TokyoTomo Travel Guide

At the Fifth Trilateral Tourism Ministers’ Meeting among the People’s Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea held from August 21 at Hangzhou, China, a joint statement was issued to declare that the three nations endeavor to expand trilateral human exchange to the scale of 26 million people in 2015. In line with the meeting’s theme – “Toward the future, comprehensive cooperation and common prosperity” – the joint statement underlined the following four points: (1) to dynamize tourism industry in the broad spectrum and promote mutual development among the three nations, (2) to invigorate tourism exchange and cooperation, (3) to establish a strong tourism framework in East Asia, and (4) to deal with ecology issues from global point of view.

Regarding the point (1), the three governments agreed that each nation should give priority to tourism industry’s development and see to it that the industry’s status be upgraded continually. Each government acknowledges, the communiqué says, that tourism brings about enormous economic ripple effects leading to greater employment opportunities, yet with relatively small consumption of natural resources; hence, each government gears up to make the most of the growth of tourism. It is also agreed that continued trilateral cooperation should be directed to build up ever-growing tourism industry so that peoples of these nations can reap tangible benefits from the tourism exchange and mutual cooperation.

With reference to the point (3), three ministers were in accord on activated joint promotion for better services in the tourism industry, stepped-up two-way traffic, simplification and speed-up of visa issuance procedures and immigration formalities, and cooperation for tapping fresh tourism resources in such fields as medicine, sports, and culture. The tasks of human resource development and effective information transmission were also discussed.

Further, in connection with the point (4), the statement pledged the governments would make utmost efforts to protect global ecology by joint study of environmental fallouts stemmed from development of tourism industry and to heighten awareness of ecology issues on the part of tourists as well as travel business executives. At the meeting, “Joint Proposal on Low-Carbon Tourism among the People’s Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea” was adopted to enhance awareness of carbon emission issue and to grapple with its minimization.

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Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) hosted on July 14 a Symposium Commemorating Japan MICE Year in Osaka. It was one of the key programs incorporated into an action plan for the Japan MICE Year that started off in April 2010. Approximately 300 people attended the meeting from travel agencies, hotels, and local convention and visitors bureaus.

The first speaker Tuula Lindberg talked about her personal experience and career of having worked for many years as chairperson for International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), a reputed MICE-related world organization. She emphasized, as means of conducting successful destination marketing, the significance of gaining access to up-to-date firsthand information by becoming a member of international MICE organizations.

Next speaker Patrick M. Delany, Vice President Global of DMC in MCI Group, talked about the roles of DMC (Destination Management Company) and development of its human resources, showing specific examples.

Hisao Kawashima, President of Kawashima Associate, gave a suggestion that, for a solicitation campaign of an international congress, the efforts should be directed not only to marketing activities such as site presentation but to “solution-backed marketing” in order to help the organizer solve any problems that he may have. He illustrated some successful cases for audience’s enlightenment.

The last speaker was Katsuaki Suzuki, Executive Director from Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Shanghai Office. He described the incentive travel market situation in and around Shanghai, citing that nearly 80 percent of local companies who would like to sponsor incentive tours to Japan eventually gives up Japan as the destination for one reason or another. He appealed the need to introduce a new category of visa good for MICE attendance and also gave some tips to invigorate MICE business for the future.

Commissioner of JTA Hiroshi Mizohata concluded the symposium by asserting that people concerned should gear up to capture MICE demand in earnest with both public and private sectors joining forces.

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.

The Inbound Travel Committee at Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) on June 22 submitted a paper to International Tourism Division of Japan Tourism Agency (JTA). In the paper, JATA requested to institutionalize travel agency registration system whereby JTA gives approval to eligible travel agencies for inbound travel handling. The aim of the registration system is to regulate the fair trade of the agencies concerned and to ensure travel quality so that inbound travel market is further developed as it should be. Yasunori Kyozu, director of Domestic and Inbound Travel Division at JATA, said at the regular press meeting on June 23, “Basically, deregulation or relaxation of restrictions is becoming a norm in the current society, but the registration system is the minimum requirement for the industry in order to ensure safe and secure trips for the visiting foreigners. We hope the system will serve to foster good tourism industry and to establish healthy business practice.”

JATA had made a request on seven items back in June 2009 with a view to increasing foreign visitors to Japan. In the latest paper submitted, new seven items of request were stated in addition to reiteration of those items already expressed. In one of the new additions, namely, the request “to ascertain eligibility of inbound travel agencies” whereby the registration system is demanded, JATA advises a caution that direct arrangements made in Japan by Asian and other foreign travel agencies might possibly draw complaints because of inferior services and spoil the country image of Japan. The registration system, therefore, is considered effective for protecting foreign travelers and precluding unqualified vendors.

Another item expressed in the submitted paper was “to seek improvements in the way of handling Chinese travelers.” It includes: to ease behavioral restrictions on group tourists at free time, enforcement to abide by the travel contract on the part of Chinese travel agencies, simplification or elimination of departure report regarding the tourists visiting on individual visas, and to lift a ban on Japan-based travel agencies in China to handle outbound travel for Chinese residents. Since the requirements for an individual tourist visa were relaxed in July this year, the paper requests to open a tourist information center at Ginza and Shinjuku, Tokyo, as means of improving facilities to serve foreign visitors.

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