Japan’s largest travel agent is aiming to stimulate more outbound travel this summer with a range of financial incentives and advertising promotions.
JTB Corporation’s campaign will target Japanese consumers who travelled overseas pre-pandemic as well as newcomers to international travel, in a bid to support the outbound market, which is proving slow to recover from the impacts of Covid.
Japanese overseas travellers totalled 888,800 in April 2024, up from 560,200 the year before but 46.7 per cent less than in April 2019, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
The first quarter of 2024 also indicates a sluggish rebound, with 3.01 million travellers compared to 4.92 million over the same period in 2019.
Under JTB’s summer travel campaign, eligible travellers who depart on JTB overseas tours between July 1 and September 30 can apply for financial support to acquire a passport, a free breakfast at a hotel of their choice in Hawaii and free overseas Wi-Fi rental with unlimited data in Hawaii, Guam, Australia, Singapore, Bali and Taiwan.
The company has also launched a series of live broadcasts to provide seasonal travel information and tips about various travel destinations. Viewers can post comments and ask questions in real time or watch archived programmes.
“The broadcasts will convey the joys and attractions of travelling overseas,” said JTB in a company note.
New television commercials will also introduce popular actress and singer Nao Matsushita appreciating the scenery and cuisine in Singapore, Hawaii and parts of Europe to inspire consumers, according to JTB.
Despite the slow recovery of Japan’s outbound market, an estimated 23 million Japanese (of a population of 125.7 million) could be expected to travel overseas in the short-term based on a recent study by Mitsubishi Research Institute, said Toshiya Miyazaki, a member of the institute’s policy team who was involved in the research.