Knowledge of the Japanese market and business etiquette

Japanese tourism trend and
potential for Baltics & South Coast of Finland
Shigeyoshi Noto
Foresight Marketing

The shortcut
between Asia
and Europe
Flying via Helsinki means the
geographically shortest
route, smooth and
uncongested transits, and
straighter flights that
generate fewer emissions.
31 weekly flights from Japan

Tokyo 38.6 mio
Nagoya 7.4 miio
Osaka 17 mio
• GDP: World No.3, 4.58 trillion €
(8.2% of world GDP)
• 128 mio population,
• 10th biggest population in the
world
• 3 metropolitan areas (Tokyo
metropolitan area is No.1 in the
world）
• 11 cities more than 1mio
population
Geography

Demography
Baby boomer
Baby boomer Jr
Average longevity: 80.21 66% live in urban area
Birth rate per couple:1.2

The difference between 2 Asian markets
The year of liberalization of overseas traveling
China
(1997)
Korea
(1989)
Japan
(1964)
Matured
7

Dawn of Japanese overseas traveling
1964

The number of Japanese travelling abroad
(Thousands)
Source: Ministry of Justice “Statistics of Immigration Control”
9
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
20,000
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Financial
crisis
Great East Japan
EarthquakeIraq war/
SARS

Number of Overseas Travelers by Month
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
Jan. Feb. Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
(Thousands)
10
Spring holidays Summer holidays
Golden
Week
Silver
Week
Fiscal year starts

Numbers of Overseas Travelers by Gender and
Age Group (2013)
299
389
1,067
1,870
2,342
1,867
1,386
477
291
495
1,784
1,489
1,202
1,066 1,045
403
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
0-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Male
Female
(Thousands)
11

• Many national holidays
• Frequent long weekends
• Short holidays
• Less consumption of paid holidays

Numbers of Overseas Travelers by Gender and
Age Group (2015)
(Thousands)
20
293
380
994
1,730
2,252
1,903
1,278
448
285
479
1,542
1,293
1,123
981
883
353
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
0-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Male
Female

Number of Overseas Trips Taken and Previous
Travel Experience
An average of 1.6 trips were taken by overseas travelers during the year 2015. The highest average number (2.0)
was for middle-aged men, while the lowest (1.2) was for housewives.
Once,
68.6%
Twice,
18.9%
3 times,
6.5%
4 times,
2.6% 5 or more,
3.3%
Number of Overseas Trips in 201５
Average: 1.6 times in 2015
Average: 17.0 times
Source: JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. “Factual Survey of the Overseas
Travel Situations” 21
Once, 4.9%
2-3 Times,
12.4%
4-5 Times,
12.1%
6-9 Times,
16.1%
10-19
Times,
23.9%
20 or more
times,
29.6%
No answer,
0.9%
Previous Experience of Overseas Travel by Market
Segment in 2015

Destinations by Market Segment
East Asia, 24.8%
China, 7.2%
Southeast Asia, 21.9%
U.S. Mainland, 6.4%
Canada, 1.3%
Hawaii, 10.3%Guam/Saipan, 4.5%
South Pacific islands,
0.7%
Oceania, 2.5%
Europe/Russia,
16.5%
Latin America & the
Caribbean, 1.6%
Middle East/Africa
etc., 2.1% No answer, 0.1%

Purpose of Travel
Travel Situations”
Tourism, 70.6%
Honeymoon, 3.9%
To visit family
or friends,
5.2%
Business trips,
13.0%
Training/inspection
trips, 1.6%
Conference
attendance, 1.6%
Overseas
study/School trips,
1.3%
Others, 1.8%
No answer, 1.0%
23

Travel Duration: Europe/Russia
The proportion of trips lasting 1 to 4 days was again the highest in East Asia. For remoter destinations, such as
Canada, Europe & Russia, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa, etc., over 60% lasted at least eight days.
2.1%
31.3%
33.2%
39.7%
58.9%
23.4%
5.6%
4.8%
0.1%
0.9%
Europe/Russia
Overall average
Travel Duration by Destination (2015)
1-4 days 5-7 days 8-14 days 15 days or more No answer
(100%)
24
(n = 710)
(n = 4,302)

Travel Companions
Traveling alone continued to expand.
2015
2014
2013
2011
2009
2007
22.2%
20.5%
20.0%
23.6%
21.2%
22.7%
20.9%
20.0%
20.7%
22.6%
23.2%
22.6%
19.3%
20.3%
20.3%
21.7%
23.3%
21.1%
9.4%
11.9%
11.5%
8.8%
9.6%
11.5%
23.6%
22.7%
22.6%
19.7%
19.7%
17.3%
3.0%
2.7%
2.8%
2.2%
2.2%
3.6%
1.6%
1.8%
2.1%
1.5%
0.9%
1.3%
Husband or wife Family/ relatives Friends/ acquaintances Fellow employees
Alone Others No answer
(n = 3,960)
(n = 4,363)
(n = 4,262)
(n = 4,485)
(n = 4,376)
(n = 4,302)
(100%)

Activities at Destinations
2.8%
0.2%
0.3%
1.1%
1.7%
2.0%
2.3%
2.3%
3.4%
3.4%
3.4%
4.5%
5.3%
5.8%
6.1%
7.9%
8.3%
8.3%
14.6%
25.2%
28.1%
52.1%
58.7%
59.9%
61.8%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Others
Skiing
Business
Cruises with one or more overnight stays
Watching sports
Playing golf
Wedding ceremony
Gambling
Other sports
Driving
Hiking/ Mountaineering
Scuba diving
Night tour
Visiting family/friends
Day-return cruises
Theme parks
Theater performances/Concerts/Movies
Swimming
Beauty treatments/Massage
Rest & Relaxation
Art galleries & Museums
Historic and cultural attractions
Shopping
Gourmet sampling
Natural & scenic attractions
2015
2014
“Viewing natural and
scenic attractions” retained
top place for the second
year. “Shopping” dropped
blow 60% for the first time
in 12 years.
26

Travel Costs by Destination: Europe/Russia
Looking at the total expediture of travelers who participated in package tours, they were the highest for trips to
Latin America, at 660,000 yen. This was followed by other remote locations including Canada at 462,000 yen, the
South Pacific Islands at 432,000 yen, and Europe & Russia at 406,000 yen. Tour costs generally declined as a
percentage of total expenditure for all major destinations.
32.2
19.6
2.7
2.8
4.8
3.8
0.9
0.9
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Europe/ Russia
Overall average
Tour participation costs Local travel charges Shopping Other costs
Total: 27.0
(10,000 yen)
(n = 309)
(n = 1,628)
(Share) (72.5%)
(10.2%) (13.9%)
(3.3%)
(79.3%)(Share) (6.6%) (11.8%)
(2.2%)
Total: 40.6
27

Destination and Repeat Travelers:
Europe/Russia
57.5
42.8
14.8
15.5
24.9
39.8
2.8
2
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Europe/ Russia
Overall average
Number of Repeat Visits to Destinations (2015)
First Second Third or subsequent No answer
(n = 4,302)
(n = 710)
28

Motivation for Overseas Travel
”There was a destination I wanted to visit” was important for the elderly, ”Recommended or invited by
family/friends” (common among women and younger segments) surged for female students
Could take a holiday,
38.3%
There was a
destination I wanted
to visit, 32.7%
Travel regularly, 20.6%
Recommended or
invited by
family/friends, 18.1%
The cost was low,
13.9%
Could afford it, 10.2%
Honeymoon/
Overseas wedding
ceremony, 5.5%
Frequent flyer
miles, 4.1%
Graduation, retirement or
other cerebration, 3.9%
Others, 4.3%
Motivation for Overseas Travel (2015)
29

Travel Arrangement by Destination:
Europe/Russia
Package tour usage was high for both resort-type and touring destinations. The proportion of individually
arranged travel did decline from the previous year (2014) and there was a noticeable increase in package-tour
usage.
43.5%
37.8%
2.7%
3.1%
52.4%
57.2%
1.0%
1.4%
0.4%
0.5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Europe/Russia
Overall average
Travel Arrangement by Destination (2015)
Package tours Group travel Individually arranged travel Others No answer
(n = 4,302)
(n = 710)
Source: Japan Tourism Marketing Co., “Factual Survey of the Overseas Travel
Situation” 30

Travel Package Type by Destination:
Europe/Russia
Full-package tours are for mainly touring destinations; free-time tours are popular for resort areas. In terms of their
destinations, full-package tours for touring destinations headed the list in the Middle East & Africa, etc. and in
Europe & Russia.
82.9%
50.3%
16.8%
47.8%
0.3%
1.4%
0.5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Europe/Russia
Overall average
Travel Package Type (Full vs Free Time) by Destination (2015)
Full-package tours Free-time package tours Others No answer
Situation” 31
(n = 1,763)
(n = 328)

Desire to Travel Overseas by Gender, Age and
Marital Status
All segments showed increasing desire to travel overseas, with single women keen to travel surging past 80%.
2.1
3.6
1.8
4.3
11.2
1.4
3.4
13.8
15.4
27.7
31.2
34.6
14.5
18.8
36.1
35.6
49.1
35.5
34.6
42.8
37.8
27
27.2
8
18.3
11.2
24.1
22.9
12.2
5.6
2.7
3.2
0.9
2.8
6.5
8.8
12.6
10.7
7.5
7.5
14.5
10.6
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Married women (age 40+)
Married men (age 40+)
Married women (age 18-39)
Married men (age 18-39)
Single women
Single men
Overall average
Plan to go within a year No plans, but hope to go Will go if an opportunity arises
Don't especially want to go No desire to go Don't know, No answer
Keen to travel Opposed
32
Source: JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. “Opinion Survey of Overseas Travel
Preference”

Factors Hindering Overseas Travel
1.1%
2.5%
3.1%
4.8%
6.8%
7.6%
7.9%
11.6%
11.9%
13.0%
18.1%
19.5%
23.2%
26.1%
29.7%
30.9%
35.1%
39.7%
51.6%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
No acceptable tour schedule/itinerary/price
Hard to align holidays with desirable companions
No one to go with
Overseas travel is extravagant
Takes too long to get to airport
No destination I would like to visit
Don't agree with foreign customs like tipping
Need to care for family, animals and/or plants
Tiresome travel applications and procedures
Dislike foreign travel
Cannot take time off
Concerned I may become ill
Anxiety about health
Fear of flying
Do not like foreign food
Costs too much
Language concerns
Simply don't feel like it
Security concerns
“Security concerns”
declined but still came top
for a fifth year. Concerned
over the international
situation and costs
declined; those over health
grew.
33
Preference”

Preferred Purpose of Travel
1.3%
2.1%
3.2%
3.5%
4.3%
4.7%
6.0%
9.7%
11.4%
13.1%
14.3%
20.0%
22.5%
31.4%
33.9%
39.0%
44.9%
60.1%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Skiing or other winter sports
Sports (tennis, golf, etc.)
Gambling, shows
Experience latest fashions/trends
International sports events, carnival, etc.
Absorb foreign languages, expert knowledge
Concerts or other musical events
Stay at famous hotels
Meet local people for cultural and other exchanges
Deepen friendship with companions or enjoy family get-togethers
Water sports (windsurfing, scuba diving etc.)
Art galleries and museums
Experience different cultures
Shopping
Rest and relaxation
Local cuisine or favorite foods
Historic sites and architecture
Nature and scenery
Enjoying “nature and scenery”
declined but retained the top
place for the 12th year;
preferences generally ran
lower than last year.
34
Preference”

Travel Reservation Methods
45
51.7
54
56
60.6
58.4
60.8 62.2
26.1
21.3
20.5 19.7
17.4 15.7 17.2
1614.9
17.3
14
13.5 12.1 12.6
10.1 8.8
5.7
1 0.3 0.2 0.1
0.4
0.4 0.3
11.7
11.5 11.5
10.2 9.5 12.3
11.7
12
5.4
2
3.2 3.2
3.5
3.5 3.7
3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Internet
Travel agency outlets
Mail order/telephone
Airlines
Don't know because don't
book myself
Others
Internet
(%)
Situation” 35

Desired destinations
Ranking 2015 2016
1 Hawaii Hawaii
2 Italy Australia
3 France Italy
4 Australia France
5 Guam Guam/UK
6 UK Guam/UK
7 Switzerland Germany
8 Germany Switzerland
9 Spain Singapore
10 Canada Spain
18, Scandinavia & Finland Out of ranking : Scandinavia &
Finland

SNS in Japan Jan,2016
Source: Nielsen research

Travel Arrangement by Destination
Europe/Russia
Package tour usage was high for both resort-type and touring destinations. The proportion of individually
arranged travel did decline from the previous year (2014) and there was a noticeable increase in package-tour
usage.
43.5%
37.8%
2.7%
3.1%
52.4%
57.2%
1.0%
1.4%
0.4%
0.5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Europe/Russia
Overall average
Travel Arrangement by Destination (2015)
Package tours Group travel Individually arranged travel Others No answer
(n = 4,302)
(n = 710)
Situation” 40

The number of overnights by Japanese in Finland
134264 136831
146451
176936
205968
191462
200392
214472
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Overnights by Japanese in Finland
13782
21312
15584
6088
14213
17824
22818
27617
25872
17018
14738
17395
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
January February March April May June July August September October November December
2014
2015
2016

43
Japan
83,385,$
18%$
191,462,$
42%$
89,514,$
20%$
88,576,$
20%$
Denmark$ Finland$ Norway$ Sweden$
0%$
10%$
20%$
30%$
40%$
50%$
60%$
70%$
$?$$$$$$
$10$000$$$$
$20$000$$$$
$30$000$$$$
$40$000$$$$
$50$000$$$$
$60$000$$$$
$70$000$$$$
$80$000$$$$
Jan?14$
Feb?14$
Mar?14$
Apr?14$
May?14$
Jun?14$
Jul?14$
Aug?14$
Sep?14$
Oct?14$
Nov?14$
Dec?14$
Japanese$
overnights$in$
the$Nordic$
countries$
Sweden's$
share$%$
Norway's$
share$%$
Denmark's$
share$%$
Finland's$share$
%$
Finland$is$number$one$
Nordic$desTnaTon$in$
Japanese$markets.$
20
VISIT FINLAND STATISTICS 2015

3 client’s profiles for 3 seasons
•Elderly couples in summer season
•All generations in winter season
•Ladies in 20’s-40’s through the year
44

The number of overnights in Estona
8778
10768
17303
22865
23953
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

The number of overnights in Estonia by month
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

No of tourist & overnights in Latvia by Japanese
7322
8988
15606
21575
23191
12765
15776
24798
30033
32387
２０１２２０１３２０１４ 2015 2016
Number of tourists
Number of overnights

Expectation and cultural differences of Japanese tourists
Working culture of Japanese travel agencies
Shigeyoshi Noto
Foresight Marketing

10,100
companies in
2016
Category Ⅰ
708
Category Ⅱ
2,827
Category Ⅲ
5,668
Referral Agent
810
How many travel agencies in Japan ?
Organize packages
• Overseas
• Domestic
Sell packages
• Overseas
• Domestic
Ordered
• Overseas
• Domestic
Organize packages
• Domestic
Sell packages
• Overseas
• Domestic
Ordered
• Overseas
• Domestic
Sell packages
• Overseas
• Domestic
Ordered
• Overseas
• Domestic
Consignment
sales under the
name of travel
agents.
J.A.T.A.

Structure
Land Operators
Travel agents
Whole sellers
Accommodations
Restaurants
Transportation
Guides
Activities
Retailers
Consumers
Airlines

Airlines
• 25 international airports in Japan
• 55 airlines fly from Japan
• Competition with other Asian routes
• Influence by fuel surcharge on travel demand
• Shift from Narita AP to Haneda AP
• Finnair and Japan Air Line have totally 35 weekly
flights in summer.
• Mid-East airlines advance to European business

Role of Land (Tour) Operators
• Offices in Japan
• Communication in Japanese
• Frequent sales calls
• Interpretation between local and Japanese culture
• Control package tour itineraries
• Support sales events of agents
Possibility to shift toward direct consumer sales

Travel Agency Act
• Strict consumer protection law
• Indirect influence to you

New trend and new comers
• Travel agencies shift to inbound business
• Package tour business is getting smaller
• Aggressive non-Japanese Hotel Booking Engines
(Expedia, Booking.com)
• Cruise business is popular among senior
• Cooperation between LCC and agencies
• Website is main booking tools among consumers
• More individual traveling, more solo traveling

New trend and new comers
Trippiece (http://trippiece.com)
Meetrip (http://meetrip.to)
Tabippo (http://tabippo.net)

Difference by areas 1
TOKYO
NAGOYA
OSAKA

Difference by areas 2
Countryside
Urban area

Japanese generally
• They have very limited linguistic ability
• Well known as good manner people
• Their holidays are quite short
Trend going on
• Group traveling →Individual traveling
• Ordinary sightseeing →Purpose led programs
• Touring around → Single destination

Important Segment – Travel Savvy Seniors
GREY Worldwide Inc. 62
“I don’t want to miss the world’s must-see
touching sites/experiences in my life”
Demographics
• 60s +
• Rich senior couples
• Retired
Who they travel with
• Travel on her own
• With Husband, or
Female friends

Important Segment - Culture oriented girls
63
“I like to travel as if I were living like
stylish locals…”
Demographics
• 25 – 45 year old female
• mid to high income
• Living in metropolitan areas
•Travel on her own
•With Husband, or Female
friends

Decision making process
• Ladies are decision makers
• Influence by
short-haul destination: word of mouth
long-haul destination: HP of tourist offices &
agents

Preparation period
• Japanese still appreciate printed materials in
Japanese
• They want to get as much as practical
information such as weather, cloths,
transportations, map e.t.c.
• Concrete proposals are more attractive for
them.

During trip
• Smiling is worth while million euro promotion
• Japanese are not so active people.
• Wifi is must service in accommodation
• “Enjoy yourself “ doesn’t work
• We can treat them in local way, but a bit more
explanation

After trip
• They are potential repeat travelers
• Complains come afterward

Preferred Travel Style (1)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
As many country as possible
One or two destinations
Travel often even it's short
Travel as long as possible, even it's…
Visit same destination repeatedly
Visit different place each time
Stay at prestagious hotel, even expensive
Stay at any hotels with basic amenities
Eat delux meals
Eat at restaurant locals do
Travel in large group
Travel with few friends
Source : JTB Report 2014

Preferred Travel Style (2)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Seek place travelers rarely visit
Visit Famous destination
Arrange myself
Package tour
Make many shoppings including suvenirs
Minimum shopping for myself
Purchase brand goods
Purchace amenities and goods locals do
Spend enjoyable time with travel…
Sightseeing and experience on the spot
Source : JTB Report 2014

Quality level and the scope of the
country tourism products that we
could include to the tour package
Shigeyoshi Noto
Foresight Marketing

The condition tour operator association recommend
when new business starts with suppliers.
Transportation
• The company licensed by local authority
• Utilizing the vehicles licensed by local authority
• Following the low to maintenance the vehicles
• Following the driving regulation by local authority
• Having insurance regulated by local authority
• Having emergency contact
• Driver hopefully speaks English
• Check the record of serious accident
• Having appropriate working condition of the drivers

The condition tour operator association recommend
when new business starts with suppliers.
Accommodations
・ Licensed by local authority
• Following the local laws as accommodation
• Having proper system for fire such as exits
• Good security system
• Following the local sanitation law
• Immediate action plan for injuries and emergency
 . Restaurants
• Licensed by local authority and following the food, sanitary regulation
• Having proper system for fire such as exits
• Environment around restaurant should be clean enough
• Check the record of accidents, incidents, criminal case by local authority

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