Bali is a land of contrasts: mountains and valleys, beach clubs and rice paddies, local noodle shops and upscale modern restaurants. Here, we look at three prime areas for those who want to discover Bali without bounds.
Read the rest in the digital issue of North Shore Living
Ise-Shima, in Japan's Mie Prefecture, is enjoying a boost in tourism after hosting the G7 summit in May, as visitors flock to the area to follow in world leaders' footsteps. Shima Kanko Hotel, where world leaders stayed for the summit, was at 85 per cent occupancy throughout November, normally the low season…
Just an hour away from Tokyo by bullet train lies a charming mountain town you've probably never heard of. But Karuizawa, a popular summer home location for Tokyo residents looking to escape the city heat, welcomes approximately eight million visitors per year, according to Mari Kashiwagi, secretary of the Karuizawa Tourist Association. For several summers in the 1970s, John Lennon and his family were among those visitors, regularly staying at the Mampei Hotel…
Early Tuesday morning local time, an earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima in the northeast of Japan. The 7.4 magnitude earthquake also shook buildings in Tokyo, where PAX is on location for the Visit Japan Project 2016, but there was no danger in Japan’s capital.
Following that unexpected wake-up call, we explored the Asakusa area, the location of the Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise shopping street, and enjoyed a multi-course Japanese set lunch at the Asakusa View Hotel, so named because of its impressive outlook over Tokyo and the Tokyo Skytree. After an afternoon strolling through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, we headed to the Visit Japan Project networking reception at Akasaka Palace, marking the first time the State Guest House has been opened for a public event.
“This site until now was used only to welcome state guests,” said Akihiko Tamura, commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, noting that the agency plans to increase the use of Japan’s historic buildings to “create renewed interest in Japan’s cultural sites.”
That opening up of “unique venues” for tourism is among the efforts to “transform Japan into a tourism-oriented country,” said Ryoichi Matsuyama, president of the Japan National Tourism Organization. It’s one of the “strong government initiatives to make full use of local tourism resources to enhance the competitiveness of Japanese tourism.”
“As we look toward the future, we will generate innovation at all levels of the travel and tourism industry,” Matsuyama said.
That will involve “more cooperation between regions, industries, and the public and private sectors to expand tourism even further,” said Norio Yamaguchi, chairman of the Japan Travel and Tourism Association.
Japan welcomed 19.74 million tourists in 2015, said Keiichi Ishii, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. As of October, the number of visitors for 2016 had reached 20.11 million, marking the first time more than 20 million visitors have come to the country in one year and an increase of 23.3 per cent over last year. With those increasing numbers, Japan is targeting 40 million visitors annually by 2020, Ishii said.
More than 80 international travel agents are in Japan as part of the Visit Japan Project. Stay tuned this week for more updates from Japan as PAX explores Karuizawa and Ise-Shima, both sites of G7 meetings in 2016.
This post originally appeared on PAXNewsWest.com in 2016.
Located just south of the Fraser River, Richmond is literally minutes from Vancouver by car or transit. The city's large Asian community (65 per cent of residents) makes it an important hub of Asian culture in the Lower Mainland.
It's also a culturally significant site of Metro Vancouver's maritime history, with National Historic Sites at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery and Britannia Shipyards.
Read the story in the S-Magazine Winter 2017 digital issue
Contiki Holidays Canada welcomed 45 agents to a launch party for the new 2017-18 itineraries last night in Vancouver. With 21 new itineraries in Europe and five in Asia, there was plenty to talk about.
“Contiki Canada didn’t want to do just a Europe launch” Sheralyn Berry, director of sales, told PAX. “Asia and Latin America are becoming hotspots.”
The new Asia itineraries take Contiki into India for the first time in 40 years, and add Singapore as a new destination. The company has also added 600 seats for its popular Thai Island Hopper itineraries.
That said, Europe represents 75 per cent of the Millennial-focused travel company’s business, and Greece remains the top-selling destination, making the new Greek Week itinerary featuring small groups of up to 25 passengers a potential top seller for 2017-18.
In a nod to the way Millennials travel, Contiki has also launched new Limited Edition Summer Series itineraries that allow passengers to explore destinations based on one of three themes: Snap, Munch or Boutique Local.
“Snap is all about upping your Instagram game,” Berry told PAX. “You’ll learn from a professional photographer how to take that beautiful sunset picture or that group shot. You can use a professional camera or, like most Millennials, your phone.”
Munch, of course, is for “the foodiest of foodies,” Berry told PAX. “You’ll eat your way through the Mediterranean, learn how to cook pasta and taste wine throughout Italy.”
Boutique Local highlights “the cutest little small boutique accommodations and little cocktail bars,” Berry said. “These are Pinterest-style rooms for those who don’t want to stay in the big, beige European hotels.”
With all of those social media-worthy experiences and photos, Contiki is recognizing Millennials’ desire to connect online with a tour manager-led Facebook group for each tour and free Wi-Fi at all hotels. The first 100 megabytes of Internet use on the coach are also free, Berry said, and after that packages for further coach access are available.
As Millennials face changing schedules – unknown exam dates, new jobs and so on – Contiki has implemented a Freedom Guarantee that allows passengers to book any trip with a $200 deposit that will not be lost if they change their dates, itinerary or even postpone travel for one to two years.
“There are no penalties at all for changing your mind,” Berry said.
With 35 per cent of Millennial travellers seeking advice from travel professionals, it’s important for agents to recognize that not all young people are looking for the same experiences from their travel, Berry told PAX.
“Don’t assume that every student wants High Energy,” she told PAX. Further, since Millennials spend more money on average on travel than Baby Boomers, “don’t think when a Millennial walks into your office that they’re looking for the cheapest option.”
She said agents should use qualifying questions to match a potential client with one of Contiki’s eight travel styles: Discovery Plus, High Energy, In-Depth Explorer, Easy Pace, Camping, Sailing and Cruise, Festivals and Short Stays, and Winter and Ski. “Agents are really starting to grasp onto this,” Berry said, noting that the sales team can help agents match clients to travel styles if they are at all unsure.
Currently, 40 per cent of bookings coming in to the sales centre are for winter in Europe, Berry said, with passengers booking only 30 to 60 days in advance.
The 2017-18 Contiki Europe brochure is available now, and Asia brochures will be available by mid-November.
This post originally appeared on PAXNewsWest.com in 2016.
Air Canada welcomed 300 members of the travel trade, partners and VIPs to the Vancouver Art Gallery last week to celebrate the launch of the first non-stop service from Vancouver to Delhi, commencing Oct. 20. The airline will offer three times weekly service between the two cities through April 8 on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Representatives of the Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Authority, in association with Atout France, hosted 40 travel professionals for dinner at the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver last week on the final stop of their Canadian roadshow. It was the first time the world's second-smallest country (after Vatican City) has hosted a travel trade event in the city…
Commonly known as "North Van†– and making up a large part of "the North Shore†along with West Vancouver – North Vancouver actually includes two distinct municipalities: the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver…