Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Japanese guests’ arrival low
AN international hotel chain has blamed the lack of direct flights between Cebu and Japan for its lower-than-expected occupancy of Japanese guests.
Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa general manager Peter Hogh Pedersen said the hotel expected a significant growth in the number of Japanese guests after it hosted the Japanese delegation, which included Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Cebu last January.
“We had high hopes after the Asean summit but sad to say, there’s not much improvement,” he said, adding that Hilton Cebu even participated in trade shows in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan.
Japanese guests account for about 20 percent of the hotel’s occupants, compared to the Koreans who make up 30 percent.
Department of Tourism 7 data shows that from January to June this year, 66,817 Japanese came to Cebu, registering a growth of almost 15 percent over the January-June 2006 figure of 58,243.
But Pedersen said Japanese tourists are probably discouraged from traveling with only four to five flights a week from Tokyo to Cebu — and six- to eight-hour travel time for those from Osaka who have to take a connecting flight to Tokyo then Cebu.
Accessibility
“With six to eight hours travel time, they might as well get a direct flight to Bali (Indonesia) or Phuket (Thailand,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
Accessibility will remain to be the most vital factor in increasing foreign arrivals to Cebu, especially the Japanese, who are known to be heavy spenders, said Pedersen.
“They always stay at five-star hotels and spend for finer things in life, like the most expensive wine in a hotel,” he said.
Pedersen also said he will support efforts to increase direct flights from Osaka to Cebu which will cover Japan’s western coast.
Japanese from Osaka will have to take a plane to Tokyo where they will take another flight to Cebu.
In March this year, Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano said Philippine Airlines will launch this year its Osaka-Cebu flight, which is expected to bring in more tourists from Japan’s second fastest growing outbound market.
In preparation for the possible influx of Japanese tourists, Pedersen said Hilton Cebu will hire Japanese native speakers and improve the hotel’s brochures and website to cater to this particular market segment.
These same marketing strategies are also needed to address the concerns of other foreign guests in the hotel, Pedersen said.
“We will have to look at new markets, in the meantime. It’s important not to put your eggs in one basket,” he said.
The Chinese and the Russians are considered growing markets of Cebu’s tourism industry. (MMM)
