S.I. can expect Japanese visitors

Press, 14 July 1980, Page 4

S.I. can expect Japanese visitors

From BRONWEN JONES in Tokyo

Japanese tourists arriving

in Auckland on direct flights from Tokyo are unlikely to let extra travel costs deter them from visiting the South Island.

Japan Air Lines began a twice-a-week service on July 5 between Auckland and Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and Air New Zealand will begin a once-a-week service on August 1. Both airlines will stop in Nadi, Fiji, for about one hour to refuel. The new services save changing planes en route to Auckland and substantially cut travel time. This, together with lower air fares, reduces the inconvenience of travelling to New Zealand sufficiently to compensate for an extra flight south. The managers of both airlines feel that worrying that South Island tourism will not benefit from the new flights is unnecessary.

The South Island is the main attraction for Japanese tourists, because of the scenery and the activities thev can enjoy, says Mr Mike

Sano, the Japan manager of Air New Zealand. New Zealand’s ski season coincides with the peak summer holiday season in Japan and although there are problems with accommodation at the ski-fields more and more people are becoming interested, and most Japanese skiers go to the South Island. “We are heavily promoting New Zealand to travel agents, who control about 90 per cent of the travel market, as we cannot afford to promote directly to the consumer, but Japan Air Lines is doing this and our flights throughout August are heavily booked at this end,” Mr Sano says. Mr Hisashi Ito, the general manager of Japan Air Lines international passenger marketing and sales department, says that Japanese tourists will not be satisfied with staying in Auckland. Christchurch, Mount Cook, Milford Sound, and Queenstown are becoming popular and the Japanese will want to go there, he says. Package deals and discount rates offered by both airlines in Japan are certain to en-

courage travel to the South Island.

Japan Air Lines is offering a 10-day package tour for about $3OOO which includes four days in the South Island, and a seven-day package for about $2200 that uses Auckland only as a gateway and does not include any North Island travel.

According to Mr Sano, Air New Zealand offers overseas tourists unlimited travel in New Zealand for 14 days for about $199, or 21 days for $299. There is also the standard 50 per cent standby discount on specified early or late flights as well as 10 to 25 per cent cuts on ordinary flights.

The airline will also:; offer substantial discounts oh the round trip from Tokyo that will leave tourists with more money for internal travel. Compared with the economy fare of about $2200 a 16 to 120-day stay qualifies for a discount round-trip fare as low as $l2OO during the off season. The discount fare*for groups of 20 is as low as $lO5O during the off season.