New holiday options and widespread publicity about the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics are boosting bookings to Japan, according to Gold Medal and Travel 2.
The dnata tour operators said the media coverage and extra products have helped sales for January and February rise by 67% year-on-year,
Nick Hughes, sales director at Gold Medal and Travel 2, said: “Japan is the long-haul star at the moment.
“The country is getting a real boost because of its hosting of the upcoming Rugby World Cup, which begins in September, and then the Summer Olympics of 2020.
“Customer demand is definitely on the rise, with a considerable increase in numbers over the last year.
“The whole country seems to have stepped up its activity and, as a result, there is so much brilliant new product to enjoy.”
Hughes said the Gold Medal and Travel 2 product teams have strengthened their relationships with ground partners to increase the breadth of product and availability, especially in destinations beyond Tokyo.
“The range of accommodation has increased and we have extended touring and day tours,” he added.
The operators now offer destinations such as Kyoto, Kanazawa, Sapporo and Niseko, as well as Tokyo, and have added a range of traditional stays.
“Tokyo features on the majority of itineraries because most visitors picking Japan are going for the first time,” he said.
“We have seen Tokyo business leap 72%. Room nights are up in Osaka (up 64%) and Kyoto (up 75%) as people head out to explore.
“For the period of the Rugby World Cup (September/October), sales are up over 200% on last year, demonstrating the draw of the tournament.”
He continued: “We have invested heavily in our training of call centre staff so they can sell Japan with confidence.
“Also, we’re hosting 30 agents at the Abta convention in Tokyo this October to further extend agents’ knowledge of the destination.
“We are expecting Japan to continue its strong run and are well placed to take advantage of the increased profile the destination has.”