JAPAN remains on top of the wish list of destinations among global travellers according to the recent Visa Global Travel Intentions Survey 2011, which polled 11,620 respondents from 23 countries and territories around the world.
According to Visa’s survey, 16 per cent of respondents polled said that they are likely to travel to Japan for leisure in the next two years, making it the third most popular destination with respondents. The United States and United Kingdom were ranked first and second respectively.
“The mystery of the Orient combine with ultra-modern living to make Japan a destination that intrigues and inspires. As tourists continue to search for new and exciting destinations Japan is moving up the wish list,” confirmed Sarah Campbell, director of Blazon Communications, the Middle East & North Africa representative of Blossom Japan, a high-end travel trade event taking place in Kyoto, Japan, February 13-16, 2012.
Japan received 8.6 million tourists in 2010, an increase of 26 per cent on 2009, according to statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organisation. While post-tsunami figures have seen a decrease of on average 33 per cent per month, 3.9 million travellers visited Japan between January and July of this year, pointing to a strong recovery being underway.
The number of visitors from the Middle East to Japan is still small at the moment. The most recent provisional figures Japan National Tourism Organization for visitors to Japan from Mena show 254 visitors to Japan from the UAE, 605 from Saudi Arabia and 115 from Qatar. The highest number of visitors to Japan from the region were from Israel with 1,597 and Turkey with 1,616 for the first quarter of 2011.
“Air links from the region to Tokyo are still relatively new, so we are optimistic on potential for strong growth in visitor numbers from Mena to Japan,” said a spokesperson for Japan National Tourism Organization. Emirates and Etihad started flying to Tokyo in March 2010 and Qatar started flights in April 2010.
Organised by Lucioles, Blossom Japan is a dedicated invitation-only event that connects buyers from across the world looking for exciting new products to present to their clients with exhibitors representing premium travel experiences. By creating a platform for key luxury brands to meet, Blossom Japan provides a new dynamism for the whole luxury travel industry internationally and in Japan.
Exhibitors already confirmed for Blossom Japan 2012 include Silversea Cruises, Orient-Express, Amanresorts, Naiade Resorts and Ayana Resort and Spa Bali. Blossom Japan will commence with a full-day conference followed by a three-day exhibition at ICC Kyoto. The exhibition will be facilitated by pre-scheduled appointments ensuring that all attendees are conducting serious business by day, and will be supplemented by a series of networking events by night for all Buyers, Exhibitors and Media attending.