Japanese tourist flow steady

Press, 13 June 1984, Page 3

Japanese tourist flow steady

From

BRUCE ROSCOE,

in Tokyo

The traditional dip in the number of Japanese tourists visiting New Zealand in winter months is disappearing, according to the New Zealand Government Tourist Office at Tokyo. Until now, Japanese tourist traffic has been markedly seasonal to the

distress of travel groups, hotels, and motels which have invested in facilities for Japanese. Hotels in particular have been heavily booked in summer months but under-patronised in winter. “The off-season trough may no longer exist,” said Mr David Lynch, the tourist office manager for Japan. “The advanced bookings for this month are way

above those of last year. There is a big increase in the number of skiers, and an overflow from the peak season. Japanese who could not get on Summer tours appear to have delayed their trips until the winter,” Mr Lynch said. Japanese visitors to New Zealand in the year to March 31 totalled 34,661, an increase of 20.2 per cent over the year before, according to the latest official figures. The total includes about 3500 Japanese visiting on business, both private and official. Japan ranked fourth in the number of arrivals, after Australia, the United States and Great Britain. But its actual position as a tourist market was third because a large proportion of British visitors came only to see friends and relatives.