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Japan removes short-stay visas for Malaysian tourists
DestinationsTour and travel companies have responded with a big arigato gozaimasu (thank you) to Japan’s decision to abolish visas for Malaysian tourists, with some expecting their bookings to double. Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) deputy president John Tan Chai Keong said its 2,800 tour agents expected a big boost in Malaysian travellers [...]
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Tourists in Japan spend more on shopping than food and entertainment combined
DestinationsForeign visitors spend an average of $493 (46,436 yen) for shopping during their visits to Japan, much higher than for food $317 (29,864 yen) and amusement activities $129 (12,136 yen). But what do they buy when on their shopping sprees? According to the Japan Tourism Agency, which conducted a survey of foreign visitors, more than [...]
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When a bullet isn’t fast enough: Japan one step closer to 311 mph Maglev train
DestinationsJapan’s “floating” trains of the future, designed to travel at speeds of 311mph, have undergone their first test tracks. The new generation L0 Series trains, which employ the latest magnetic levitation technology instead of conventional wheels, will begin commercial services in 2027. The first five cars of the new train, which has a distinct aerodynamic [...]
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Emerging economies care more about luxe hotel brands, even if the U.S. leads
RoomsAmerica is the home of the luxury hotel. Seventy-five percent of luxury hotel chains and brands are based in the United States and U.S. consumers report the highest interest (66.3 percent) in the sector, according to the World Luxury Index. This is the first report from Digital Luxury Group and Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne to look at the [...]
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A weaker Japanese yen could hurt Hawaii tourism
DestinationsA drop in the value of the yen could be bad news for Hawaii’s tourism industry. That’s because the yen is weakening as the dollar is strengthening. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that on Thursday the dollar traded above 100 yen for the first time since April 2009. Japan Airlines says the drop in the yen’s [...]
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Japan mulls a trusted traveler program, sound familiar?
DestinationsThe government may simplify the immigration process to make it easier for foreign tourists to enter Japan and achieve its goal of bringing in 25 million visitors a year by 2020. A panel under the Justice Ministry that has discussed the topic since October 2011 is “in the process of finalizing its proposal,” an official [...]
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Weak Yen will bring Japanese tourist destinations record Golden Week crowds
DestinationsThe weakening yen has turned Japan’s annual Golden Week, a string of springtime holidays, into a boon for domestic tourism. The uptick in the traditional May holiday week points toward one of the best years on record for Japan’s tourism industry, still recovering from the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. The yen’s slide, part [...]
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Japan’s Mount Fuji likely to become a Heritage site, but worries abound about effects
DestinationsLocal and prefectural governments and businesses surrounding Mount Fuji welcomed the news that the World Heritage Committee is expected to designate Japan’s most famous and popular mountain as a World Heritage site, despite concerns about what it will mean to the local environment and questions about how its preservation will be funded. Long the most [...]
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Currencies undermine Finnair’s nascent profitability in Asia
TransportFinnair Oyj said a declining yen helped plunge the carrier to a first-quarter loss as exposure to Japan weighed on earnings, sending the shares down the most in 1 1/2 years. “The biggest negative issue during the first quarter was yen’s weakening,” Ville Iho, Finnair’s interim chief executive officer, said at a briefing today. Most [...]
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Thai tourists invade Japan for cheap thanks to a fantastic exchange rate
DestinationsThe Thai baht’s biggest quarterly gain against the yen since 1998 was enough reason for Kornkarun Cheewatrakoolpong, a 32-year-old economics lecturer in Bangkok, to change her honeymoon destination to Japan from Italy. “It’s more affordable,” Kornkarun said in an interview from her home in the capital on April 17, after returning from a business trip [...]
