What does Japan offer Asian MICE groups?
Japan is a country with a multitude of different faces, according to seasons and regions. It offers diverse options and fresh discoveries however many times your event may have been held here before. Coming to Japan is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience for you and the people you come with.
Japan is an ideal destination for MICE visitors with a unique combination of professional support, traditional hospitality, modern convention facility complexes, advanced infrastructure, safe, clean cities, and a richly varied choice of venues.
What assistance can JNTO provide regional event organisers?
JNTO will help MICE organisers plan and carry out successful events in coordination with the local convention bureaux such as assisting in all aspects of site selection, DMC recommendations, RFPs, pre- and post-meeting tour ideas, brochure for participants and more. JNTO also organises Meet Japan, an annual inspection trip for association executives at the end of February.
Any new developments impacting the Japanese business events industry?
The opening of the new international terminal of Haneda/Tokyo International Airport this month will drastically ease the transit domestically and internationally.
The total floor space of this five-story terminal building is about 160,000 sqm. The ceiling of the third-floor departure lobby reaches up to the fifth floor, creating an airy, open atmosphere. An eye-catching characteristic of the new terminal is the fourth-floor shopping arcade resembling an Edo Period (1603-1867) street.
Transit procedures from international to domestic services will be very smooth because Haneda is Japan’s main hub for domestic flights. Access to many unique local cities will become even easier via this new gateway to Japan.
What are the benefits of ‘Japan MICE Year’?
MICE is being promoted as a link in Japan’s ‘30 Million Foreign Visitors Program’, through which we intend to increase the annual number of overseas visitors to Japan to 30 million.
During this year, which marks the ‘First year of the MICE Era’, we will implement various projects and special events to promote MICE. The skill-training programme to cultivate human resources in Japan is one of the key projects. We will encourage staff working in the industry to attend the training courses from short courses to three month programmes at MICE-oriented international institutions abroad as well as holding the training sessions in Tokyo and Osaka to upgrade the value-added service of the MICE industry in Japan.
What are the key challenges facing Japan’s establishment as a major MICE destination?
There is a perception that Japan is expensive, which is only half true. Japan is a country, which means it has diverse options. Event organisers can choose from reasonable programmes with quality services to top-end authentic hospitality.
Meanwhile, the price of hotels in Japan is very attractive. It has not been increased for five years and even bargain deals available from two- and three-star hotels to major international hotel groups of five-star properties in Tokyo. Thanks to the start of Japan MICE Year, more and more hotels are competing to offer deals for meeting and incentives.
Also, the extensive public transportation network makes travel as smooth and easy as possible with the JR’s Japan Rail Pass along with discount domestic airfares such as the ‘Visit Japan Fare’ offered by JAL and ANA across Japan.
Most of all, Japan is the land of no tipping, but many smiles.