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JALPAK's Next President Takahashi Determined to Lead Company to
Produce World Class Quality Tour Early-June 2008
Tetsuo Takahashi, now the president of JAL Royal Catering Co. and
the president-designate of JALPAK, itemized his goals in managing
JALPAK to the following three points: (1) to enhance product quality,
(2) to reshape the organization so as to invigorate every member of
the staff, and (3) to launch projects that could stimulate market
demand.
He says, "It is a great honor for me to do a job at a traditional
and prestigious company of JALPAK that can give dreams to the
customers with overseas travel, but I feel the weight of
responsibility at the same time. I will try to be as competent as my
predecessor president Kaji."
Regarding the objective of "quality enhancement," he says, "Our
mission is to offer high quality tours to give satisfaction to the
customers. We have offered good quality at a competitive price at all
times, but want to enhance it still further." He intends to
strengthen the comprehensive power for overseas operation and
services, including hotels, suppliers, tour guides, and other local
service providers.
With reference to "reshaping the organization," the idea comes
from the recognition that travel is a high-touch product made of
human elements to be enjoyed and appreciated by each individual. So
coordination among co-workers in the workplace is essential in
designing and marketing good travel products.
As to the "projects to stimulate market demand," he is conscious
of the recent phenomenon of young people's disinterest in overseas
travel and said, "We feel the need of motivating people to go abroad
by developing new concept tours. It would be necessary to work
industry-wide to spur the total demand. We would like to offer
carefree quality tours and increase repeat customers. It is my desire
to make JALPAK a tour maker that offers world class quality package
tours."
* Multiple Fare Structures Required to Meet Diversified Demands
Mr. Takahashi has 26-year experience in sales and marketing at
Japan Airlines (JAL) after joining the company in 1974. He was also
engaged in the realignment of sales units in JAL group while he was
with JAL Sales Co.
As a measure to restructure flight network, JAL has recently
implemented a strategy to focus on business routes at the sacrifice
of leisure routes.
Asked about its influence on JALPAK, he wanted to be excused for
giving strictly personal view and said, "Seat supply for leisure
destinations has definitely dwindled, but it could happen that the
situation changes in the future. Keeping the expansion of the two
airports in Metropolitan Tokyo for 2010 in view, JAL will take
necessary measures including charter operations. In line with the
grand design of the parent company, JALPAK will devise a business
plan to enable effective merchandising and marketing for quality
tours. We will put available JAL seats to the best use in the hope
that our good performance can contribute to JAL's growth."
At the JATA World Tourism Congress back in 2004, Mr. Takahashi
proposed wider application of the APEX fares for package tour making.
He is of the opinion that since economy class fares give much
influence on the tourist market, the airlines, including JAL, should
prepare more diversified types of fares to meet the demand from
different sectors of the market.
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