Countryside excursions trump city breaks when it comes to Japanese travellers seeking domestic getaways in this Covid era, while family and friends are cited as the most popular choices for travel companions.
Those are among the findings of Agoda’s recent GoLocal travel survey, which revealed that nationally, Japanese domestic travellers want to visit the countryside most (57%), while holidays to the cities (47%), and beach (40%) come in second and third.
The survey, which polled 1,000 respondents in Japan, found that Japanese domestic travellers from Hokkaido, Tohoku and Shikoku are most likely to want to visit cities and metropolitan areas (65%), with 37% of Japanese from Hokkaido wanting to travel to Kanto on their next domestic trip.
Travelling with friends is the joint second most popular travel companion choice (18%) aligned with partner (18%), after family at 58% for Japanese travellers surveyed in general, with women more keen on travelling with friends than men (22% and 13%, respectively).
Female domestic travellers are most likely to want to visit the countryside (55%), followed by 49% looking to explore cities and 39% hoping to visit the beaches. Hokkaido again came out tops (48%) as the preferred destination for female Japanese, followed by Kyushu (46%) and Kinki (27%). Kyushu nudges Hokkaido off the top spot for repeat visits for female Japanese, with Kinki in third spot.
According to the survey, Hokkaido come out tops as the local region most domestic travellers would like to visit on their next trip (46%), followed by Kyushu (43%) and Kinki (24%). Those three destinations are also the most popular Japanese destinations to revisit for domestic travellers.
Kanto is the topmost region visited by Japanese travellers, with 83% of Japanese travellers claiming to have visited previously. Kinki (72%) and Kyushu (62%) make the top three, followed by Chubu (57%), Hokkaido (56%), Tohoku (49%), Chugoku (48%) and Shikoku (43%). Interestingly, Kyushu (34%), Hokkaido (31%) and Kinki (21%) are the three destinations that Japanese would want to return to again and again.
The live event is expected to welcome over 8,000 attendees, more than 400 exhibitors, over 500 buyers, and an array of over 150 top speakers. The virtual event, which will be hosted on ITB Community in Asia, is set to complement the live event by reuniting a much wider audience accompanied with digital innovations to improve audience engagement and connectivity.
Slated to launch on October 5, the course is the only one of its kind in the Philippines, as most schools’ curriculum and on-the-job training are less focused on tourism (travel agencies, tour operators), and more on hospitality (hotels, culinary, cruise ships, etc.), Clemente claimed.
Planeterra Foundation has launched its first annual Planeterra Trek Challenge and is inviting the travel industry to join a virtual trek to Everest Base Camp to help rebuild community tourism ravaged by the coronavirus.
This year’s trek spotlights the work of Planeterra’s partners in South Asia, including Nepal, with the challenge being for participants to walk the 65km, or 85,000 steps, it takes to climb to Everest Base Camp. The challenge takes place from September 21-27, with participants ‘reaching the top’ on World Tourism Day, September 27.
Planeterra’s founder, Bruce Poon Tip, has already built his own team, and pledged to match donations from participating teams, and donors, up to CAD$25,000 (US$19,085).
Bruce is inviting agency partners, suppliers, and the wider tourism industry to join the foundation in raising awareness and much-needed funds.
“The Planeterra Trek Challenge is an opportunity for us to come together virtually and create a sense of connection at a time where people are feeling distanced, not just from travel, but from other countries and cultures,” he said. “Most of us are missing travelling and many are looking for a way to give back to the people and communities who have given us life-changing travel experiences in the past.”
Bruce added: “We also want to spotlight this iconic region for travel that is currently void of tourists. These communities need our help, so let’s get away from our home offices for a bit, maybe tackle a personal fitness challenge at the same time, and do what we can to make a difference.”
Funds raised through Planeterra’s initiative will go towards helping its network of 85 community projects around the world rebuild, after the pandemic-induced travel standstill left them without any source of income.
“We are preparing a series of unique content and stories online that will celebrate and highlight community tourism. This includes interviews with travellers who have summited Everest, interviews with community tourism leaders and cooking demonstrations. Anyone who loves travel is going to want to get involved,” added Alanna Wallace, Planeterra’s program and communications manager.
The Planeterra Trek Challenge will be supported across Planeterra’s social media channels and agents can learn more about the campaign and how to sell trips to Everest Base Camp via the Agents of Change Facebook group.
Throughout September, Planeterra will be posting videos, blogs, webinars with special guests, and other information about their work in the region, as well as tips for trekking in Nepal and the unique and inspiring aspects about travel in South Asia.
Donations collected will provide kickstarter funding for communities around the world that need to invest in new health and safety measures, contribute to training for safe reopening, and help to ensure communities remain resilient and safe for years to come.
Register your team to join the Planeterra Trek challenge here.