Russian tourist flow to Japan keeps growing in 2014
The number of Russian tourists visiting Japan
has grown by 6,2% in the first six months of 2014 despite all economic and
political issues. According to the Japanese National Tourist
Organization(JNTO), the country can fully restore the tourist flow to the level
of 2008, when it was highest. That year 66,2 thousand Russian tourist s visited
the country, and in 2013 – 60.5 thousand. A delegation of Japanese tour
operators flew in to Moscow this week to attend the Otdykh (Leisure) trade
fair.
In 2013, Japan received more than 10 million
foreign tourists, which is more than in 2008. The plan is to raise the numbers
up to 20 million by 2020. Keep in mind that the tourist flow from Russia
decreased by a third in 2009 because of the economic crisis, and in 2011
amounted only to 33.7 thousand tourists due to earthquake and tsunami
devastation. Yet in the next two years it started growing rapidly once again. "In 2005 and 2006 there were very few tourists -
mostly people on business. But since 2012 we see a big increase in tourism,
whereas other types of trips are becoming less frequent. In 2013 Japanese
consulates across Russia issued 49,6 thousand different visas. The Moscow
embassy - 21,8 thousand, the Saint-Petersburg consulate - 2,7 thousand, and the
tree consulates of the Far East (Yuzhno?Sakhalinsk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok)
issued all the rest. 10 years ago the Far East supplied less than 30% of the
tourist flow to Japan, today it can give Muscovites a run for their money. The
region has chartered flights to Okinawa, many people travel to Japan only for a
day. The number of tourists, who have visited Japan multiple times, is growing
as well - up to 5-6 times", - said JNTO representative Valentin Shestak
during the seminar.
The demand for cruises through Japan has also
notably increased."The reason for this is that the biggest cruise
operators have targeted Asia for the 2013-2014 season, and Japan plays a major
part. People now have a chance to see multiple cities in one trip, without
having to stay at hotels. Russian tourists visit Fukuoka, Okinawa, Yokohama and
Kobe. The most active company on this destination is Princess Cruises. It
brought more Russian cruise tourists to Japan than any competitor", - adds
Mr. Shestak.
The sales of regular tours to Japan have
increased in the first half of 2014 in all cities with population over 1
million. The number of Russian travel agencies who offer this destination is
also growing. In 2011 some operators who worked with Japan left the market due
to low demand. Now, according to Mr. Shastak, JNTO is constantly getting
requests about Japanese travel agencies that could help with receiving
tourists. Despite the economic situation in Russia, even the demand for
MICE-programs has grown.
Valentin Shestak also notes that the budget used
for marketing and promotion in Russia has been increased for this year. Two
advertisement campaigns in association with Japan Airlines (JAL) are being
translated over central TV channels. In March Okinawa was advertised in a
number of printed media. JNTO takes part in all major Russian travel trade
fairs and holds seminars for agencies. Furthermore. since April 1, 2014 Russia
is part of the program that allows travel agencies and journalists to get
assistance in organizing press tours to Japan.
Representative of Japan Airlines, Margarita
Kalabashkina, said that in September-October JAL offers flights from 11 Russian
cities to 33 Japanese cities for a flat rate of 650 euros, including tax. In
November-December the price will drop to 620 euros. Flights over Russia are
done in association with S7 Airlines. JAL will have three regular flights
from Moscow every week during the winter schedule. If there's no direct flight
on the date you need, you can choose to travel with a transfer, say, at
Helsinki for the same price.
"If your trip includes an domestic Japanese
flight, its cost will be included in the price of the international ticket, all
you need to do is pay the charges. If you plan to travel a lot inside the
country, it's better to get an Air Pass or the Japan Rail Pass that works on
city public transport as well", - added Mrs. Kalabashkina. According to
her, foreign tourists have an interesting offer from JAL to seize - free Wi-Fi
coverage for 14 days on the territory of Japan. The login and password are
available at JAL official website, and the network can be activated upon
arrival.
According to Denis Morozov, representative of a
Japanese company JIC, there are two programs which are most popular. First -
the 7-day tour that includes main sights - Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and the
Hakone hot springs. It is available all year round. The second program is a
14-day tour for people who want to see all the sights of Japan in one trip. The
group rate allows people to save, compared to prices for individual tours. This
kind of trip is only offered 2 times a year. Mr. Morozov noted that the
receiving party has some trouble with licensed Russian speaking guides. The
reason for this is that exams needed in order to obtain the license are
extremely hard. There are only 10 licensed Russian-speaking guides working in
Japan at the moment.
Valentin Shestak reminded that the high season
in Japan for the Russian market is April, when sakura is in bloom, and
October-November - the season of red maples. In June-July the only Russians to
visit Japan are the people for the Far East. During the winter some Russian
tourists go to the Hakuba ski-resort in the Nagano region, which was built for
the 1998 Olympics. It takes about 4-5 day to get a Japanese visa, and thanks to
an agreement between the countries, it is free for Russian citizens.