Local travel agencies look to set-up trips to Osaka, Tochigi

Japan is becoming more active in promoting its tourist spots as a lead-up to the 2020 Olympics. Most people, however, only know Japan when people start talking about its bustling capital, Tokyo, and the laid-back lands of Hokkaido.

Attic Tours Philippines, however, plans to change all that thanks to a travel event held earlier today at the Hotel Jen.

They gathered local travel agencies including Primer Luxe Travel to meet with representatives from Japan’s Kansai region in order to give tourists more options when visiting Japan.

YURI SASAKI from Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau

Osaka and Tochigi were the main prefectures presented during the event. Ms. Yuri Sasaki of the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau introduced travel agencies to Osaka’s four major tourist areas: Kita, Minami, Bay, and Tennoki/Shinsekai.

TAKASHI MAEKAWA, Tourism Section Chief of Tochigi Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Association

Takashi Maekawa, Tourism Section Chief of the Tochigi Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Association, also did a presentation about one a prefecture that’s largely unknown to local travel agencies: Tochigi. He, along with representatives from Edo Wonderland and Ashikaga Flower Park, talked about the many activities you can do in Tochigi.

Representatives from Sanrio Enterntainment, operators of Tokyo’s Sanrio Puroland and Kyushu Island’s Harmonyland

Also present at the event were representatives from two Japanese transportation groups (Keihan and Airport Limousine), Sanrio Entertainment (operators of Sanrio Puroland in Tokyo and Harmonyland in Kyushu Island), and Don Quijote, Japan’s biggest network of tax-free stores.

Yumi Machi from Kansai Airports, the operators of Kansai International Airport (KIX) and Osaka International Airport (ITM), also gave a presentation on why more people should fly into KIX instead of using Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita Airports. According to Machi, KIX serves 32 flights from the Philippines weekly, and is a much more ideal base camp for exploring the Kansai region.