Changi Airport launches campaign to boost Japan travel

The multi-partner Friends of Japan initiative seeks to support tourism recovery in the disaster plagued country.

Changi Airport on Friday kicks off a three-day ‘Enchanting Japan’ travel fair at Terminal 3 (Check-in Row 11). The fair brings together various stakeholders in the travel and tourism sectors to boost consumer confidence and promote travel and tourism to Japan. The launch on Friday saw an energetic taiko drum display and a traditional sake barrel-breaking ceremony to bring luck to Japan’s tourism industry.

In March this year, Japan was hit by the strongest earthquake in its recorded history and this was followed by tsunami waves. According to figures from the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), visitor arrivals in April from its top ten markets fell by more than 50% year-on-year. In the period from March to May, visitor arrivals from Singapore, Japan’s ninth biggest market dropped 63%, from 42,300 in 2010 to 15,600 in 2011.

In terms of air traffic, passenger movements between Singapore and Japan, one of Changi Airport’s top ten markets, have declined 13.2% year-on-year between March and June. Traffic to Tokyo has been impacted more, dropping 16.8% during the same period.

To revive the interest of holiday makers to visit Japan, Changi Airport Group (CAG) is spearheading the Friends of Japan initiative, by working closely with partners, including travel agents and airlines. The initiative aims to reach out to various market segments through a variety of platforms. CAG’s support will amount to close to S$700,000.

All things Japanese
‘Enchanting Japan’ at Changi Airport, from 15 to 17 July, is one in a series of activities to get Singapore residents interested in visiting Japan again. At the fair, visitors can check out various tour packages offered by major travel agents. Tourism representatives from Japanese prefectures including Gifu, Kanagawa, Nagano, Shizouka and Toyama as well as the JNTO, are also on hand to provide advice on planning a holiday in Japan.

There are daily travel quiz shows with prizes such as Japanese gifts and Changi Dollar vouchers plus a chance to win free holidays to Japan in the daily lucky draw. Visitors will also enjoy Japanese cultural activities such as origami and soba-making demonstrations, and entertainment like minyo folk dance and Cosplay (costume play). The ‘Enchanting Japan’ fair is opened from 11am to 10pm daily, and admission is free, according to a Changi Airport report.

As an added bonus for consumers to choose Japan as their holiday destination this year-end, CAG will present $30 Changi Dollar vouchers daily to the first 1,000 who book a travel package to Japan (on direct flights) at the upcoming NATAS Travel Fair in August.

Multi-platform initiative
As part of the Friends of Japan initiative, CAG has sponsored advertorial features in major local dailies to introduce lesser-known Japanese destinations that have been unaffected by the events in March. Complementing these advertorials are tour promotions to Japan by travel agents.

CAG is also partnering Chan Brothers Travel, one of Singapore’s largest tour operators, for a series of daily live radio broadcasts on 883Jia FM, Love97.2 FM and Radio100.3 FM. Over a three-week period in end-July and August, each station’s DJ will tour Japan for a week and provide first-hand accounts of the sights and sounds to their listeners.

To extend the initiative outside of Singapore, CAG is working with Singapore Airlines (SIA) to reach out to its overseas markets. Leveraging its strong connectivity to Indonesia, India and Australia, which are emerging markets for Japan, SIA is offering promotional fares to Japan via Singapore in these markets. Passengers will also enjoy overnight stays in Singapore at special prices. This campaign hence drives overseas traffic to both Singapore and Japan at the same time.