N.Z.’s Osaka office will lure Japanese

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 22

N.Z.’s Osaka office will lure Japanese

NZJN Osaka By ALAN GOODALL A new wave of freespending Japanese tourists will hit New Zealand soon in the wake of a unique promotion drive opening this week in western Japan.

A joint New Zealand Gov-ernment-Air New Zealand office opening this week in Osaka, Japan’s second-big-gest city, is expected to double the number of Japanese arrivals, now exceeding 50,000 a year. But the influx will put heavy demands on New Zealand hotels and serviceproviders, particularly in the South Island.

Christchurch and Queenstown were named as destinations most likely to gain from the “Discover New Zealand” drive.

Air New Zealand’s new western Japan sales superintendent, Mr Hiro Yamazaki, said that the new emphasis would open big potential markets for the New Zealand travel industry. “The new arrivals will be wanting to buy souvenirs such as Maori artefacts, sheepskin rugs and greenstone,” he said. “They will buy New Zea-land-made clothing, provided it is made to Japanese sizes.

“They will be staying and spending in hotels they hope will be top international class.”

The Japanese are already the biggest spenders, spending $203 a day, more than the Australians and Americans. The way their numbers are rising they will become the biggest national arrival group as well as the biggest spenders. The Government has cal-

culated the potential earnings and leased office space for both a consulate and tourism promotion centre in Osaka, capital of the thickly populated Kansai region. Mr Michael Lear, aged 38, has been appointed consu-late-general, and Mr Tom Shanahan, formerly of the Tourism Department in Wellington, the consul.

The first venture for this unique Government-private enterprise partnership is to send 14 western Japan travel agents to New Zealand on a familiarisation tour.

By showing these agents the tourism facilities in February, the Osaka office hopes to persuade agents to book Japanese on off-season holidays when New Zealand accommodation is not overextended. Millions of dollars are being lost every year because the Japanese believe New Zealand cannot cater for them in the (northern) summer. Instead, they fly in their millions to the United States and Europe.

Veteran tourism. promoters such as David Lynch, of the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo, have persuaded thousands to fly south, but most of these have come from eastern Japan, round Tokyo. Now the Osaka office in the populous west will urge the westerners to fly to Tokyo to join the twiceweekly Air New Zealand and Japan Air Lines flights to Auckland. Osaka’s new $4O billion airport, to be built on a man-made island, will not be ready for direct flights to Christchurch until 1993.

Tom Shanahan, earlier based in Sydney to encourage Australians across, says he sees a tremendous potential from western Japan even before the direct flights start. “The Japanese already hold a good image of New Zealand,” he said. “Of tourists who go down, 75 per cent make the trip because of recommendations by friends. From this multiple effect, we hope to boost

numbers from western Japan.” Hiro Yamazaki, who flies to New Zealand three times a year and extols New Zealand friendliness, suggests that the tourism industry has yet to capitalise on the full Japanese potential. Japanese-language signs were starting to appear, he said, but more were needed on main corners and in public places such as Christchurch’s Cathedral Square. Copyright, N.Z. Japan News