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