one of the district’s key attractions, Sensoji temple, pictured

Notable Asakusa sites include Sensoji, Tokyo’s oldest temple built in the 7^th century; Nakamise Dori, a shopping street leading to Sensoji packed with traditional crafts, souvenirs and street food; and Hanayashiki, Japan’s oldest amusement park. Tokyo’s biggest traditional festival, Sanja matsuri, happens in Asakusa each May.

Future scheduled Gracery openings include Hotel Gracery Seoul in 2018 and Hotel Gracery Taipei in 2019. Recently opened locations are in Naha (Okinawa), Kyoto, and Shinjuku (Tokyo) with the popular Godzilla-themed Hotel Gracery Shinjuku.

Fujita Kanko has 70 properties/facilities, including its five-star flagship, Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, and 32 mid-priced hotels throughout Japan in the Hotel Gracery and Washington Hotels groups.