What do overseas agents want from Japan to resume meetings & events?
In 2020, the number of international sightseeing trips, and meetings & events decreased significantly due to the new coronavirus spread. However, Japan seems to remain as popular as ever for travelers around the world. According to an awareness survey conducted by JTB Global Marketing & Travel (GMT) for B2B overseas agents, there is a strong desire to travel abroad after the end of the pandemic. This shows that there are high expectations for resuming travel to Japan. We would like to introduce the results of this survey.
01
Japan is a popular country among travelers from all over the world. This popularity did not change even with COVID-19 in 2020.
In June 2020, the Development Bank of Japan and the Japan Travel Bureau Foundation surveyed people who have traveled abroad in eight Asian countries/regions, four countries in Europe, the United States, and Australia.
Japan was ranked first among Asian residents (56%) and second among European residents (24%) as a country that wants to travel for sightseeing after the end of the novel coronavirus infection. According to the same survey conducted in 2019, Japan was ranked 1st (55%) among Asian residents and 6th (39%) among European residents, which shows that Japan still maintains its reputation.
In a different research, Japan is 9th in the ranking of "countries searched as countries people want to go to after lifting lockdown" announced in August 2020 by Sweet Startup Ltd, which provides an application support service for the American electronic travel authorization system "ESTA".
Countries and regions people want to visit for sightseeing after the novel coronavirus winds down (all applicable answers)
Survey on Tourist Travel to Japan (Development Bank of Japan and Japan Travel Bureau Foundation)
02
Awareness survey to approximately 200 international travel agents on traveling to Japan
In October 2020, GMT conducted an email-based survey to determine what international travel agents around the world think about travel to Japan, as well as where a popular tourist destination would be, after the end of the pandemic.
When asked about their willingness to sell international travel to Japan, 74% said they would like to resume it "immediately after the travel restrictions are lifted." You can see that agents are highly motivated to sell travel to Japan. The sales resumption forecasts were "January-March 2021" - 40%, and "April-August 2021" - 38%. We found that the most common expectation was that Japan would be ready to accept international tourism about a year after the outbreak of COVID-19.
In addition, when asked about the factors that they consider important when sending customers to Japan, they gave the following opinions:
・ Even if Japan admits entry, we cannot send customers as long as 14 days quarantine is required. (USA)
・ Even without vaccines, a medical treatment system must be established, and PCR tests should be available whenever and wherever needed. (Australia)
・ A flexible cancellation policy is necessary. (UK)
・ The most important factors are arguably the availability of vaccines and a flexible cancellation policy.(USA)
From these opinions, we found that a flexible cancellation policy is strongly desired.
In this survey, we also asked what kind of acceptance system foreign agents expect from Japan. For detailed survey results, please download the material provided at the end of this article.
03
If you are planning post COVID-19 meetings & events, why not talk to a well-experienced expert company?
GMT is a professional DMC company in the foreign travel business. Since 1912 we have been playing a role in welcoming customers to Japan from all over the world. Our strengths are the expertise and hospitality cultivated through various experiences, from sightseeing trips to the MICE business. In 2019, we held about 900 meetings & events a year.
We have already obtained the "Safe Travels Stamp" issued by WTTC for post corona. We are studying so that you can safely and securely resume your tour of Japan.
You can download the details of the "Awareness Survey on Travel to Japan" introduced in this article, as well as the past experiences of holding meetings & events with GMT. It also describes the initiatives under consideration for post corona.
Before downloading the file, please fill out the following survey about your current situation and future prospects.
