The Rise of Online Travel Bookings in Japan
Travel sites are fueling the Japanese love for travel adventure, especially among the suburban upper-middle-class. Visit any country and Japanese tourists are bound to be in every top destination, whether picturesque Waikiki beach, Taipei Tower, or the designer shops in Paris.
And although it is pretty expensive, they also enjoy domestic travel. Small hotels (especially ryokan) with English-speaking staff are at a premium, catering overwhelmingly to the local market.
In Japan, efficient transport leads to increased domestic travel. Bullet trains boast of a near perfect record on safety, overseeing seven billion passenger journeys with zero fatalities. Lateness is rarely heard of.
Hassle-free Travel
Hassle-free online travel booking systems have been attracting Japanese travelers to different parts of the world. According to data gathered by Google dated April 2012, 34% of travel inquiries were made by phone, while 54% were made via PC. Japanese firms with an online travel presence like Jalan and H.I.S. predict so much growth in the mobile gadget arena.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Justice, which takes note of every citizen that leaves Japan, in 2011, a total of 16,994,200 travelers left the country, with China, Korea and the US given as top destinations. Industry players are attributing the rise of travel to the growing dependence on smart phones and tablets, connecting to sites like Rakuten Travel and Jalan.
Traveling with Family and Friends
The Japanese travel market is dramatically boosted by the culture of locals traveling in groups. Unlike Europeans who travel alone, the Japanese like to be surrounded with their friends and family on vacation. Packages are mostly for big groups and because of the volume, they are priced reasonably. The tours are also very organized, with schedules strictly followed. If they visit a place where hardly anyone speaks Japanese (pretty much everywhere except East Asia and Hawaii), they feel safer roaming the streets if they are part of a group.
Awaiting Low Cost Carriers
The number of travelers is expected to increase with the entry of low cost airlines, producing a more upbeat scenario for the hotel and airline industry. Middle class travelers are known to be very cost-efficient, choosing to save on airfare to spend more on higher-end accommodation. Expect online transactions to increase with the advent of the budget boom.
Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation
Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
About the Guest Author:
Rodolfo Lentejas, Jr. is a fulltime freelance writer based in Toronto. He is the founder of the PostSckrippt, a growing online writing business dedicated to producing top quality, original and fresh content. To know more about him, please visit www.postsckrippt.ca. Like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.
