Cruise ship at Hakata Port. Photo credit: Japan Tourism Agency

THE Japanese government is planning to attract more cruise operators by further investing in ports throughout the country.

Cruising is already booming in Japan and authorities see significant opportunities for greater growth.

Funds will go into landing bridges and other infrastructure for large cruise ships. Work will also take place to deepen ports to enable larger ships to dock.

Cruise operators have welcomed the news with Kelvin Wong, vice president of commercial for Costa Cruises Asia, describing the plans as “definitely good news, and beneficial to Costa and the cruise industry in general”.

“This will help to ease berth congestions that we are seeing, such as at Hakata, which will, in turn, allow cruise operators to make more calls and bring in more foreign passengers,” he toldTTG Asia e-Daily.

For 2016, cruise ships are expected to dock at Japan’s 20 largest ports more than 1,600 times, a 40 per cent increase from last year.

At Hakata alone, which serves as the gateway to Fukuoka City and much of northern Kyushu, cruise ships are expected to moor 352 times this year, up 36 per cent from 2015. From January to May, more than 350,000 foreign visitors entered Japan through Hakata.

Cruises that feature Kyushu are becoming increasingly popular in part because of the relatively low prices of tours. A four-night, five-day tour departing Shanghai to Jeju in South Korea and Hakata costs around 50,000 yen (US$498) per person.

Nagasaki port is likely to see 195 cruise ships visiting this year, with 214 anticipated at Naha in Okinawa, up 23 per cent on last year. Miyakojima, also in Okinawa, is scheduled to have 95 visits this year, a sharp increase on the 13 arrivals last year.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has also set up a new office in April tasked with attracting more foreign cruise operators.

Domingo Ramon Enerio III

A BIG shake-up is taking place within the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT), with Domingo Ramon Enerio III, chief operating officer of DoT’s marketing arm, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the latest to leave for early retirement.

Enerio ended his 36 years of service with the DoT and its attached agencies on Monday.

In his letter, Enerio, 58, said he plans to “explore opportunities in the private sector”.

“While I will hopefully not be too far away from the tourism scene, and continue to be involved in tourism marketing and promotions work, I also look forward to the free time resulting from retirement, and give myself a chance to focus on so-called ‘apostolic’ duties and chores,” he added.

Since tourism secretary Wanda Teo joined the DoT in July, several officials have left and replaced by her own team, DoT sources confirmed.

Lawyer Victoria Jasmin, undersecretary for tourism registration, coordination and resource generation, has retired. She was replaced by Alma Rita Jimenez, former president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines.

Assistant secretary Art Boncato has left and his position was given to Eden David who used to be with the regional office in Mindanao.

Undersecretary for administration and special concerns, Maria Theresa Martinez, has left, replaced by Catherine de Castro who used to host a travel television programme.

Jazmin Esguerra, who was recently recalled from a posting in China to become the director for media and communication services, also opted for early retirement. The department now has a new team.

Undersecretary for tourism development Benito Bengzon, Jr. remains in his position although there were former plans to have it filled by someone else.

DoT sources said more movements are expected from the DoT and its attached agencies. From the directors up, staff have offered their courtesy resignation/retirement to give Teo a free hand in deciding her own team.

How this massive shakeup will affect Philippine tourism, especially on marketing and promotions abroad, remains to be seen, according to the travel trade.

Immigration control at Suvarnabhumi Airport

THAILAND’s decision to double the price of visas on-arrival next month has come as a shock but should bring long-term benefits, industry figures say.

The 15-day visa-on-arrival fee will rise from 1,000 to 2,000 baht (US$28.8 to US$57.6) on September 27, affecting tourists from 19 countries including major markets China and India. This makes the 60-day advance visas, which costs about 1,000 baht in India and 1,200 baht in China, the more affordable choice.

Oriental Events and Leisure founder and CEO Kritidech Srabua said the announcement came as a surprise and it would take tourists time to adjust. But on balance the move was “fair”, he said.

“It’s a bit shocking for the tourists. But compared to the value that tourists will get from coming to Thailand, it’s not that bad,” said Kritidech, whose company has a strong presence in India.

“And it’s comparable to the visa fees that other countries charge.”

Standard Tour manager Kevin Gromkaewngarm said with visas in-advance now “slightly cheaper”, tourists would be encouraged to plan ahead, with fewer delays expected on landing.

“It’s quite reasonable,” said Kevin, whose company handles many Chinese visitors to Chiang Mai. “There will be shorter queues, down to about 10-15 minutes.”

EXO Travel said delays of up to two hours with the visa-on-arrival process had hindered tours in the past.

“Some operators now ask their travellers to get a visa before departure at the Thai embassy in order to avoid those delays. The new regulation will eventually favour less price-conscious visitors to use this facility,” said a EXO Travel spokesman.

“In the end we are expecting rather positive outcomes from this decision that could help to regulate some markets that were somehow growing too fast.”

TRAFALGAR is offering deep discounts on 2017 European tour packages sold by agents this year.

Agents can sell to clients at current 2016 prices and are offered an additional 10 per cent off for reservations made before October 9 and paid for by February 28, 2017.

For returning clients, Trafalgar is extending an additional 5 per cent discount on next year’s land trips. When booking two or more trips of seven days or longer together, a further 2.5 per cent price cut is offered.

Those who lock in reservations by October 9 with a US$200 deposit can also be assured of a lower price. In the event 2017 prices turn out to be cheaper, agents get refunded the difference.

Trafalgar is currently offering 81 guided tours, including 32 CostSaver trips, to 31 countries, via this Preview 2017 deal. The sale period ends on October 9.

CATERING to the soaring appetite for travel to Japan among Singaporeans, Chan Brothers

Travel has opened a retail front specialising only in Japanese products.

The new Japan Travel Centre is located within Chan Brothers Travel Powerhouse, the agency’s headquarters and biggest retail operation in Singapore.

According to the agency, Singaporean travel to Japan has seen a year-on-year growth of 20 per cent in the first half of 2016. And while the yen is gradually strengthening, exchange rates are still relatively favourable against the Singapore dollar.

Celebrating the launch of Japan Travel Centre, Chan Brothers is offering a three-day sale from August 26-28 featuring a range of packages.

The opening sale includes benefits such as 50 per cent off for the second traveller, up to S$1,844 (US$1,366) discounts per couple and free flights for children.

Other bonuses with any booking include a free goody bag worth S$68 comprising Japanese Niigata rice cube air flown from Japan, lavender cosmetics, and more.

A SENIOR SriLankan Airlines captain risks losing his licence after he failed a breathalyzer test last week just before take-off of a flight to Colombo from Frankfurt.

As a result, the struggling national carrier was forced to delay the flight by 15 hours on August 19 until a replacement pilot was found. The passengers were provided hotel accommodation and food by the airline until the flight eventually took off the next day.

The airline, which is currently seeking a foreign managing partner, apologised to passengers and said the chief pilot, captain U.B. Ranaweera, a Sri Lankan national, has been suspended pending an inquiry.

On August 23, director general of civil aviation H.M.C. Nimalasiri wrote to the errant pilot for a response within seven days as to why his licence should not be revoked.

This is the second instance when a SriLankan Airlines pilot had failed a breathalyzer test, the first being nearly a decade ago.

On that occasion, the pilot was let off with a warning as he had not reached dangerous alcohol levels according to Sri Lankan standards, though the level was above prescribed limits in the breathalyzer test carried out in a foreign airport.

Frankfurt is among a few European destinations that SriLankan Airlines is pulling out at the end of this year’s winter season in a bid to trim losses and sever unprofitable routes.

Turkish Airlines, Hainan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Garuda Airlines are among 10 foreign parties that have expressed interest in the national carrier. Bids for offers close at the end of the month.

Narita International Airport

A POWERFUL storm has made landfall in Hokkaido, triggering warnings of floods, landslides and waves in Japan’s northernmost prefecture.

Before hitting Hokkaido’s southern coast around 06.00 today, the storm was downgraded from a typhoon by weather authorities.

Seperately, Typhoon Mindulle travelled through Japan’s northeastern prefectures, including Iwate on Monday night, having damaged Tokyo and grounding hundreds of flights that afternoon.

Over 400 domestic services to and from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport were cancelled. Meanwhile, Narita International Airport, located further afield from Tokyo, cancelled 88 international and 34 domestic flights.

Narita’s control tower was temporarily closed as wind speeds soared. The airport runway also shut down, suspending all operations for about an hour.

Express trains halted services temporarily as well although most commuter services continued operating normally.

Some reports place casualty numbers at two so far. This is the first typhoon to directly hit Japan’s capital city in 11 years.