TokyoTomo Travel Guide

Kinki Nippon Tourist (KNT) reported overseas travel sales for April 2010 had been 9,813 million yen, up 11.4 percent from last year, showing a positive growth for the first time in 21 months since August 2008. Overseas group tours and package tours suffered a setback affected by temporary closure at European airports, but international air ticket sales for individual travelers soared 49.2 percent to 4,401 million yen. Apart from troubled group tours to Europe, student tours were in good form; therefore, total of overseas group tour sales remained almost flat at 1,718 million yen, down 0.4 percent, while package tour tumbled 10.6 percent to 3,693 million yen.

Domestic travel declined 6 percent to 16,820 million yen. Business of group travel, in which student groups were active but ordinary groups were stagnant like the case of overseas travel, sold 6,102 million yen, down 5.7 percent. Package tour sales sank 5.9 percent to 6,316 million yen and individual travel was down 6.7 percent to 4,402 million yen.

Inbound travel surged 31.2 percent to 689 million yen with strong demand. Total travel turnover for the month at home and abroad was 27,829 million yen, up 0.5 percent, a positive growth made for the first time in 28 months since December 2007.

Source: Travel Vision

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