Tourism
DOT invites private sector to join Japan travel fair
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Aug 21, 2008 - 8:30:06 AM

MANILA, Aug. 22(PNA) -- The Department of Tourism (DOT) is inviting hotels, resorts, tour operators, transport services and other stakeholders in the Philippines travel industry to participate in the upcoming JATA World Travel Fair in September in order to tap Japan's growing outbound travel market.

Slated on September 19-21, 2008 at the East Exhibition Hall of the Tokyo Big Sight, the JATA World Travel fair is expected to be one of the biggest travel fairs in Asia with some 100,000 visitors, most of whom are decision makes in the international travel community.

Ace Durano, Secretary of Tourism acknowledged "Japan remains one of the most important markets for the Philippines. While arrivals of Japanese tourists are slightly decreasing, the expenditures of these tourists in the country are actually growing, providing bigger opportunities for the domestic travel industry. "

Durano noted that in the past years, Philippine travel establishments that have joined the JATA World Travel Fair managed to bag big-ticket deals.

"The JATA Travel Fair is definitely a good venue for Philippine companies to showcase their goods and to the Japanese tourists. We must bring the beauty of our destinations closer to this very important market," Durano added.

In the said travel fair, the DOT will highlight the Philippines as a honeymoon and gourmet destination for the younger Japanese market.

Every year, over 450,000 Japanese couples decide to hold their wedding ceremonies outside their home country. For this group, Hawaii and Guam are the top choices with spring (April to May) and fall (September to October) as the popular seasons.

The DOT is also attracting older male Japanese to the country's golf destinations while the department is enticing the female population with ideal shopping and spa sites in the country.

"We are shifting our campaign to the older male Japanese and female guests who have more spending capabilities. Through this method, we can expect higher returns," he added.

Durano also said that the country will promote adventure tourism, which covers new and exciting activities such as white water rafting, surfing, wake boarding, wild bird watching, and treetop climbing among others.

The tourism chief said that while beach destinations have traditionally been a priority for Japanese guests, the DOT is determined to give them a variety of other activities to do in the Philippines.

Benito Bengzon, DOT Team Japan head emphasized that participants in the JATA World Travel Fair would have the opportunity to touch base with their target Japanese audience since there will be business matching sessions during the event.

"The fair is also the perfect time to monitor the latest trends in the Japanese travel market. We can see what is the biggest attraction for travelers and we can use this to our advantage. We can also watch how other countries are doing to get a bigger chunk of this market," Bengzon added.