Japan’s largest travel agency will resume overseas organised tours this month after a two-year suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
JTB Corporation will begin its restart with packages to Honolulu, Hawaii, departing on April 28, just ahead of Japan’s Golden Week, a series of national holidays that are typically the busiest travel period for Japanese consumers.
In a press release launching the Hawaii product, JTB said its move is possible due to the stabilisation of Covid cases in the US destination, the easing of entry and exit restrictions, and the successful site visit by the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) to Hawaii from April 3 to 7.
The travel agency also cited a survey conducted in February 2021 by JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. that showed Hawaii would be the first choice for an overseas trip for all generations once international travel restrictions were eased.
Speaking in Honolulu after the site visit, JATA chairperson Hiroyuki Takahashi said he was confident that JATA member companies would begin producing and selling products for Hawaii this summer.
The return of the Japan market will boost Hawaii’s tourism suppliers, who once relied on Japanese spending. In 2019, almost 1.6 million visitors arrived from Japan, contributing to 12.6 per cent of visitor spend and making up Hawaii’s largest foreign market, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Takahashi expressed hope that the number of visitors to Hawaii from Japan would “fully recover (to 2019 levels) in 2023”.
HIS Co. has also announced intentions to resume package holidays to Hawaii from May 1, marking the end of a hiatus since March 2020.
Appealing to risk-averse Japanese consumers, both agencies have pledged extra support for customers. For JTB, this includes daily health checks and local guidance on obtaining negative PCR certification to re-enter Japan, while HIS’s offering includes a 24-hour Japanese-language support line in Hawaii.
Singapore-based co-living company Hmlet has merged with European flexible living provider Habyt following an equity share swap.
The move follows Habyt’s acquisition of two other co-living players, Milan-based Roomie in March 2022, and Frankfurt-based Homefully in June 2021.
The Singapore start-up will bring its inventory of 1,200 units in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan under Habyt, which has a portfolio of over 8,000 units worldwide in 10 countries and 20 cities.
As part of Habyt, Hmlet will continue to operate under its own brand name with Hmlet CEO Giselle Markarachvili acting as head of APAC for Habyt. Chief real estate officer Joshua Li will become Habyt’s head of expansion, APAC, and both will report to Luca Bovone, founder and CEO of Habyt.
Makarachvili commented in a statement on April 12 that the company has plans to “deepen our footprint in our existing markets and (is) aiming to expand into new markets as well”.
Hmlet is actively expanding its offerings with the recent launch of Hamilton in Singapore, comprising 68 rooms across a row of eight conservation shophouses that have been refurbished to accommodate the brand’s standards. It also signed three new buildings in Hong Kong that are slated to open this quarter.
Noting the rising in competition in the co-living sector, especially in Singapore where there are 10 players, such as The Assembly Place and lyf, Makarachvili said the consolidation of Hmlet and Habyt is “key for expansion”.