JAPAN. The Japanese are heading out in increasing force this summer as travel wholesalers report increases in bookings from May to July.
Although monthly comparisons have to be considered in the light of the serious SARS-related downturn of last year, they are still increasingly encouraging.
May bookings are up between +68% and +178% compared with last May for leading tour companies Look JTB, Holiday, I’ll/AVA and Mach/Best Tours. For June bookings the increase is between +36% and +200%. The increases for July range from +42% to +157%.
Wholesalers starting their summer promotions as early as the Golden Week travel season (28 April to 9 May) could have given consumers the impetus to book early too. In fact those which began selling products earlier have found themselves with larger-than-expected numbers of bookings for July.
Kinki Nippon Tourist attracted 1,400 bookings in just the first 14 days of its summer promotion.
A Japan Travel Bureau (JTB) representative said: “We want to extend overall summer demand by boosting our July bookings.” JTB added that its campaign to spur bookings has begun to show favourable responses from consumers.
With the recovery in the Japanese economy the industry expects to see growth in overseas travel demand this summer. So far bookings for most destinations, except China and Asia, have outpaced the pre-SARS levels in 2002.
Even within Asia, demand for resorts in Bali and Phuket is increasing – a development that could help end the prolonged stagnation in the market said Travel Journal International Online.
MORE STORIES ON JAPANESE TRAVEL TRENDS
Will Golden Week shine for Japanese travel? – 26/04/04
Senior travellers spur confidence in Japanese travel market – 18/04/04
Golden Week heralds surge in Japanese travel – 12/04/2004
Narita posts rise in international traffic though Kansai slips – 05/04/2004
