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Japanese Package Tours; How o Get Them To Your Resort
Source: The Philippine Diver
Author: Heneage Mitchell
Date: 1999-08-24
 
JAPANESE PACKAGE TOURS

HOW TO GET THEM

Japanese SCUBA diving package tours are becoming more popular again with each

passing season, according to one of the leading tour operators in Japan, Akira

Uehara of Universal Touring Corporation of Tokyo.

Mr. Uehara has been packaging and marketing specialized SCUBA diving tours to

the Philippines since 1979. Back then, there were only three dive stores in Tokyo.

Diving was mostly in the domain of the commercial and military fields, and business

was not brisk, recalls Mr. Uehara. It took all of three years of diligent marketing

before the business started taking off. UTC is one of the few operators

specializing in SCUBA diving packages, and they have built an enviable reputation

over the years. They send their sales teams to the Philippines to dive and to

experience the resorts and dive services they market. Personal sales calls are

made directly to the more than 500 dive stores and schools across Japan,

supported by brochures and other sales materials. The experience the sales team

has with the dive sites and facilities they are marketing means that they can

easily answer any questions divers may have about the destinations on offer,

something most other package operators cannot match. As a result, UTC has a

great advantage in the SCUBA diving package tour market (there are estimated to

be over 500,000 active divers in Japan today).

Japanese divers tend to prefer travelling in groups because of the potential

language and cultural problems which individual travellers often encounter in

foreign countries. It is not uncommon for Japanese visitors to the Philippines and

elsewhere to find themselves paying more than posted prices for services ranging

from hotel rooms to boats, equipment, and dive guides. By purchasing their

vacation through a reputable travel agency, Japanese tourists are able to pay

fully for everything (except drinks) before leaving their country, thereby relieving

themselves of much of the stress and worry which they may otherwise encounter.

While Guam and Saipan, through their proximity to mainland Japan and because of

their clean waters, are the favourite destnations for Japanese dive travellers, the

Philippines is rapidly becoming more popular. As the Japanese winter is at its

harshest between the months of October to March, the Philippines is an ideal

get-away for the harried Japanese salary man and executive alike. Increasingly,

young Japanese women are signing up for dive packages too, further

demonstrating the potential of safe, reliable package tours. In fact, the main

limitation to market growth is the limited number of seats available on planes flying

to Manila and Cebu. Many of these are taken up by non-diving visitors.

Typically, a package tour from Japan lasts 5 days and 4 nights, usually spanning a

weekend to minimize time off from work. Usually, 6 dives are included, as are all

transfers, meals, tanks, weights, dive guides and boats. Some instructors prefer

to bring their students to the Philippines to teach them, especially during the

winter months, when, according to Mr. Uehara, ?only maniac divers get in the

water?, due to the water temperature and prevailing conditions.

So how can a local dive operation wishing to cash in on the burgeoning package

tour market go about it? Mr. Uehara offers the following advice:

1: Define the services on offer accurately and honestly. Prospective clients want

good dive site descriptions and need to know what brands of equipment are

available and what other amenities are around, such as sailing, golf courses,

shopping, local tours, etc.

2: List all facilities of the resort(s) you are marketing. Is it airconditioned? Does it

have adequate water supply, is hot water available? What sort of meals are

served? Bear in mind that more Japanese lady divers are buying packages, and

they usually prefer comfort and convenience.

3: Include accurate prices for everything: don?t try to load additional revenue on

anything. UTC, in common with most other Japanese agencies, don?t charge a

commission to the resort/dive operators: instead, they put their mark-up on the

price charged to the clients.

Mr. Uehara points out that guests must be satisfied or they will not return,

Success in his business is measured by the number of clients who repeat. Some

UTC guests have returned to avail of their services 20 times and more.

For more information on marketing your resort or dive centre in Japan, contact Mr.

Uehara at UTC, Yagyu Building, 1-15-12 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, Tel.: (03)

3226-8651, fax (03) 3352-8463.
 

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