TokyoTomo Travel Guide

Akira Kanai, chairman of Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), remarked in the opening speech at the JATA Management Forum on February 16, “We should make 2010 the year for us to go on the offensive.” After having been plagued by the economic crisis and the H1N1 flu epidemic in 2009, “Travel industry is favored in 2010 by numerous exhilarating events,” he said, citing the Winter Olympics, Shanghai Expo, FIFA World Cup, and the 1300th anniversary of capital relocation to Nara on the one hand and increased landing slots at Narita Airport and internationalization at Haneda Airport on the other.

Since the administration of the Democratic Party of Japan has hammered out a policy to make tourism an integral part of the growth scenario, he clarified JATA’s stance with the remark, “We will work with Japan Tourism Agency as a private sector to promote outbound, inbound, and domestic travel in a bid to achieve the goals outlined in the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan.” He also made allusion to the subject of this year’s Management Forum, “Ride on the Waves! Change Yourselves and Get a Chance!” and said, “JATA must change itself by keeping pace with the times. JATA World Tourism Congress and Travel Fair, for instance, should provide a versatile business arena for BtoB transactions in order to help member agencies collect necessary information and team up with new partners.”

Acknowledging travel industry is still undergoing a tough time, he said, “We must find a glimmer of hope even at the very bottom of the economic cycle. It is important to summon our courage to make a sure step forward in such direction. I notice some JATA members have shown outstanding performance in the midst of the flagging economy.” It goes to show, he continued, that travel agencies still stand a fair chance of making a further evolution so far as they are successful in following the market trends correctly, then repositioning quality and price of their own products, renewing distribution system, and boosting customer satisfaction. He said, “It is crucial to change ourselves in order to meet those challenges.”

Source: Travel Vision

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