Singapore Airlines (SIA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), which aims to boost tourist arrivals into Japan from countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Under the agreement – which is valued at SG$1 million (US$788,130) – SIA and the JNTO will jointly look to explore and implement activities to promote tourist traffic to Japan by way of SIA’s services between the two countries.
Japan is one of the most frequently serviced countries in the SIA network, with the carrier making a total of 63 flights a week to the country, including five daily operations to the capital Tokyo.
“Since the opening of JNTO Singapore’s office in 2006, Singapore has registered a 40 per cent hike in visitor arrivals to Japan. The numbers have shown significant improvement along with the addition of flights to Haneda by Singapore Airlines in 2010,” the JNTO’s executive vice president Takashi Kato said.
As a major Asian transit hub, travellers from nearby countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia often connect through Singapore to onward destinations – something the MOU seeks to take advantage of.
Both SIA and the JNTO have committed funds to advertising and promotional campaigns, as well as hosting familiarisation programmes for trade and media, among other initiatives.
For more information, visit www.singaporeair.com
Clement Huang
