JNTO delivers discount coupons

BANGKOK, 9 September 2011 – Japan National Tourism Organisation is making a desperate bid to rebuild demand for travel with a discount coupon deals directed at consumers.

The agency said it has recruited a record 4,000 businesses to offer discounts to international visitors, but discounts are being largely ignored by Thai consumers, who prefer to travel to the country on travel agency packages.

Discount coupons can be obtained online by visiting http://www.visitjapan.jp/eng/coupon/index.html. Tourists can print out or download coupons to mobile phones as well as download applications to use coupon via android mobiles.

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JNTO identifies new markets

BANGKOK, 29 August 2011 – Japan National Tourism Organisation will focus more on individual travellers after the agency identified they were less likely to cancel trips to Japan, post 11 March earthquake and tsunami crisis.

In the wake of the crisis, tour group business ground to a halt as Thailand-based travel agents moved their clients to safer destinations, but individuals, many of them having visited the country before, proved to be more resilient and kept to their travel plans.

JNTO’s Bangkok office is now suggesting more attention should be given to this market and encouraging travel agents to offer tours for indviduals and families. Read more

JNTO hosts travel fair

BANGKOK, 18 August 2011 – Japan National Tourism Organisation Bangkok is boosting efforts to win back travel bookings with a new visit Japan campaign that will encourage more individual travellers to revisit the country.

In Bangkok, the initiative campaign will kick off with a travel agents’ seminar linked to a travel fair, 26 to 28 August, at Hall of Mirror, Siam Paragon.

The travel agency seminar, by invitation only, will focus on presenting ideas to sell individual travel packages rather than group tour business. Read more

JNTO moves BKK office

BANGKOK, 1 July 2011 – Japan National Tourism Organisation will move to a new office, 4 July, on Bangkok’s busy Sukhumvit Road.

The agency moves from its Ramaland Building office on Rama IV road to relocate to the 10th Floor at Serm Mit Tower Sukhumvit 21 (Asoke) Road.

The new phone numbers are 02 261 3525-6. Fax: 02 261 3529.

Email address and website remains the same: info@japantourist.org and www.yokosojapan.org.

Serm Mit Tower is about a five-minute walk from MRT Sukhumvit station, Exit 1 or BTS Asoke station, Exit 3.

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TAT hosts seminar on Japanese market

BANGKOK, 7 June 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand will organise a workshop for Japanese travel agents and media during the Thailand Travel Mart, 10 June, at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani.

Organised jointly by TAT East Asia Region, private companies, China Airlines, Thai Airways International, Thai-Japan Tourist Association, Thai Travel Agents Association and Thai Hotels Association the event should attract 160 representatives from the Thailand’s tourism industry with links to the Japanese outbound and inbound markets.

TAT has also invited 52 buyers from Japan to attend the business discussion and product briefing.  TAT hopes to improve Japanese arrivals by10% this year.

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Japan visitor arrivals plunge

TOKYO, 20 May 2011 – Japan’s quake-tsunami disaster and nuclear emergency have led to a record 62.5%t plunge in foreign tourists, a government agency said Thursday.

There were an estimated 295,800 overseas visitors in April, down from 788,000 in April 2010, a second straight decline following a 50.3% year-on-year drop in March, the Japan National Tourism Organisation said.

The March 11 tsunami knocked out the cooling systems of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northwest Japan and emergency crews have been battling since to stop it leaking radiation into the air and the Pacific Ocean. Read more

Thailand extends visa free stay for Japanese

BANGKOK, 28 April 2011- The Thai Cabinet approved a Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ proposal to extend the current visa-free period for Japanese visitors from 30  to 90 days for six months up to 31 October.

It was a response to the devastating 11 March earthquake and tsunami to show support, but the initial proposal came from the private sector as a measure to counter a decline in Japanese visits that has been recorded since the disaster.

The new visa-free period of 90 days is valid 1 May to 31 October 2011.

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Rescue teams clear Sendai’s runway

SENDAI AIRPORT, 1 April 2011 – Three weeks after Japan’s massive tsunami swamped this once-bustling airport, US airmen working to restore it say commercial flights could resume soon.

Hundreds of cars, several aircraft and houses were washed on to the runway at Sendai International Airport when the huge waves of 11 March engulfed the country’s northeast coast.

The terminal building was flooded and fires erupted in the car park and in aircraft hangars. Passengers were left stranded on the upper floors for two days.

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Thai outbound travel declines

BANGKOK, 31 March 2011 – Kasikorn Research Centre estimates that travel to Japan from Thailand will decrease by 150,000 to 200,000 trips, this year, after the 11 March earthquake and nuclear catastrophe.

KRC research indicated earlier in the year that outbound trips to Japan could reach 300,000 with an estimated worth of Bt12 billion in tourist receipts during 2011.

Japan received 260,000 Thais visitors in 2010, up 16.5% from 223,217 visits in 2009, with a spending of Bt10.2 billion.

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Jetstar maintains Japan services

SYDNEY, 25 March 2011 – Jetstar will maintain flights from Australia to Japan despite a drop in travel demand two weeks after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated Northeast Japan.

Jetstar continues to operate up to 25 weekly return services to Tokyo and Osaka, through direct flights from Cairns and the Gold Coast.

Earlier this week, the airline reverted to its daily direct schedule to Tokyo and expanded services to Osaka from 15 to 18 flights a week.

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