Travel agencies fear Japanese plans
From
BRUCE ROSCOE,
in Tokyo Plans by Japan’s biggest travel company to set up an office in Auckland this year are causing concern among New Zealand travel agencies’ Tokyo representative offices.
The representatives fear that if the giant Japanese company, Japan Travel Bureau (J.T.8.), is allowed to work freely in New Zealand, control will be lost to Japan over tour prices, shopping commissions, and hotel rates.
If the pattern of huge Japanese travel companies’ European and Asian operations is repeated in New Zealand, there is concern that this will mean much of the income New Zealand is now earning from a growing
industry, will be funnelled back to Japan. J.T.8., which is partly owned by the Japanese Government, has a 28 per cent share in Japanese earnings from travel within Japan, 40 per cent for foreign tourists to Japan, and 13 per cent for outbound Japanese travellers. It has about 246 retail outlets in Japan under its own name, and 66 more through its stake in Travel Land Industries.
In Tokyo, J.T.B. has repeatedly denied it intended to open an office in New Zealand. But at the week-end, its public relations division admitted that its Sydney office three months ago filed a working visa application with the New Zealand Immigration Department for a Japanese man to open what is called
a “representative” office in Auckland.
A J.f.B. spokesman said the new office would only “take care” of arriving Japanese visitors, for example by meeting them at the airport, work which already is done by Japanese staff of New Zealand ground operators. He said the office would not launch commercial operations for Japanese tourists in New Zealand for “three or four years.” No foreign-owned travel companies are known to organise tours in Japan for incoming foreign visitors. The market is too tightly controlled by cartels of Japanese travel agencies.
Foreign companies generally are permitted only to make liaison arrangements for Japanese travelling abroad.
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Press, 20 June 1984, Page 29
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327Travel agencies fear Japanese plans Press, 20 June 1984, Page 29
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