JAPAN. Travel agency Kinki Nippon Tourist (KNT) has said that it plans to attract 334,000 tour participants for the second half of fiscal 2006, up +11% from the corresponding period a year earlier, by extending escorted tour courses particularly for Europe, America and Asia. The figures were published by TJI Online.
KNT said it also plans to bolster its early-booking discount campaign, amid fierce competition among travel wholesalers.
The number of escorted tours to Europe has been increased to 38 from 31. Since demand for the first half of fiscal 2006 failed to reach its original plan for Europe, due to lacklustre traffic in June caused by the football World Cup finals, KNT plans to make up for the loss and jump-start tourist demand for European destinations.
KNT has introduced “Haya 60 Waribiki” discounts for the US, Australia and New Caledonia, in which discounts are offered for tours booked 60 days before departures or earlier.
Other efforts to promote early-booking bonuses include extension of applicable courses for Europe, addition of guaranteed pair seats (for couples) for Caribbean courses, and offering a dinner instead of a conventional breakfast for Australia.
Despite lacklustre demand for Micronesia, America and Oceania in the first half of fiscal 2006, the number of tour participants for Asia is expected to rise +5% from the same period a year earlier to 236,000. Because of the favourable demand for Asia KNT has revised the customer volume estimate upward by +8% year-on-year from its original plan to 570,000.
Targeted numbers of tour participants for the second half of fiscal 2006 are as follows with year-on-year fluctuations in parentheses:
– Hawaii, 67,000 (unchanged)
– Micronesia, 46,000 (+2%)
– North America, 31,000 (+3%)
– Europe, 33,000 (+18%)
– Asia, 92,000 (+26%)
– Oceania, 37,000 (+1%)
– China, 18,000 (+23%)
– Total: 334,000 (+11%)
Estimated figures of tour participants for the first half of fiscal 2006 are as follows with year-on-year fluctuations in parentheses:
– Hawaii, 52,000 (+8%)
– Micronesia, 35,000 (-2%)
– North America, 16,000 (-15%)
– Europe, 21,000 (unchanged)
– Asia, 66,000 (+8%)
– Oceania, 24,000 (-9%)
– China, 14,000 (+50%)
– Total: 236,000 (+5%)
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Japanese travel to China rebounds “˜in big fashion’; summer bookings rise by over +100% – 19/07/06
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