The Rise of Online Travel Bookings in Japan

Travel sites are fuelling the Japanese’s love for local and domestic adventure. Japan has an isolated culture, and so anything that is unlike their own stirs their interest, hence their passion for exploring the globe. Visit any country and Japanese tourists are bound to be in every top destination. Whether it’s the picturesque Waikiki beach, the hot springs at Banff mountain resort, or the designer shops in Paris, expect to have a Japanese tourist crowd in the midst. And although it is pretty expensive, they also enjoy domestic travel. This is the reason why it is quite challenging to find a small hotel in Japan with an English speaking staff. They actually have establishments that cater mostly to the local market. Another reason that encourages them to explore their own country is their efficient transportation system. Commuters can easily go from one to another because their trains and buses leave their destinations on time. Their bullet train boasts of a near perfect record on safety. It has served over seven billion passengers with zero fatality. It is never late. Passengers arrive within six seconds of schedule, regardless of good or bad weather. Hassle-free Travel Hassle-free online travel booking system has been attracting Japanese travellers to explore different parts of the world. The number of outbound travel via Internet has increased significantly. According to data gathered by Google dated April 2012, 34% of travel inquiries were done by phone, while 54% were done using the PC. Japanese online travel firms like Jalan and Rakuten 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 travellers left the country for business or leisure travel with China, Korea and the US as top destinations.  Industry players are attributing the rise of travel to the growing dependence on smart phones and tablets.  Sites like Rakutan Travel, Agoda, Jalan and lkyu have cornered consumers into switching to online travel instead of the traditional agency arrangement. And while internet sites like Agora, is growing in popularity, the company has yet to go beyond their business travel buyers. They are slowly recognizing the unique needs of Japanese consumers thus the need to invest in special tools in order to have a chuck of this stable market. Traveling with Family and Friends The Japanese travel market is considered huge mainly because they enjoy traveling in groups. Unlike Europeans who travel alone, the Japanese like to be surrounded with their friends and family when they are on vacation. Their group-oriented culture, dictates the security of group travel. They are embarrassed to travel by themselves - like telling the world that they do not have friends. They were brought up in an environment where everyone thinks and acts like a group. Packages are mostly for big groups and because of the volume, they are priced reasonably. The tours are also very organized, the schedule is strictly followed. They also feel a strong sense of security amongst friends. For instance if they visit a country like Honduras, where hardly anyone speaks Japanese, they feel safer roaming the streets if they are part of a group. Because of this practice, it is very common for Japanese workers to take their holidays all at the same time. They feel more comfortable because they are not burdening anyone at work because of their absence. Their holidays are short – between three to five days, but very frequent. Unlike in other countries where workers only get two weeks off every year. No doubt package travel arrangements are certainly more economical than traveling alone. Buyers save a lot of money, plus do not require tedious planning, because everything is arranged by the organizers. Awaiting Low Cost Carriers The number of travelers is expected to increase with the entry of low cost airlines.  This means a more upbeat scenario for the hotel and airline industry. These travelers are known to be very cost-efficient. They would save by buying low cost airfare but would be willing to spend for high-end accommodations. And since online transactions are easier, budget airlines will push them to go online and book since it spares them from the trouble of leaving the house to go to a travel agency. Aside from China, Korea and the US, Japanese travellers like to go to Italy, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Thailand and Spain. They are also most welcome in any international establishment because they are known all over the world to be very polite.

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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.