Video #9 - Efforts to Revive Japanese Travel to the U.S.
Monday, January 09, 2006BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Despite the long-lasting economic recession in Japan, overseas travel by Japanese tourists was growing steadily until the September 11th terrorist attacks in the U.S. In October, Japan Airlines' passenger traffic on transpacific routes fell by more than 50%, while traffic on Japan-Europe routes dropped by 35%, and Asian routes saw a 30% decline. In addition, on September 21, 2001, the Japanese tour giant JTB reported that 12% of its 32,000 customers had cancelled reserved package tours to U.S. destinations, including Hawaii and Guam. According to a JAL news release in November, "...there is a feeling in the travel industry that this is a serious crisis that may not be a one-time phenomenon but rather could undermine the fundamentals of the international travel industry in Japan."
Recovery in travel from Japan has been lagging behind the rates in the USA and Europe. For example, in the period from September 16 - when flights to and from the U.S.A. resumed - to November 4, Japanese tourism to Hawaii declined to levels more than 60% below the same period a year earlier. On the other hand, tourism to Japan from the U.S. mainland, which slumped by 50% immediately after September 16, is now almost back to the same levels as the winter of last year.
Under normal circumstances, an average of 5,000 people arrive in Hawaii from Japan daily. So in an effort to boost Japanese tourism to Hawaii, a group of Japanese travel business executives held a special tourism conference in Honolulu on December 8, 2001, using the theme, "Freedom to Travel". The purpose of this conference was to send a strong signal back to Japan that it was time for Japanese people to resume traveling abroad, noting that new, improved security systems were in place and people could again travel safely and comfortably. "This is a good demonstration to the traveling public that it's time to get back to normality and that we live in a safer, more secure world," said Mr. Isao Kaneko president of Japan Airlines.
The Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) also sent a contingent of 1,000 travel industry professionals to Hawaii in December to help boost travel. JATA reported plans to launch similar programs for its members to Guam and the U.S. Mainland.
Additionally, the Japan Travel Bureau announced that it would be sending a delegation to the U.S. to develop a campaign for April 2002 that addresses the safety concerns of Japanese travelers. Two ideas are to film peaceful scenes in the U.S., and to have the U.S. ambassador to Japan present a travel security overview.
The Travel Industry Association of America also issued a statement early in October saying: "The Japanese are a very safety conscious people. However, they are also very sentimental, and want to do what they can to help the Americans." In response to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's statement that the best cure for the city would be for people to visit, the tour operator HIS launched an "I Love New York" travel initiative. HIS has already booked 6,000 reservations for the new tour, and has pledged to donate part of the profits to assist New York in its recovery efforts.
SOURCES:
"Japanese tourism update", Pacific Business News, September 17, 2001, http://pacific.central.com/pacific/stories/2001/09/17/daily12.html
"Japan tour agencies return to U.S. mainland", September 21, 2001, http://pacific.central.com/pacific/stories/2001/09/17/daily65.html
"To Recover the Freedom to Travel", JAL News Release, November 29, 2001, http://www.news.jal.co.jp.
Travel Industry Association of America, http://www.tia.org/ivis/marketupdateasia.asp
LESSON PLAN
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 10-12/Economics, International Relations, World History, International Baccalaureate Programs (IB), Current Events, Geography
PURPOSE:
To present activities to be used in a variety of classroom situations in order to enhance student understanding of the Japanese economy and its significance globally.
OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to:
- Compare Japanese tourism to the U.S. before and after September 11, 2001.
- Evaluate the effect of September 11, 2001 on tourism worldwide.
- Predict the state of the tourism industry from Japan to the U.S. by the end of the year.
MATERIALS:
- Background information provided.
- Resources on Japan available at your school's Media Center and the Public Library System in your area.
- Background information available through Internet "search engines."
ACTIVITIES:
May be assigned as group activities or as individual tasks. They may also be designed as preparation for related presentations either by individuals or groups.
- Use charts and graphs to show statistics on Japanese tourism to the United States before and after September 11, 2001. Draw conclusions from your findings.
- Develop an advertising campaign to encourage Japanese tourists to travel to the U.S. Pamphlets, news releases, TV commercials, and sample web pages may be used to illustrate group campaigns.
- Write a position paper predicting the state of the tourism industry from Japan into the U.S. Include statistical information to support your prediction.
- Use charts and graphs to compare and contrast current travel from Japan to other parts of the world. Does terrorist activity seem to be a consideration?
EVALUATION:
Individual assignments should be graded by the teacher using established criteria.
Group activities, presentations and projects may be evaluated by teachers and students using the following criteria and scale:
Content Creativity Clarity
1 = Superior (A) 2 = Excellent (B) 3 = Good (C) 4 = Fair (D) 5 = Poor (F)
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