Latest news with #JATA
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
007 mission to draw Japanese tourists to North Wales!
Jim Jones, CEO of North Wales Tourism, will be banging the drum for the region after being invited to address an international symposium on the island of Hokkaido in September. The organisation started forging closer links with the tourism operators in the Land of the Rising Sun in 2015 after Conwy was the only UK town included in a list of Europe's 30 most beautiful towns and villages. In 2018 the Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA) selected the A55 as one of the Top 20 most beautiful roads in Europe, naming it the Road of Castles in Wonderland. The following year it led to the castles in Conwy and the Japanese city of Himeji being twinned as part of an historic agreement. MORE NEWS Latest on £29.4m Orthopaedic Hub at Llandudno hospital Both fortresses date back to the 13th century and are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The spectacular five storey wooden castle in Himeji also provided a backdrop to the classic James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice. The close ties and promotion by North Wales Tourism and JATA of the two areas led to a big increase in Japanese tourists coming to North Wales. The annual influx reached a high of 4,500 staying in North Wales, before everything came to a crashing halt during Covid. The links are now being rebuilt and Rebecca Evans, the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, signed a five year extension to the Memorandum of Understanding between Conwy and Himeji on behalf of the Welsh castle town. Now Jim Jones is hoping that his appearance at the global symposium which takes place every four years will also help to develop a new relationship and build the number of Japanese tourists coming to North Wales up to pre-Covid levels. 'Things were going really well until Covid happened which led to the flow of Japanese visitors drying up,' he said. 'In Himeji they recognise the relationship with big posters at their tourism information centres promoting the links between Himeji and Conwy. It's really important to them. 'I recently attended the World Expo in Osaka to promote North Wales on behalf of Visit Britain and in November, the Mayor of Himeji and a delegation will be visiting Conwy again. 'In the meantime, we have appointed our own ambassadors to assist our engagement, Emiko Corney, a Japanese businesswoman from Betws y Coed has been a great help and runs her own You Tube channel promoting North Wales, especially in the city of Beppu where she has particularly strong connections. 'We have now also appointed Yoko Kobori as a new ambassador to lead our efforts in Japan in terms of cultural and business outreach. She previously worked for the Welsh Government and has an in depth knowledge of North Wales." As part of the campaign, North Wales Tourism has adopted the Castles in Wonderland as one of its high end tour itineraries. It includes a visit to Mostyn Hall in Flintshire to see Lord Mostyn, who gives a guided tour of his ancestral home in Japanese. Mr Jones added: 'In the meantime, Welsh Government have identified 2025 as the Year of Wales in Japan and that's led to a huge amount of interaction and that's put boosters under the profile of North Wales. 'Being invited to speak at the international symposium in Hokkaido is another great opportunity to promote the region. 'I'll be talking about how we raise the profile of North Wales through our language, culture and heritage which are so important in establishing our sense of place and give us a unique selling point. 'It's a theme that resonates particularly with them because the Japanese government are trying to promote the Ainu language and culture in northern Japan which includes Hokkaido. 'There is also lot synergy with Hokkaido between our UNESCO GeoPark on Ynys Mon and their two UNESCO GeoParks. 'They're also very keen to learn what we do in terms of Adventure tourism, which has been a huge success for us. 'It gives me an opportunity to go out there and showcase what North Wales is all about as part of the wider campaign to attract more Japanese visitors here. 'This is giving us a huge platform on the world stage to share the joys of visiting North Wales. 'The potential to boost our economy is huge because the Japanese are known as big spenders and they travel in big groups and before Covid we had about 4,500 staying in the Conwy area. and that's what we want to get back to and build on. 'As two nations, we have so much in common. The Japanese have a real fondness for Wales and our flag and the Welsh dragon and what we have to offer as a destination.'
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Leader Live
007 mission to draw Japanese tourists to North Wales!
Jim Jones, CEO of North Wales Tourism, will be banging the drum for the region after being invited to address an international symposium on the island of Hokkaido in September. The organisation started forging closer links with the tourism operators in the Land of the Rising Sun in 2015 after Conwy was the only UK town included in a list of Europe's 30 most beautiful towns and villages. In 2018 the Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA) selected the A55 as one of the Top 20 most beautiful roads in Europe, naming it the Road of Castles in Wonderland. The following year it led to the castles in Conwy and the Japanese city of Himeji being twinned as part of an historic agreement. Both fortresses date back to the 13th century and are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The spectacular five storey wooden castle in Himeji also provided a backdrop to the classic James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice. The close ties and promotion by North Wales Tourism and JATA of the two areas led to a big increase in Japanese tourists coming to North Wales. The annual influx reached a high of 4,500 staying in North Wales, before everything came to a crashing halt during Covid. The links are now being rebuilt and Rebecca Evans, the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, signed a five year extension to the Memorandum of Understanding between Conwy and Himeji on behalf of the Welsh castle town. Now Jim Jones is hoping that his appearance at the global symposium which takes place every four years will also help to develop a new relationship and build the number of Japanese tourists coming to North Wales up to pre-Covid levels. 'Things were going really well until Covid happened which led to the flow of Japanese visitors drying up,' he said. 'In Himeji they recognise the relationship with big posters at their tourism information centres promoting the links between Himeji and Conwy. It's really important to them. 'I recently attended the World Expo in Osaka to promote North Wales on behalf of Visit Britain and in November, the Mayor of Himeji and a delegation will be visiting Conwy again. 'In the meantime, we have appointed our own ambassadors to assist our engagement, Emiko Corney, a Japanese businesswoman from Betws y Coed has been a great help and runs her own You Tube channel promoting North Wales, especially in the city of Beppu where she has particularly strong connections. 'We have now also appointed Yoko Kobori as a new ambassador to lead our efforts in Japan in terms of cultural and business outreach. She previously worked for the Welsh Government and has an in depth knowledge of North Wales." As part of the campaign, North Wales Tourism has adopted the Castles in Wonderland as one of its high end tour itineraries. It includes a visit to Mostyn Hall in Flintshire to see Lord Mostyn, who gives a guided tour of his ancestral home in Japanese. MORE STORIES: Man airlifted with 'serious injuries' and person arrested following Buckley incident "All good things come to an end" says Ollie Palmer after Hull City heroics Look back with anniversary couples, playschemes and more Buyers snap up new homes at Flintshire development preview event Mr Jones added: 'In the meantime, Welsh Government have identified 2025 as the Year of Wales in Japan and that's led to a huge amount of interaction and that's put boosters under the profile of North Wales. 'Being invited to speak at the international symposium in Hokkaido is another great opportunity to promote the region. 'I'll be talking about how we raise the profile of North Wales through our language, culture and heritage which are so important in establishing our sense of place and give us a unique selling point. 'It's a theme that resonates particularly with them because the Japanese government are trying to promote the Ainu language and culture in northern Japan which includes Hokkaido. 'There is also lot synergy with Hokkaido between our UNESCO GeoPark on Ynys Mon and their two UNESCO GeoParks. 'They're also very keen to learn what we do in terms of Adventure tourism, which has been a huge success for us. 'It gives me an opportunity to go out there and showcase what North Wales is all about as part of the wider campaign to attract more Japanese visitors here. 'This is giving us a huge platform on the world stage to share the joys of visiting North Wales. 'The potential to boost our economy is huge because the Japanese are known as big spenders and they travel in big groups and before Covid we had about 4,500 staying in the Conwy area. and that's what we want to get back to and build on. 'As two nations, we have so much in common. The Japanese have a real fondness for Wales and our flag and the Welsh dragon and what we have to offer as a destination.'
South China Morning Post
25-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Why young Japanese are ditching passports and overseas travel
Just 17.5 per cent of Japanese currently hold a passport, according to a recent study, a figure that industry experts say reflects the growing preference for domestic travel amid a weak yen, rising flight costs and heightened concerns about safety in many parts of the world. The figure, drawn from research conducted through the Newt travel app, places Japan well behind several developed economies in terms of international travel readiness. In comparison, about 40 per cent of South Koreans, 50 per cent of US citizens and 60 per cent of Taiwanese hold valid passports. Those findings align with research by the outbound promotion division of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), according to executive director Hiroshi Tanimura. 'The research we have done especially indicates that young people are not willing to travel overseas and prefer to travel within Japan,' he told This Week in Asia. 'The weak yen is one big reason why overseas travel is 70 per cent of what it was before the pandemic.' People wait to check in at the departure hall of Haneda Airport in Tokyo. A recent study has placed Japan well behind several developed economies in terms of international travel readiness. Photo: AFP Even more worrying is that business travel has picked up a lot of the slack, recovering to more than 80 per cent of pre-pandemic figures, leaving the leisure market at just 53 per cent, according to Tanimura.
Egypt Independent
08-03-2025
- Business
- Egypt Independent
Tourism Minister discusses boosting cooperation with major Japanese tourism companies
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy discussed in a meeting with the chairman of Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and his deputy, ways of fostering cooperation in the tourism sector. The meeting was attended by representatives of 10 major tourism companies operating in the Japanese market, including HIS, JTP, Hanku International, and Bertra, according to a statement released by the Tourism Ministry on Friday 7/3/2025. The minister reviewed his ministry's strategy for showing the diversity in Egyptian tourism products, stating the upcoming promotion campaigns will be launched under the motto 'Unmatched Diversity'. Fathy also spotlighted on the State's efforts to develop roads and airports, which contributes to easing the movement of tourists between various tourist destinations. The minister noted the State plans to increase hotel capacity, where nearly 30,000 new hotel rooms are expected to be added during the current year. On his part, the JATA head lauded the inauguration of the 'Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs' exhibition in Tokyo, which reflects the intense Japanese fascination with the ancient Egyptian civilization. The Japanese official invited the tourism minister to attend the Tourism EXPO Japan in September to promote Egyptian tourist destinations. For their part, the representatives of Japanese tourism companies said they look forward to increasing the number of weekly flights between Egypt and Japan to three, while operating direct flights to Luxor, Aswan and Cairo. They also stressed the importance of intensifying promotional campaigns in Japan, highlighting the Grand Egyptian Museum, and organizing familiarization trips for Japanese media professionals and influencers to strengthen the Japanese interest to Egyptian tourist destinations.
Japan Times
25-02-2025
- Japan Times
Only 17% of Japanese people own passports, Foreign Ministry says
The Japanese passport is According to numbers the Foreign Ministry released last week, around 3.7 million passports were issued domestically in 2024, a 8.8% increase from the year before but down 15.2% from 2019. The total number of valid passports in the country was around 20.77 million, amounting to around 16.8% of the total population. This is considerably low compared to other countries such as the U.S. and U.K., where those who have passports stands at around 50% and 85% respectively. Japan has always had a low rate of people with passports compared to other countries, consistently hovering around 22%-24% in the 2010s. But the percentage dropped further during the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained low since. A Foreign Ministry official in charge of the survey said that although the government is not sure of the exact reason why passport numbers continue to be low in Japan, one reason that is often cited is the weak yen, which has deterred many from traveling or studying abroad. According to the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), border restrictions that were in place for three years in Japan during the pandemic have further dampened people's desire to travel, especially among younger people. Earlier this year, JATA President Hiroyuki Takahashi raised concerns that the decline in interest among young people to travel abroad and see other countries may compromise Japan's international competitiveness in the future. 'International exchange is based on mutually beneficial relationships between countries, so the current severe imbalance between inbound and outbound tourism needs to be corrected as soon as possible,' he said. Although there are some signs of recovery, the number of Japanese students studying abroad remains low compared to prepandemic levels. Only 58,162 college students participated in short- to midterm exchange programs from Japanese universities in the fiscal year through March 2023, according to the most recent numbers from the education ministry-affiliated Japan Student Services Organization. This is only around half the number of those who studied abroad in the fiscal years of 2018 and 2019. The number of Japanese students of all ages studying abroad for the long term has also continued to fall, with the figure for 2022 only at 41,612, or about half the peak of 82,945 recorded in 2004. This is in sharp contrast to the rising number of foreign students studying in Japan. The JATA's Takahashi urged the government to spearhead measures to encourage more young people to have experiences abroad, including measures to provide passports for free to young people traveling overseas for the first time.
