Big Japan travel agents due despite emergency

Top executives of Japan’s big travel firms in Tokyo and Yokohama are coming to the Philippines this month, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said.

Durano cited the increasing salability of Philippine destinations to the Japanese outbound market despite the country being under a state of national emergency.

Slated to arrive in Manila are Eiju Abe, president of Kamome Tours; Yasuhiro Yamazaki, president of Royce Confect Co. Ltd., wholesale agents and media representatives, and relatives of World War II veterans, among others.

The municipal members of Abe and Yokohama will be in Manila on March 28-29, while Yamazaki will visit Manila and Cebu on March 15-25.

Meanwhile, at least 115 Japanese comprise the KNT Izokukai memorial tour group who is visiting war memorial sites all over the Philippines until March 5. They are going to Tacloban, Davao, Cebu, Subic, Clark, Bataan, and Corregidor.

Ten wholesale travel agents and media representatives from Tokyo are also scheduled for a familiarization tour of El Nido and Manila until March 6, focusing on activities that can be included in their sales packages.

A golf familiarization tour in Davao is also set on March 10-12 for 10 top-level wholesale executives.

"All of them will market our tourism destinations, products and services in Japan," Durano said, noting the consistent increase of Japanese arrivals to the Philippines since 2004.

Durano expects their number to further increase this year and account for a huge share of the 2006 target foreign arrivals of three million.

"More Japanese tourists are expected this year for the ongoing celebration of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Year," he added.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which are celebrating the event with year-round socio-economic and cultural activities.

Japan has been the Philippines’ second-biggest trading partner and source of foreign investments and tourists, and largest donor of official development assistance.