Japan Travel Trade Weekly News
Keeping you abreast of what's going on in the
Japanese travel and tourism industries.
News consolidated by Travel Vision, Inc. updated every week.
Twenty Million Project Should Be Achieved with Tangible Benefits, Says Mr. Sawabe of VWC Promotion Office
Early-April 2008
Hiroshi Sawabe, who was appointed by JATA as the leader of "20
Million Promotion Office" for Visit World Campaign (VWC), expounded
his view at the interview with trade journals on April 2. He stated
people should not be preoccupied by the simple notion of 20 million
but give enough thoughts to how to make the best use of the
opportunity for making a profit.
He says this project is an ultimate challenge for him as a person
who had multiple careers in the travel industry, i.e. general manager
of Overseas Travel Department at Nippon Travel Agency, regional
manager Asian Pacific for LA Inc. Convention & Visitors Bureau, and
regional director Starwood Hotel Japan.
He confides his personal view that he always keeps asking how
well travel agencies could ever survive the current circumstances.
Based on his past experience of working for different types of
service industries, he presumes travel industries have lost
confidence in their growth theory but once they get a chance, they
will change and emerge. So he wants to stir the market and cause
changes.
In pursuing the 20-million goal, key measures to take, according
to Mr. Sawabe, are to redevelop attractive destinations and explore
new destinations, and it is essential to summon travel agencies'
power to achieve this objective. At the same time, airlines and
foreign government tourism offices are invited to work hand in hand
with travel agencies along these lines.
He also stressed the need to make a big movement toward the
20-million project; for instance, sale of longer tour plans to extend
a four-night stay in Hawaii to 10-night stay, by which local spending
is expected to increase notably. JATA had counted bargaining ability
as one of the crucial qualifications for the leader of 20-Million
Promotion Office and, in this regard, Mr. Sawabe is eager to talk
face-to-face with the heads of airlines and tourism offices and
encourage them to make necessary promotions on two fronts of travel
industry and consumers.
New President's Speech at Initiation Ceremony: H.I.S. Evokes "Sprit of Challenge" and KNT Preaches "Frame of Mind"
Early-April 2008
On April 1, the first day of the new fiscal year, presidents of
travel agencies gave speeches to new employees at their initiation
ceremony about how to live a professional life in travel industry.
Akira Hirabayashi, who just assumed the presidency of H.I.S. the
same day, spoke to the new recruits, "We are now in a critical year
of starting over again. In order to respond to the changes in the
market situation, you must be prepared to take on any challenges."
After having expressed his resolve to become second to none himself
in addressing problems, he asked them to undertake tasks with vigor
of youth at any time.
Katsuhisa Yoshikawa, who also became president of Kinki Nippon
Tourist (KNT) on April 1, emphasized that the real rivals are social
trends and consumers' sentiment for spending. He expressed his view
that competition does not exist inside travel industry alone, but in
the broad areas covering different life scenes such as apparel,
eating-out, sports, and mobile phones, and said, "It is not good
enough to contend with other travel agencies over conventional types
of travel products. What is important is to create travel-related new
markets in a different perspective."
He says the strengths of KNT are in staff's 'power of ideas' that
defies common sense and 'tireless efforts of frontline staff.' Based
on his experience during his tenure with Kintetsu Corp., he preached
the significance of fully using the brain, body, and mind to sense
the market signs.
Hankyu Hanshin Express Holdings, Inc. is an amalgamated new-born
company of two agencies and its president Hiroshi Ojima spoke to the
new employees on April 1: "This is a historic day when Hankyu Hanshin
Express makes a new start and our company now strives for a new
dimension of growth and prosperity."
To pursue this vision, he appeals, three kinds of skill must be
developed individually; (1) skill of dialogue to foster two-way
communication, (2) skill of writing clear and persuasive sentences
gained by reading books and newpapers, and (3) spirit of hospitality
and sincerity required for handling intangible goods or services.
Starflyer to Start Charter Flights to Seoul This Summer; Eager to Inaugurate Scheduled Flights
Early-April 2008
Starflyer Inc. (7G) will start operating charter flights from
Kita Kyushu to Seoul Incheon already in late July this year as
incorporated in its business plan for FY2008.
The airline intends to operate monthly approximately 2
night-charter flights over the weekend in order to attract leisure
traffic. Assessing the actual outcome, the airline aims to fly to
Seoul also from Kansai International Airport and Tokyo Haneda and
further extend its network to other destinations.
The planned charter operation between Kita Kyushu and Incheon are
at this time subject to final adjustments including CIQ procedures at
Kita Kyushu Airport. Starflyer, meanwhile, has been negotiating with
several travel agents to finalize plans for the tour programs.
With an eye on the foreseen expansion of Tokyo's Haneda Airport
in 2010, Starflyer will increase its fleet from the current 4
aircraft to 11 in order to inaugurate scheduled service to short-haul
business destinations in East Asia including Korea, China, Taiwan,
Hong Kong and Macau. The total number of domestic and international
routes will have been increased to 36 by 2012 from the present 15
routes.
A flight operation into Tokyo's Narita is "not a primary concern
at present," said Starflyer public relations office, but will
eventually make a final decision taking into considerations a
distribution of the available aircraft slots both at Haneda and
Narita.
Domestically, bearing in mind the earliest possible increase of
Haneda/ Kita Kyushu flights and also an introduction of Haneda/
Fukuoka flights, Starflyer intends to increase flight frequency on
routes with robust business traffic demand between the metropolitan
area and northern Kyushu and to further expand business traffic
destinations within the radius of 1000km from Kita Kyushu.
Additionally, the airline will enhance the distribution channel
that includes memberships of the Starflyer Card with credit function
and on-line sales of its airline goods, strengthen the tie-up with
other airlines and aim to succeed in making ground handling agent
contracts with, principally, international flights. By 2010, the
airline will consider going public on the stock exchanges.
Starflyer was founded in 2002, followed by an inauguration of its
first flight in 2006, linking Kita Kyushu with Tokyo Haneda. Black is
the uniform corporate color including its whole aircraft fleet. The
airplane seats are also black leather-covered. The corporate brand,
designed by a well-known designer, was granted the "Good Design
Award" by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization. The
airline is building its own corporate identity.
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