Business Opportunities
JATA Tourism EXPO Japan 2014
One of the largest and most comprehensive tourism events in the world
Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan
September 25-28, 2014
Savoring All the World's Cultures in Just 4 Days
The JATA Expo Brings World Tourism to Tokyo
Superb Show Organization Praised by All Exhibitors
The first 2 days were exclusively for tourism industry representatives: pre-arranged business meetings the 1st day, and open sessions at the individual booths were held on the 2nd day.
There was almost universal praise for the pre-arranged business meetings between exhibitors and local tourist agencies, operators, and wholesalers. "We had many great meetings with tour operators and travel agents," said Ms. Monica Taylor-Lee, of the Wyoming (USA) Office of Tourism. Ms. Sara Chavoshi of Azadi International Tourism, Iran, was also enthusiastic: "it was a great opportunity to connect with agents. Japan and Asia are our target regions to promote tourism. We also like that the JATA show combined both Inbound and Outbound tourisms."
Mr. Pablo Cagnoni, Asia Market Coordinator of the Argentine Tourism Promotion Institute, wanted even more meetings: "The 1st day meetings were great. We would like another whole day like that!" Other exhibitors expressed the same sentiment.
Exhibitors thought the show greatly improved. Mr. Dominic Junghaenel, Partnership Development Manager of Simon Shopping Destinations, liked the new visitor categories used this year: "Last year the badges just said 'visitor', but this year they have clearer categories." (The badges now show if the visitor is a member of JATA or JTTA.) Said Ms. Madoka Sakaguchi, Chairman of Rainbownesia, a non-profit which promotes tourism to Micronesia, "one good thing this year - during the 2 business days, the exhibition stayed open until 8 PM, instead of 6 PM. So people could leave work at a normal time and still have time to visit the show."
Bringing the World of Tourism to Japan
The last 2 days of the exhibition were open to the general public, and people flooded in to enjoy the colorful booths, interesting cuisines, and native costumes, which lent a party air to the exhibition. Mr. Dominic Junghaenel was happy to see so many people, not just Japanese but other Asians as well, enjoying themselves. "I'm told this is the biggest show in Asia. It's great for people who can't travel abroad - they can come here for a holiday feeling," he said. Like Mr. Junghaenel, we're sure many of these people will be selecting foreign travel destinations based on their experiences at the show.
Many countries were eager to introduce their unique customs and fascinating tourist sites to Japan. Ms. Nia Niscaya of Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism has exhibited at the show many times. She remarked that "Japan is a traditional tourism market for Indonesia, most tourists visit Bali - but we have much else to offer, a culture with many languages, religions, and peoples, as well as natural wonders like komodo dragons and orangutans!"
A newcomer to the show was the Caribbean region, represented by Ms. Lilia Ramjeawan, Special Assistant of the Caribbean Community Secretariat. "Japan," she said, "is a newer market for the Caribbean. People seem interested in our region, so we are here to meet regular tourists and tourism industry business people like website developers and marketers, learning what to do for next time."
Well Displayed Japanese Arts and Crafts for the Global Market
A special feature of the "Japan Zone" was the amazing hands-on demonstrations of many beautiful traditional arts and crafts from different regions of Japan.
Mr. Katsutoshi Yaguchi of the Mashikoyaki Pottery Cooperative Selling Center pointed out that exhibiting in international fairs has increased direct orders from abroad, particularly from Japanese restaurants which serve sake: "they love our sake caps and big plates."
Ms. Kaname Sato of the Ningyo no Tokyu store, a member of the Iwatsuki Doll Association exhibiting in the booth of the Association of Traditional Craft Industries, emphasized the need to introduce traditional Japanese culture to the world. "To appreciate our Edo Wooden Dolls is to gain insight into Japanese history, tradition and craftsmanship. After all, to introduce culture and tradition is much harder than just selling products. In many cases foreign college students staying in Japan seek us out for hands-on learning experiences."
All in all, this exhibition fulfilled the serious purposes of the business people attending, while also delighting the casual visitors interested in global travel and cultures.
| EXHIBITION DATA | |
|---|---|
| Exhibition Name |
JATA Tourism EXPO Japan 2014
|
| Dates | September 25-28, 2014 |
| Frequency | Annual (1st time in 2014: this exhibition is a new combination of the "Tabi Fair Japan" and the "JATA TABIHAKU" exhibitions) |
| Venue | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan |
| Theme | "The Power of Travel" |
| Exhibitor Totals | 1,129 tourism organizations/companies from 151 countries/regions and 47 Japanese prefectures |
| Visitor Totals | 157,589 visitors |
| Ticketing |
Day ticket: Adults 1,300 yen, Students 700 yen (tax included) Advance ticket: Adults 1,100 yen, Students 600 yen (tax included) Admission is free for junior and senior high school students, and elementary school children and younger accompanied by a guardian. |
| Organizers |
Japan Travel and Tourism Association (JTTA) Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) |
| Contact |
JATA Tourism EXPO Japan Promotion Office TEL: +81-3-5510-2004 E-mail: event@t-expo.jp |
