Japan’s largest travel agency, JTB Corporation, and TripAdvisor’s brand Bókun have launched a digital platform to support tour and activity operators in Japan.
JTB Bókun will act as a bridge between operators and booking companies, such as overseas travel agencies, DMOs and accommodation providers, thereby boosting uptake of tours and activities among the domestic and inbound tourism markets.
The launch, on February 3, was prompted by three main factors: growing demand for “neighbourhood tourism” as a result of the pandemic, a rise in both the number of international visitors and repeat international visitors in recent years, and greater interest in themed or hands-on travel content.
JTB Bókun aims to support tour and activity businesses with limited digital resources to capture these escalating demands. Promising to help operators manage and grow their businesses, the platform has tools that will assist users in managing multiple reservation sites and inventory, evaluating sales performance, identifying growth opportunities, and facilitating partnerships.
Travellers, meanwhile, will be able to book tours and activities for almost immediate use. According to JTB Bókun, this is important because more and more visitors to Japan are making their bookings at short notice. The company notes that, much like it is common practice today for tourists to book their flights and hotel stay before they depart, it is becoming more common for tourists to book their holiday experiences online once their trip has begun.
Partners JTB and Bókun have expressed excitement at how they can help this growing market.
“We will provide a wide range of abundant and high-quality content to meet the demands of Japanese travellers and international tourists visiting Japan,” JTB said in a statement.
Bókun added that it is “committed to creating a platform to connect, support and power the experiences ecosystem, and part of that is building high-quality connections with our partners, for our customers”.
Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed in principle to implement the reciprocal green lane scheme to facilitate bilateral travel, pending approval by health authorities in both countries.
Foreign Affairs Ministry secretary-general, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, said that follow-ups were required to fine-tune the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
He was quoted by The Star as saying: “A follow-up is necessary as far as Malaysia is concerned on tightening the existing SOPs. The scheme will be implemented once Malaysian and Indonesian health authorities deem it appropriate.”
Tourism, arts and culture minister, Nancy Shukri, said in a press statement that the travel bubble initiative is part of the ministry’s recovery plans formulated since last July to revitalise the country’s tourism and culture sector.
She added that the ministry had also previously held discussions with the Health Ministry, Home Affairs Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry to explore opportunities in creating travel bubbles with neighbouring countries such as Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
“Its implementation, however, is subject to bilateral discussions and considerations based on the aspects of health, immigration, data tracking, and ongoing monitoring by relevant agencies in both countries,” she said.
Nancy also highlighted that Malaysia had proposed for transparency and standardisation of cross-border SOPs enforced by safe countries to facilitate easier travel.
While welcoming the travel bubble plan, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association president, Uzaidi Udanis, opined that careful and detailed study of the mechanisms is crucial to ensure strict adherence to SOPs in order to guard against imported cases.
He said: “The SOPs must be clearly stated in writing to ensure tourism industry players are clear about the procedures.”
He added that the reopening of the border with Indonesia presented inbound players from Malaysia with an opportunity to capture the high-end travellers from Indonesia, a segment that has remained under-tapped.