Japan Airlines (JAL) and TripAdvisor have formed a strategic partnership to launch an immersive multi-media portal, Untold Stories of Japan, to promote inbound tourism to the country, as well as encourage repeat visits.
The portal, which will be launched next month, highlights the best that Japan has to offer to tourists, apart from driving sustainable tourism. It features the Tohoku, Kyushu and Okinawa regions, as well as cities in the vicinity of Kanto region.
JAL and TripAdvisor will also collaborate with local governments, corporations and tourist facilities to further enhance the content and viewership of the portal.
Smiles and handshakes to seal a deal: TripAdvisor’s Steve Kaufer (right) with JAL’s Yoshiharu Ueki
“We are fully committed to not only supporting the government’s efforts to grow foreign visitor arrivals by 40 million by 2020, but also to encourage these visitors to keep visiting Japan,” said Yoshiharu Ueki, president of Japan Airlines.
“What we will create together is a powerful platform that can help drive a revitalisation of rural Japan by getting travelers to go further and stay longer, local businesses can capitalise this inbound interest to grow the economy in the long term.”
Ueki commented that while JAL, as a premium Japanese airline, is in “a unique position to get travellers here, it is TripAdvisor that can help the world know Japan better.”
Added Stephen Kaufer, president & chief executive officer of TripAdvisor: “There is so much for travellers to uncover in Japan and TripAdvisor, together with Japan Airlines, wants to help them discover the country, maximise their trip and get the most out of their budget,”
Untold Stories of Japan will be available on desktop, tablet and mobile in different languages including English, traditional and simplified Chinese and Thai.
Data from TripAdvisor shows that global inbound travel interest in Japan has been growing at an average rate of 30% year-on-year over the past four years, with majority of interest focused on the Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto prefectures.
• Featured image credit: pat138241/iStock
