JAPAN is shifting into top gear with a game plan that puts tourism high on its agenda, its confidence buoyed by record arrivals, a recovering economy and the recent appointment as host of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Speaking to the media at this year’s Visit Japan Travel Mart (VJTM), Yasuhiro Iijima, senior director of inbound tourism branding and promotion at Japan Travel Agency (JTA), said the four components of JTA’s action programme “to establish Japan as a country oriented towards tourism” include raising awareness of its brand; relaxing visa requirements; improving tourism infrastructure; and targeting the MICE segment.

Most recently, visa exemptions for Thai and Malaysian nationals were implemented in July (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 14, 2013)

The Discover the Spirit of Japan campaign launched in March also saw a major reboot of the official website, which now contains over 160 videos promoting major tourist attractions and the people.

JTA statistics reveal that with 8.7 million arrivals between January and October, Japan has already surpassed the pre-earthquake high of 8.6 million for full-year 2010. Some 10 million visitors are expected this year. Asians continue to make up the bulk of tourists into Japan, with South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong alone contributing more than half of the total, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

Iijima said: “Hosting the Olympics will significantly raise Japan’s international profile and we will leverage that in our promotions of Japan to the rest of the world.

“We want tourists to travel beyond Tokyo as well, so we will be promoting Tokyo +1 or +2 (to encourage tourists to add on destinations outside the capital).”

The next edition of VJTM will be held at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, Tokyo, tentatively scheduled for September 24 to 26, 2014. This coincides with the JATA Tourism Expo Japan, with organisers aiming to catapult both shows onto the global stage.

Meanwhile, Mamoru Kobori, executive director, marketing & promotion department of JNTO, said the NTO’s Jakarta office should open by year-end (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 2, 2013).

“While we are also thinking of opening or adding offices in other countries like India and China, due to budget constraints we are first sending reps to oversee these countries and depending on the results from those markets, we may choose to open an office there.”

JAPANESE airlines are continuing to fly their aircraft through a new air defence zone over disputed islands in the East China Sea without complying to identification rules.

The new Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) imposed by the Chinese defence ministry last Saturday requires aircraft to report a flight plan, maintain two-way radio communications and respond in a timely and accurate manner to identification enquiries, among other stipulations. Otherwise they could face emergency defensive measures.

An announcement on Japan Airlines’ (JAL) website confirmed that JAL would not submit its flight plans for flights through the affected areas as requested by the Japanese government. However, it said its decision would have “no impact on (the) safety of passengers onboard”.

Member airlines of the Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan, including All Nippon Airways, will also not be submitting flight plans.

Responses have been mixed across other Asian airlines.

In an email reply to TTG Asia e-Daily, a spokesperson from Singapore Airlines said: “Some of our flights fly over the mentioned airspace and we have been filing our flight plans with the appropriate authorities.

“We have also been keeping the Chinese authorities informed of our flights through the area since November 25,” she added.

According to local broadsheet The Straits Times, Philippine Airlines has 33 flights a week to South Korea that are affected by China’s ADIZ and the carrier “is observing the status quo”.

The ADIZ announcement has also drawn strong criticism from other countries such as the US and Australia.

OFFERING a wider variety of content, investing in the right technology and improving online sales strategy are the top three business priorities for travel agencies in China, according to Amadeus, which surveyed participants at its recent series of workshops held in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Based on interviews with over 300 travel agencies, 69 per cent of the respondents said the top expectation from customers is the company’s ability to deliver “more content to meet their needs”. This takes precedence over offering low prices and high quality service.

More than 90 per cent also revealed that online sales is important or very important to their company strategy. About half of them, however, said they are currently dissatisfied with their companies’ online business strategy.

Listing pricing pressure from competitors, operating costs and lack of technology as the main challenges they face, some 93 per cent indicated that technology has the potential to transform their businesses.

Bart Tompkins, managing director of Amadeus China, said: “The insights delivered at these exclusive workshops are very valuable to us as we look to develop and deliver products and services that will cater to our customers’ needs in China as the market opens.”

HOTELIERS in Bali have been urged to be creative and cautious in their adjustment of rates for next year amid the hotel boom there.

According to the Bali Hotel and Branded Residences Update recently released by C9 Hotelworks and Horwath HTL, Bali will welcome 6,000 additional rooms this year, of which 4,000 rooms have already opened. While occupancy is down by four per cent, hotels have kept their rates steady.

C9 Hotelworks managing director Bill Barnett said: “New hotel rooms are opening at a faster pace, requiring developers and hoteliers to become increasingly creative to safeguard profitability.”

Indonesia’s domestic market continues to be the driving force behind Bali’s tourism fortunes – Indonesians account for 80 per cent of arrivals to the island – but growth is slowing, he added.

Barnett highlighted that while the burgeoning room supply in Bali is expected to outpace demand, it is important for hotels to “remain strong on room rates and tailor new supply to fill market gaps rather than using a scatter gun approach to development.”

Drawing a parallel to the closely connected real estate market, he said: “Indonesian buyers represent over 80 per cent of Bali’s property transaction market, but there are warning signs that sales pace is shrinking and the looming issue is that once guaranteed returns roll off, investors may see yields shrink.”

According to Barnett, one key segment to watch are the luxury hotel villas by brands such as Rosewood, Raffles, Fairmont and Jumeirah, which are progressively entering the market and have the potential to attract foreign buyers.

Separately, Sofitel is scheduled to open its first Indonesian hotel in Nusa Dua on December 20. Offering 17 villas, 22 suites and 376 rooms, the property has one of the largest meetings and function facilities in Bali, featuring a Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 600 guests theatre style.

THAILAND has been crowned as one of the main beneficiaries of the recent surge in Russian outbound travel, according to the Russian International Travel Monitor (RITM) released by Hotels.com yesterday.

In 2012, 35.7 million tourists from Russia travelled internationally, up from just 7.7 million in 2006. Thailand, in particular, has seen a sharp increase in Russian visitors in the past few years. This is reflected in the RITM, with two Thai destinations coming in the top 20 – Phuket at No. 11 and Koh Samui at No. 16.

The study also found that more than 75 per cent of hotels in Thailand experienced an increase in Russian visitors this year, and more than 90 per cent are expecting an increase over the next three years.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Russia is currently Thailand’s largest European source market. In 2012, 1.3 million Russians visited Thailand, and this is expected to increase by about 28 per cent per cent this year, to reach 1.7 million.

Johan Svanstrom, president of Hotels.com, said: “The meteoric rise of Russia’s outbound travel market is providing a welcome boost to hoteliers worldwide, with Russians among the highest spenders on hotel rooms globally.

“The rising size and spending power of middle class Russian travellers is a key driver behind this growth. Standing 104 million strong today, the group is set to account for 86 per cent of the country’s population by 2020, with a combined spending power of US$1.3 trillion.”

Apart from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have also recorded stellar growth from the Russian outbound market this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 21, 2013).

According to Hotels.com, hoteliers are now gearing up to welcome Russian travellers with tailored services like Russian TV channels, Russian-speaking staff and translated welcome materials.

MALAYSIAN inbound travel consultants are gearing up to welcome a new market with AirAsia Zest’s four weekly services between Manila and Miri, commencing December 7.

The only other regional airline with direct flights to Miri, Sarawak’s second largest city, is AirAsia Singapore.

Saini Vermeulen, head of international sales, Panorama Tours Malaysia, said Miri would appeal to a very different profile of travellers from the Philippines, not “those who travel to Kuala Lumpur and visit Resorts World Genting or those who travel to Singapore and make a day or an overnight trip to Johor to experience the theme park attractions”.

He explained:  “We are targeting nature lovers aged between 20 and 40. To tap this market further, we plan to do sales calls in Manila in January.”

Meanwhile, the Sarawak Tourism Board is also working with AirAsia Zest on destination marketing and will host a group of 20 travel consultants from the Philippines next month.

Miri-based Planet Borneo Tours & Travel Services will target Filipino incentives with culinary tours, while promoting soft adventure, shopping and city tours to leisure travellers. However, it will also look at attracting longhaul clients.

Executive director, James Wan, said: “There are a number of agencies in Manila who specialise in European markets. We will work with them to offer extensions to Miri. We believe ecotourism products such as diving off Miri, caving and trekking will appeal to the European market.”

According to Sarawak Tourism Board CEO, Rashid Khan, the Philippines is currently one of Sarawak’s top 10 markets, and the new flights will further boost arrivals and promote tourism.

Neverthless, Borneo Adventure senior manager of sales and operations, Emong Tinsang, expects that the Filipino market would “take time to understand Miri”.

DORSETT Hospitality International has entered into four new management contracts with Mayland Group Malaysia and Far East Consortium International, which will inject over 1,000 rooms into its Malaysian inventory.

Slated to open next year in the first and third quarter respectively are the 319-key Dorsett Cheras, Kuala Lumpur and the 218-key Dorsett Putrajaya.

In 2015, the 317-room Dorsett Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur and 154-room Sri Jati Hotel are targeted to open in the third and fourth quarter respectively. The latter is a boutique hotel in Kuala Lumpur that will come under Dorsett’s d.Collection brand.

Winnie Chiu, president and executive director for Dorsett Hospitality International, said: “With the addition of these four properties, we will have a portfolio of 29 hotels, giving us a room inventory of over 8,500.”

In Malaysia, the group owns, manages and operates five hotels under the Dorsett Grand, Dorsett Regency and Silka brands.

AS POLITICAL tensions in Bangkok continue to escalate, more countries have issued or revised travel warnings to their citizens visiting Thailand.

Singapore updated its travel notice yesterday, noting that the Thai government has expanded the Internal Security Act to all districts of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani’s Lardlumkaew district and Samut Prakarn’s Bang Pli district, including Suvarnabhumi Airport.

It stated: “Political demonstrations have now expanded beyond the main protest area at the Democracy Monument along Ratchadamnoen Avenue and are taking place in various locations within Bangkok, including at some government buildings.

“Protest areas may also include popular tourist areas like Silom Road and Ratchaprasong intersection, and new locations for street protests could be announced at short notice.”

This is in contrast to earlier this month when demonstrators mainly gathered at the Democracy Monument (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 5, 2013).

According to a report in the Bangkok Post, 23 countries have issued travel advisory notices, such as the US, the UK, France, Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea.

However, many tour operators are still reporting business as usual.

In an email to partners yesterday, Destination Asia Thailand said: “Largely these demonstrations are of a peaceful nature and do not affect our day-to-day operations.

“Our daily sightseeing programmes are operating as normal – on some tours we have substituted the bus with river transport where possible in order to avoid the traffic congestion.”

A check with major outbound agencies by Singapore broadcaster Channel NewsAsia also found no cancellations at press time.

Chan Brothers Travel’s manager for marketing communications, Jane Chang, was quoted as saying: “As we all know, the protests… are almost an annual affair in Bangkok so that could be the reason why customers are adopting a wait-and-see approach to their Bangkok trip.”

THE recent political tension between Indonesia and Australia over the tapping of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s phone conversation with the First Lady has not impacted tourist traffic between the two countries, according to trade sources.

Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, said: “We have not seen any impact so far. Arrivals from Australia are as usual and we have not heard of any cancellations due to the issue.”

Meanwhile, Indonesian outbound traffic to Australia is also reported to be intact.

Elok Tour managing director, Pauline Suharno, said: “The (Christmas and New Year) holiday packages were sold and payments finalised when the issue came up. So far, we have not had any cancellation.”

Similarly, Australia Centre director, Rudy Prasetyadi, said: “We have not seen any negative response for travel to Australia, but then, Australia is not at the top of Indonesians’ list as a year-end holiday destination, so the number of travellers is not big.

“In December, hotels in Australia are expensive. In Sydney, for example, hotels require a minimum stay of three nights during the year-end period. This causes high tour prices. Besides, it is summer in Australia.”

The busy season for outbound to Australia is during the June-July school holidays and Lebaran, Indonesia’s biggest holiday season.