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Russia-Japan tourist flow recovery trend is getting more and clear

03:19, 4 февраля 2013

Since the devastating tsunami and Fukushima accident in March 2011, the destination's tour operators have been ready to declare the complete recovery of the demand for Japan-bound tours on multiple occasions. However, their expectations were not destined to be answered. In a mere two months, comes the cherry blossom – a season, traditionally considered as the peak one for Japan, which is actively winding up for the occasion. The rush has also been heated by a schedule of sakura blossom, released by a private Japanese weather service. Rooms at budget hotels, reports PrimaMedia.travel web-portal, have become as good as gold; although a bulk of them have been booked by the Japanese themselves.

 

Russian market players are still approaching the cherry blossom season with great caution. As was told by the experts, current sales are twice as little as those of three years ago. Nevertheless, the recovery trend is getting increasingly obvious. "Last season, we sent just a single group of tourists to witness the sakura blossom; this year we have already had two such groups – 25 people each", reports the Executive Director of Quinta Tour Mr. Constantine Denisov. That said, the RATA-news' source supposes that tourists might still draw up in the nearest time, but this growth is not likely to be of much significance. "I fear those who wished to visit Japan have already made up their minds. The most we'll be able to get is just another group; while in March 2011, before the Fukushima accident, we had as much as five groups scheduled to depart for Japan", Mr. Denisov added.

 

"This season, "sakura sales" have indeed started with an upturn, with the fall in Yen exchange rate only speeding up the tourists' decision making process. As a result, the price of ground services in Japan went some 20% down. Today, a one-week trip with 4-5-star accommodation can be booked for around 86 thousand roubles (€1,100)", stated a manager for Japan at Varvarka Travel Company Mr. Fyodor Zagrebnev. He also can't see any prerequisites to the complete restoration of the demand any time soon. As the word is, even though there's no threat to tourists, the apprehension remains. To back his conclusions, Mr. Zagrebnev mentions the following figures: by the beginning of February, the company has sold over a half of packages for late March – early April. For comparison, in 2010, all the tours had been already sold by this time.

 

According to the head of the destination at Vand International Tour Mrs. Natalia Minorskaya, the demand for Japan reached a level of 30-40% compared to "pre-crisis" figures. The further growth, however, might turn out to be more favorable, she forecasted. In addition to cherry blossom tours, the Russians have started to take interest in travelling to Japan on May holidays, which are going to be quite lengthy this year. There are even some problems with hotel bookings confirmation for this period. "It's entirely possible that by the next peak in demand – the autumn season of red maples – we'll be able to finally level off the tourist flow", hopes Mrs. Minorskaya.

 

The manager for Japan of Astravel Mrs. Oksana Loban, in her turn, shares that this year, her company hasn't expanded its blocks on the flag-carrier Japan Airlines, but the procured seats are already sold out. "Now, we have to book extra airfares, as there are still people who wish to have a look at the blossoming cherry trees", confided Mrs. Loban to RATA-news. The most popular dates with Russian tourists are March 25 and April 1. Upon that, 5-star and deluxe hotels are mostly in demand, while cheap 3-stars are barely being booked at all.

 

"It's quite pleasing that since recently, tourists don't want to just "free-roam" the country, only booking flight tickets and hotels with a tour operator. And that's exactly the trend we have been observing over the last two years. We also have a growth of demand for sightseeing itineraries", added Astravel's spokesperson. According to her, not only are tourists interested in the iconic Golden Route that covers Tokyo and Kyoto, but other, less-known prefectures like Gifu or Okayama are sought-after as well.

 

It's worth mentioning that just like their Moscow colleagues, tour operators from Primorye (a Russian region nearest to Japan) have felt the revitalization of the demand for the Land of the Rising Sun. "Now, as Yen exchange rate goes down, purchasing a tour to Japan is quite worthwhile", said the Head of PR department at Fregat Aero Company Mrs. Alexandra Sviridenko. She explained that the itineraries for this period have been put together to satisfy both adults and children. For example, tourists can visit Japan's most popular ancient temples, such as the Itsukushima Shrine on the Miyajima island, the Golden Pavilion and the Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. As for the kids, they'll have plenty of time to explore the Tokyo Disneyland.

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