H.I.S. Co., Ltd. (HIS), a major Japanese travel agency, will strengthen its escorted group tours to Australia and Europe for the summer vacation period.
Since a decline in crude oil prices is not expected until around next spring, HIS forecasts that the number of Japanese traveling overseas in the second half of the fiscal year (May to October) will fall below the previous year’s level.
During the busy summer peak season, by securing airline seats and expanding experience-based, high value-added tour products, the company will intensify its approach not only to its main and steadily performing senior customer segment, but also to younger travelers and affluent customers.
For travel to Australia, HIS will leverage the advantage of having zero fuel surcharges and further strengthen cooperation with the Australian government tourism board. As a top-priority market for Japanese outbound travel to Australia, bookings are progressing at 150% compared to the same date last year. For escorted tours to Europe from Japan, the company is expanding itineraries that avoid transits via the Middle East, capturing safety-conscious travelers, with bookings progressing at 130% compared to the same date last year. In addition, HIS will operate daily charter flights to Guam from Japan with T’way Air to capture family demand. To tap into alternative and complementary demand to overseas travel, the company will significantly enhance its package products for Hokkaido and Okinawa within Japan.
The substantial reduction in Japanese passport application fees and the fact that this year’s “Silver Week” (a series of public holidays in Japan) will be up to nine consecutive days for the first time in 11 years are also providing a tailwind. As a result, Silver Week sales handled by HIS have reached 205.4% compared to the same date last year.
