Focus on the rising sun

NZ’s Dominion Post in a report by Rebecca Palmer from Japan says that Koichi and Yumiko Kobiyama are weighing up three destinations for their holiday – Turkey, Peru and New Zealand.

Turkey and Peru for world heritage sites, New Zealand for its “natural beauty”.

Mr Kobiyama, 60, has recently retired and has more time on his hands, so they went to a giant travel show in Tokyo to check options. Working in New Zealand’s favour is the fact that their daughter chose it for her honeymoon. But they say airfares will be key.

Student Hiroyasu Imaizumi, 23, spent two months studying in Christchurch. He wants to go back so he can snowboard at Mt Hutt, but needs to save money. Girlfriend Marie Yamaguchi, 22, wants to go too. Despite their enthusiasm, they aren’t Tourism New Zealand’s core target market. The Kobiyamas are.

Tourism NZ is working hard on the over-55 Japanese market because they have the time and money. The younger generation have less job security, and therefore less cash. About 1.8 million in this age group are “freeters” – job-hopping part-timers.

Once New Zealand’s fourth biggest source of international visitors, Japan has slipped to fifth, after being overtaken by China. Australia, Britain and the United States are the top three. In the year ended September, 112,152 Japanese tourists arrived in New Zealand, 11 per cent fewer than the previous year. At the peak – the January 2003 year – 174,800 visited.

To tackle the decline, Tourism NZ has been trying to get the Japanese to think of New Zealand as more than just a pretty place with lots of sheep.

Japan’s biggest travel agency, JTB, has introduced a new “eco-luxury” tour, in partnership with Tourism NZ and Air New Zealand, using only Qualmark and Qualmark-Green accredited tourism operators in New Zealand, such as Queenstown’s Millbrook Resort.

“We’ve been sheep, mountains, clean and green for 35 years,” says Jason Hill, Tourism NZ’s regional manager for Japan.

That needs to change if New Zealand wants more top-end travellers. “We’ve got to start investing in changing our image. To date, we haven’t promoted a premium image for the country.”

A steady flow of visitors stopped by New Zealand’s stand at the Japan Association of Travel Agents world travel fair on the artificial island of Odaiba, in Tokyo Bay, over three days. They were particularly keen on the free New Zealand honey samples being given out by a Tokyo-based business.

But the Kiwi approach is minimal compared to dozens of countries it is competing against, many of which are trying to seduce potential tourists by bombarding them with dancers, drumming, music, competitions, food and gifts.

Mr Hill says the agency decided to spend less on flashy displays and giveaways, and more on information for visitors to take home, including a CD with a detailed summary of New Zealand activities, destinations, and flights – plus recorded bird-song.

On a television playing in the stand, 60-year-old actress and TV personality Bibari – Beverly – Maeda, star of 1967 film Son of Godzilla, is doing her bit to sell New Zealand by talking about her own visit this year.

Mr Hill says she is well-respected by the target audience. “She is, for want of a better word, our tourism ambassador.”

Air New Zealand’s general manager for Japan and Korea, Chris Myers, says its main focus is also the 55-plus age group.

“The 55-pluses are different from the 65-year-olds. They come from the baby-boomer generation and are much more active.”

Other targets are the wealthier families and top-end travellers of all ages.

Targeting over-55s is a smart move. “They are a huge bubble in the market. If we simply maintain our percentage of that market as it bubbles through we are going to do very well.”

The fall in the dollar against the yen will also help keep numbers steady despite global financial insecurity, Mr Myers says.

“That’s a huge benefit. New Zealand is now 30 per cent cheaper than last year.”

Neither man talks of getting the numbers up to previous levels. “We’re not going to go back to the heady days of 170,000 Japanese here a year,” Mr Hill says.

“We need to start treating them with a lot more respect.”  “The real strength of New Zealand tourism is at the very top end of the market.”

Though attention has increasingly shifted to the China market, he emphasises bums on plane seats is not the only measure of success. Japanese tourists spent $426 million in New Zealand in the year ended June, compared with $261 million by Chinese tourists.

Mr Hill says the Japanese spend was up 10 per cent on the previous year, “a really good result considering the numbers were down”.

He says there needs to be an increased emphasis on wine, food and luxury accommodation to capture the potential in the top-end market.

For the first time this year, Japanese travel agents promoted luxury lodges Blanket Bay and Huka Lodge.

Meanwhile, New Zealand is not the only country suffering from a decline. The number of Japanese who travelled overseas last year dropped 1.4 per cent compared with the previous year, the first drop since 2003.

Yutsuko Sekigawa, editor-in-chief of Japan’s Travel Life magazine, says travel agents have been grappling with the issue of how to tackle sluggish demand for overseas trips, particularly among the young.

“Some of the younger generation, they think it’s awkward to even apply for a passport.” Youngsters today have less job security than the baby boomers had. “Generally speaking, they have anxieties about the future.”

They may also worry about terrorism, she says. In that respect, New Zealand’s reputation as a clean, green and safe country was a strength.

However, a lack of competition in direct flights was seen as a barrier. “If there were many airlines they might get a competitive rate.”  “For Europe and other destinations, you can find cheaper rates.”

Yoshinobu Ito, 41, and his wife Fumiko, 39, agree saying, “We’d like to go to New Zealand but the flight times between New Zealand and Japan are so long.” “We can’t afford it.”

They’re planning to take their son Yushi, 10, to Guam instead – for the second time.

But for the more senior Kobiyamas, it appeared out that airfares and flight times weren’t an issue.

I later received an e-mail from Mr Kobiyama, informing me the couple had decided on a 10-day whirlwind tour in December, taking in Queenstown, Wanaka, Mt Cook, Christchurch and Auckland.

And not a tour bus in sight.

“We will travel from Queenstown to Christchurch by the rent-a-car,” he wrote.

“Please let me know a place of your recommendation.”

Rebecca Palmer’s three-month exchange to Japan is supported by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

A Report by The Mole from the Dominion Post