Travel

Japan's travel industry was energized in a short time by the discount campaign on JAL packages that Rakuten Travel unveiled on October 9. The initiative, together with Japan Airlines, largely set the travel news agenda on its own.

JAL became one of the most talked-about companies over the past 24 hours as the leading player in the Rakuten Travel campaign, symbolizing the rise in autumn booking demand. Meanwhile, H.I.S. drew unusual attention among travel agencies over an information security problem that came to light on October 7, while JTB made headlines on two fronts with the tour cancellations and seasonal campaign it announced on October 9. In the airline sector, ANA X and JAL resurfaced as major carriers in autumn travel guides and search trends. The JR Pass was also widely searched as travelers weighed their plans in light of the price increase introduced in early October. On the inbound policy front, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) continued to promote destination campaigns and publish visitor statistics, and Narita Airport drew attention with its Transit & Stay program, which resumed in October. The Kyushu Reconstruction Discount, launched on October 1 as a regional tourism promotion measure, has also maintained a visible presence in travel searches.

Centered on the Rakuten Travel and JAL partnership campaign, separate stories such as H.I.S.'s security issue and the JR fare revision overlapped, making the autumn travel season's news landscape highly layered within a single day. Consumer interest in both inbound and domestic travel appears to be rising.