News

According to Tokyo Shoko Research, the number of accommodation bankruptcies in Japan in FY2020 was up 71.9% year on year to 127, the first over 100 since FY2013. 68 bankruptcies, 53.5% of the total, were relevant to COVID-19.

JTB opened a Workcation information website for corporations to connect about 35,000 partner companies with 555 local governments nationwide, proposing a variety of Workcation trials for corporations.

JTB survey shows the ratio of ‘married couples or partners’ as a traveling company was up 4.4 points to 33.1% in 2020, and also the ratio of ‘traveling alone’ up 3.9% to 17.1% in the pandemic.

JTB survey shows that more answers of ‘I am willing to travel in Japan more than before' were found among females than among males, and the ratio of 20s and 30s females was particularly higher than any other age and sex segments.

JTB, Snow Peak Business Solutions, JAL and Mitsubishi Estate will create order-made Workcation Plan to solve corporate challenges, assigning a Workcation expert.

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has decided to give financial supports to 16 seaports in Japan to help them address COVID-19 countermeasures toward restart of international cruises.

‘COVID-19 PCR Test Center’ opened in the first and the second passenger terminal of Haneda Airport, serving a quick antigen test mainly for domestic flight passengers.

JAL and the Commons Project confirmed that a PCR test result on digital health passport ‘CommonPass’ was perfectly accepted at Narita Airport in departure and Singapore Changi Airport in arrival.

JTB will build ‘Virtual Japan Platform’ to offer a variety of Japan's experience contents on a virtual space including e-commerce, together with Fun Japan Communications and FIXER, having an initial goal of 10 million active users by 2024.

Japanese guest nights was down 46% year on year to 17.6 million in February 2021 , slightly higher than a 49.7% reduction in January, and the average occupancy rate was 26.9%, improving a little from 23.4% in January.

HIS will open unstaffed stores to provide online travel consultation in ‘Aeon Mall’ in Hokkaido and Aomori, using VR technology of Nurve.

JTB Tourism Research & Consulting's survey shows that Japanese who experienced overseas travelers in 2019 traveled in Japan in 2020 more frequently than those who experienced domestic travel only in 2019.

Hankyu Hanshin Hotels will close five unprofitable hotels under its business structure reform to survive the ongoing pandemic crisis, as its holding company has revised downward its net loss forecast for FY2021 to 40 billion JPY.

ANA and The Commons Project demonstrated digital health accreditation ‘CommonPass’ on the NH10 flight from Haneda on March 29 in cooperation with two Japanese volunteers. This was the first CommonPass trial by a Japanese airline, followed by JAL on April 2.

Narita and Haneda airports will start testing face recognition boarding procedures ‘Face Express’ on April 13 2021, using the NEC biometric identification technology.

JAL and Uber have agreed to a strategic partnership to use the Uber ride-sharing service and food delivery service in North America and Hawaii on JAL app.

ANA Group will kick into gear to establish a Milage-based Ecosystem on its developing super app, launching ‘ANA X’ as a platform business company and ‘ANA Aknido’ as a local revitalization business company.

ANA Sales has started selling package tours for Hawaii departing from July 1 to December 24 this year, offering infection prevention services, such as a transport service for a limited group between the airport and Waikiki.

Five leading organizations for Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer have decided to give up welcoming foreign spectators to ensure safe and security for Japanese people and to pay sold tickets back.

JAL and NEC will jointly demonstrate the face recognition precessing with a mask on at Kagoshima Airport and in Kirishima City until April 21 2021, testing how it works in travel experiences.