TokyoTomo Travel Guide

The consolidated financial statements of Nippon Travel Agency (NTA) for the year ended in December 2009 (January 1 to December 31, 2009) disclosed that operating revenue plummeted 17.3 percent from the previous year to 41,597 million yen. Operating loss swelled by 1,038 million yen to 1,602 million yen, posting a loss for two straight years. Recurrent loss more than doubled to 657 million yen, and net loss tripled to 1,062 million yen. Global economic slowdown and the new type of influenza incurred corporate restraint on business trips and cancellation of group tours, driving the agency into the corner.

In 2009, NTA set up MICE Department within the headquarters to get hold of group travel and corporate business and at the same time reorganized the business location network in the Tokyo metropolitan area in an attempt to have a bigger share of the market. A new computer system was made operative to get a slice of growing online business in overseas travel in a move to offer price-appealing products and capture late bookings. The agency reviewed store management including business days and business hours to find the optimum in pursuit of cost-efficiency.

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Concorde Hotels & Resorts will launch its marketing strategy also for 2010 focusing three key market segments namely corporate sales, meeting & event (M&E) and leisure market. Keiko Ohno, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing, Asia revealed that the year 2009, especially the first half of the year, suffered from the global economic downturn, but eventually, thanks to the robust leisure traffic demand after summer and the increased M & E customers, Concorde Hotels & Resorts achieved the yearly objectives. While it continues to put an emphasis on the leisure market which accounts for 80 percent of the total sales in the Japanese market, it aims to increase the ratio of corporate sales and M & E business segment.

Since many companies nowadays lower the rank of hotels in efforts to cut the travel budgets, Concorde Hotels & Resorts started to provide its guests visible discount services for laundry and food and beverages, whilst it continues its considerate business negotiations. Also, in terms of M & E, Ohno said that it intends to continue to host a MICE seminar in many cities and address the usual sales approach to persons in charge, adding that the personal contacts made during the seminars often help bring Concorde Hotels & Resorts inquiries in connection with MICE business plans.

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A team composed of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and MICE companies of the nation came to Japan to promote MICE in Thailand with emphasis on its favorable environments for the gatherings. At the press conference held on February 1, Major General Sanan Kajornprasart, Deputy Prime Minister, sent a video message as a national leader and, acknowledging the courtesy extended, stated that MICE is the country’s high-priority undertaking promoted jointly by the public and private sectors and supported by the government, and that positioning Thailand as the ultimate destination for value-creating MICE is in line with the national policy.

Akapol Sorasuchart, president of TCEB, said the MICE industry in Thailand is making a 25 percent growth every year with more than 750,000 visitors arriving now, of which Japanese are about 35,000 (figure in 2008). The number represents only 3 percent of total Japanese visitors of 1.2 million a year, yet it tops the list among the Asian countries. He is keen to carry the growth over to 2010 and push the MICE visitors from Japan up to the 50,000 level.

To attain the objective and by way of advertising the benefits of MICE in Thailand, the nation mounts the campaign “Thailand Maximize” for 2010 (Max Value / Max Reward / Max Bonus program). In this promotion, several service packages of value are provided depending on social segment of each – including a plan to offer event opportunities and activities in accordance with the group’s nature, a plan to extend a stay for free or to give some financial support, and a plan to render marketing support for an international congress.

TCEB has appointed Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, and Chiang Mai as the MICE City and is considering adding a few more cities to the list as soon as they are qualified. Meanwhile, Customs Bureau is ready to cooperate with MICE organizers in that it gives preferential treatment in the importation of the exhibits for the fair. Thus, TCEB emphasized the favorable circumstances for MICE holdings and further facilitation thereof.

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.