Author name: Hiroya Mukainakano

Hokkaido Booth at The Japan Rail Fair 2024!

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■Introduction

In this month’s report, we bring you a look at The Japan Rail Fair 2024 held in Singapore. Our office collaborated with Yotsuba Milk Products Asia (The Singapore branch of Yotsuba Milk) to showcase a Hokkaido booth, promoting Hokkaido’s food and tourism appeal.

 

○The Japan Rail Fair 2024

Organizer：JR East Southeast Asia Business Development (Singapore Branch of JR EAST)

Dates：October 11 (Friday) – October 13, 2024 (Sunday)　11：00～20：00 (Closing at 18：00 on the final day)

Venue：Urban Park at Guoco Tower(1 Wallich Street Singapore 078881)

Overview：Japanese local governments, and companies exhibited booths to promote the appeal of Japan’s food, tourism and culture.

■Event Highlights

The event featured 22 organizations, including municipalities such as Hokkaido, Akita Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Azumino City, Akita City, as well as the Fukuoka Tourism Association, San’in Inbound Organization, Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, JR Kyushu, Air Japan, and KIRIN Holdings, each promoting their offerings. At the Hokkaido booth, our office distributed Hokkaido tourism brochures and held a lucky draw, while Yotsuba Milk provided free samples of four varieties of milk available at local retail stores (plain, strawberry milk, milk tea, and coffee milk), drawing many visitors. On the final day, we held a Hokkaido presentation, sharing information on Hokkaido tourism and the product lineup of Yotsuba Milk.

■ Visitor Comments

・”We’re planning a family trip to Hokkaido in December and we will be meeting family members who live in the U.S. over there.”

・”We’re planning a 10-day trip to Hokkaido in June next year and are looking forward to enjoying the natural scenery, hot springs, and gourmet foods.”

・”I love Yotsuba’s strawberry milk and buy it often. I’m thrilled to have had a chance to try the coffee milk this time.”

■Observations

This event served as an excellent opportunity to promote Hokkaido’s food and tourism through a joint effort between public and private sectors. We will continue to utilize similar events to actively promote the charms of Hokkaido.

Hokkaido Booth
Yotsuba Milk Sampling
Event Highlights

Popularity Travel Destinations in Hokkaido among ASEAN countries

English / By /

 

■Introduction

In this month’s report, we will highlight the popular travel destinations in Hokkaido from the feedback that our office has gotten from visitors and travel agencies that we have encountered at travel fairs our office have participated in, focusing on 3 ASEAN countries: Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia. Additionally, the number of foreign tourists from each country who visited Japan and Hokkaido is as follows.

Inbound tourists to Japan (*1) Inbound tourists to Hokkaido (*2)
Singapore 616,962 70,100
Philippines 712,925 22,200
Indonesia 463,770 21,000

※１：Based on inbound tourism statistics from Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)

※２：Based on the Hokkaido Tourism Visitor Survey Report

■Singapore

According to JNTO Singapore office, the percentage of FIT (Foreign Independent Travelers) is as high as 95%, with a trend of them gathering information online or via social media, and arranging their own trips. There are also many repeat visitors to Japan, especially to Hokkaido, as its vastness often requires multiple visits to explore.

Notably, these travelers do not limit themselves to Central Hokkaido but explore the entire region. Many are seasoned travelers who take domestic flights from Haneda Airport to local airports in Hokkaido. At a travel expo in August, we have heard several interesting stories, such as “I photographed a wild deer at the Notsuke Peninsula in Winter”, “Can you recommend a hotel on Rishiri Island?”, and “I visit Kikonai because the expressway opened.” It was surprising to see how many travelers were seeking more niche travel destinations in Hokkaido.

As for how they spend their time during their stay, their preferences varied from “I want to drive on wide roads since Singapore is so small”, “I want to visit different hot springs,” “I want to cycle around various areas of Hokkaido,” to “I just want to eat delicious food in Hokkaido all day, every day”

Hokkaido Booth at NATAS Holiday Travel Fair, Singapore
■Philippines

Although there has been an increase in travelers to Honshu due to the addition of flights between Manila and Kansai, many expressed a strong desire to visit Hokkaido at the travel expo held in Manila this February. When we distributed tourism brochures, many people eagerly turned to the winter pages and asked questions such as ‘Where can we see snow?’ and ‘When is the Snow Festival?’ indicating a high level of interest in winter travel. According to local travel agencies, package tours focusing on Central Hokkaido, which require less travel, are popular. These tours often include a one-night stay at a hot spring resort and tend to offer a relaxed sightseeing experience within a relatively small area.

Travel Tour Expo, Hokkaido Presentation, Philippines
■Indonesia

At the travel expo held in Jakarta last month, there were more visitors with experience or plans to travel to Hokkaido than expected, and we provided various tourist information to them. Many attendees seemed interested in Hokkaido due to the anime ‘Golden Kamuy,’ which features Ainu culture, and we had opportunities to introduce ‘Upopoy’ and ‘Akan Lake Ainu Village’ at the expo. Additionally, because many trains in Indonesia are former Japanese models, there was interest in ‘railfanning’ in Hokkaido, with some considering travel plans using the Hokkaido JR Pass. According to local travel agencies, while many people visit Hokkaido for its magnificent natural landscapes, food can be a barrier for Muslim travelers, which often complicates travel plans to Japan.

Hokkaido booth at Japan Travel Fair, Jakarta

■Looking Ahead

Although the level of awareness of Hokkaido varies by country, Hokkaido tourism is a compelling content that attracts many people. We will continue to work on promoting Hokkaido’s charm to expand inbound tourism.

 

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