#Laos - Booking.com Japan Names Vientiane as Best City for Walking Tour

 The Lao capital Vientiane has been named as one of seven best cities in the world for walking tours by Booking.com Japan.

Booking.com Japan is a Japanese arm of Booking.com, a Dutch travel fare aggregator website and travel meta-search engine for lodging reservations.

According to Booking.com Japan’s survey, Vientiane was named as the best city for walking tours in Southeast Asia where tourists could explore the city on foot day and night.

“Tourists can walk down streets lined with French colonial-style buildings and visit historic sites and monuments such as Pha That Luang,” the website said. “It is also highly recommended to visit night markets near Mekong River when it gets darks where tourists can enjoy many different street foods.”

Apart from Vientiane, Booking.com Japan named Trois-Rivières in Canada, Orenburg in Russia, Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, Daegu in South Korea, Vienna in Austria, Culiacán in Mexico as the best cities to enjoy on foot.

A total of 21,500 people were asked for the survey, and 40 percent of respondents said they were interested in walking tours, according to Booking.com Japan.

The cities mentioned above, including Vientiane, received more than 500 recommendations on Booking.com Japan’s website in a “walking tour” category.

 

THAI cancels all flights to and from Osaka after Typhoon Jebi

Thai Airways International (THAI) has cancelled more flights on the Bangkok-Osaka route due to the temporary closure of Kansai Airport after Typhoon Jebi hit the city.

The typhoon approached Japan on Tuesday at noon, damaging the airport and flooding the runways, Flt Lieutenant Pratana Patansiri, vice president for THAI’s aviation safety, security and standard’s department, said on Tuesday night.

Other airlines have also temporarily stopped flying in and out of Osaka.

The flights to be cancelled are:

1. TG622 scheduled to depart from Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 4 at 11.30pm and arrive at Kansai Airport at 7am (local time) the following day;

2. TG623 scheduled to depart Kansai Airport on September 5 at 11.45am (local time) and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3.35pm.

Earlier, THAI had cancelled the Bangkok-Osaka TG672 flight, and the Osaka- Bangkok TG673 flight.

The airline has said it will closely monitor and assess the situation, and resume normal operations once Kansai Airport reopens.

THAI operates two round-trip flights daily between Bangkok and Osaka. For more information, visit thaiairways.com or call (02) 356 1111 (24 hours).

Source - TheNation

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Tokyo looks to entice foreign tourists to spend, enjoy nightlife

Businesses in Tokyo are looking to get foreign visitors spending their time and cash on the city's wide-ranging nightlife options.

Travel agencies are arranging special events for foreign tourists such as Japanese taiko drum performances, while hotels are extending their business hours to allow guests to socialize into the early hours.

But while efforts are being made to boost the after-dark economy, the lack of late-night public transport remains a major obstacle to tourists getting a taste of what Tokyo has to offer -- especially when the only option after 1 a.m. is waiting for the first train four hours later, or taking an expensive taxi to their hotel.

Since last year, travel agency JTB Corp. has joined with "Drum Tao," a world-famous Japanese taiko percussion and dance troupe, to entertain foreign visitors.

Performances of the traditional Japanese drumming were held in September and October 2017. Due to their popularity, the shows are being held from May through November this year, a fourfold increase in the number of performances from the year before.

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 According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, foreign tourists visiting Japan last year spent about 150,000 yen ($1,370) per person. This is well below the 200,000 yen amount required to hit the 8 trillion yen the government wants to be injected into the economy by tourists.

Designating tourism as a key growth area, the Japanese government aims to attract 40 million overseas visitors annually to the country by 2020, and 60 million by 2030.

In January, the Tokyo metropolitan government said it planned to survey foreign tourists on what they enjoy about the city's nightlife, including restaurants, theaters and sporting events, to better cater to their interests while encouraging them to part with their cash.

The central government is joining Tokyo's efforts to increase spending by tourists at night. Despite the rapid increase in tourism, the average amount spent per traveler has declined in recent years.

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#Japan - Kyoto sets eyes on wealthy foreign tourists

The city of Kyoto, visited by over 50 million tourists a year, is boosting efforts to attract wealthy foreign travelers by offering cultural workshops to satisfy their appetite for a deeper engagement with their destinations.

With visitors already at record-high levels, the ancient Japanese capital is shifting focus from quantity to quality in its tourism promotion, targeting the higher spending associated with high-end tourism, especially by foreigners.

According to the city, Japanese travelers, excluding those who made day trips, in 2016 spent about 47,000 yen ($420) per person, about half the 100,000 yen spent by foreign tourists.

"We would like to revitalize our traditional industries and the local economy" by winning the hearts of wealthy foreign travelers, said a city official.

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As part of such efforts, the city, in partnership with the city of Kanazawa, another major Japanese tourist destination, organized a study tour for American travel agents selling trips to rich customers in November.

In Kyoto, two women were introduced to cultural programs such as putting on kimono at a kimono rental shop, visiting a sake brewery and experiencing a tea ceremony. The city hopes the pair will organize travel plans based on their experiences in Kyoto.

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 "Wealthy tourists have a strong intellectual appetite. They want to experience unique traditional culture in their destinations by directly communicating with local experts," said Takeshi Tanaka, an interpreter-guide authorized by the city. 

 Some Buddhist temples in the city have started offering meditation classes in English for a small number of people and more craft centers are giving workshops in which visitors can produce Japanese folding fans and pottery while talking with artisans. These places have proved popular among wealthy foreign travelers, Tanaka said.

The city also set up an organization with other Japanese localities including Sapporo, Nara and Ishikawa Prefecture in April 2016 to jointly attract wealthy foreign tourists.

"In the past, tourism promotion was done by each region in Japan and lacked an attitude to promote the whole of Japan. We will work together to bring more foreign travelers by combining the attractiveness of each destination," a Kyoto city official said.

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Source - TheJakartaPost

Travelers’ Choice Destinations on the Rise in 2018

Savvy, curious travelers who understand that Japan is more than just Tokyo have had Ishigaki, Japan on their travel radar, as the island has emerged the top trending spot in the 2018 edition of TripAdvisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice Destinations on the Rise ranking.

A stark contrast to the fast-paced, technologically-advanced society of fluorescent-lit Tokyo, Ishigaki is located in Japan’s southwestern Okinawa Prefecture, and is growing increasingly popular as a tourist destination for tired urbanites who can snorkel, dive, surf and soak along its beaches.

The area is also known for its colorful coral reefs, bright blue ocean waters, sugarcane fields, lush mountainside and mangroves.

Destinations on TripAdvisor’s annual list of top rising places are often lesser-known, emerging destinations set on the fringes of the mainstream tourist radar.

Winners are selected by measuring year-over-year increases in positive traveler review ratings. Winners have also experienced an increase in search traffic and booking interest.

Rounding out the top five spots on the list are Kapaa, Hawaii; Nairobi, Kenya; Halifax, Canada; and Gdansk, Poland.

Kapaa, Hawaii is also the top rising United States destination of 2018.

“The Travelers’ Choice Destinations on the Rise award winners are a great source of inspiration for travelers interested in going somewhere exciting that’s emerging in popularity,” said Brooke Ferencsik, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor in a statement.

“These winners were based on destination feedback and interest from the TripAdvisor community, and a common thread is that they all have outstanding accommodations, wonderful restaurants and exceptional attractions for every travel budget,” the TripAdvisor official added.

Here are the Travelers’ Choice Destinations on the Rise:

1. Ishigaki, Japan
2. Kapaa, Hawaii
3. Nairobi, Kenya
4. Halifax, Canada
5. Gdansk, Poland
6. San Jose, Costa Rica
7. Riga, Latvia
8. Rovinj, Croatia
9. Nerja, Spain

10. Boycott by our company

#Indonesia to promote #Golf tourism in #Japan

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 The Tourism Ministry is set to hold the 2017 Indonesia Golf Sales Mission event in Katori city, northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on June 8.

This event is part of the ministry’s effort to achieve this year’s target of welcoming 762,000 Japanese tourists to Indonesia.

“Four sellers are set to participate in this event, namely Bali Fantastic, Riverside Golf Club, Multi Holiday and the Garuda Indonesia [branch] in Tokyo. They are at the frontlines in selling golf travel packages to 50 buyers consisting of travel agents, golf communities and associations in Katori,” said I Gde Pitana, the ministry's deputy for overseas promotion.

The event, supported by the Indonesian Embassy in Japan, Visit Indonesia Tourism Office (VITO) Japan and the Indonesian Golf Course Owners Association (APLGI), will be held at the Narita no Mori Country Club.

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 The ministry's deputy assistant for Asia Pacific tourism promotion, Vinsensius Jemadu, said the sales mission will promote Indonesia's 10 priority destinations of Lake Toba, Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Lesung, Thousand Islands, Borobudur temple, Bromo - Tengger - Semeru, Mandalika, Wakatobi, Labuan Bajo and Morotai.

“A number of foreign and local investors are invited to develop these destinations. But apart from them, the historic relations between Japan and Indonesia have resulted in plenty of Japanese caves located across the archipelago. The tight relationship between the two countries was also evidenced during Japan’s fifth anniversary [event] of the tsunami disaster a few months ago at the Aceh Tsunami Museum,” said Vinsensius. 

 

 Read also: Seven must-visit places in Shibuya for first-timers

#Vietnam - Southeast Asia's longest cross-sea bridge to open shortly

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The 5.4-km long bridge in Hai Phong to undergo tests on May 14. 

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 The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Bridge, the longest cross-sea bridge in Southeast Asia, will undergo a test run to check loading capacity on May 14, according to a report from local media.
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The 5.4-km long bridge is part of the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project, which connects developing areas in the east of the northern port city of Hai Phong with Lach Huyen Port in the island district of Cat Hai and the Hanoi - Hai Phong Highway.
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A source from the management board was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying that 99.8 per cent of the work has been completed on the bridge section built by Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. and Vietnam’s Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No.4 (Cienco 4). 

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Once the bridge is operational, traveling from Hai Phong city to Cat Hai Island will take about five minutes, compared to hours on ferries.
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The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project has total investment of almost VND11.85 trillion ($525.3 million), the majority of which comes from Japanese official development assistance. Construction began in May 2014 and was scheduled to be completed this month.
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The project is expected to form a complete transport network facilitating transportation to Lach Huyen International Port, thereby attracting investment to Hai Phong. 

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Source - http://vneconomictimes.com/

Bangkok - Thousands of passengers stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport after their tour agent fails to show up.

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Thousands of passengers were stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday night after staffs of a company that promised them of a trip to Japan during Songkran Festival did not show up.

Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanawarangkul has to step in by holding a meeting with authorities concerned at the airport. Police have to relocate to new floor those who said they paid fees, ranging from Bt15,000 to Bt20,000, to a firm, Wealth Ever, for a trip to Japan between April 13 and 15, to give space for other passengers. Their numbers are said of them were reported to be about 1,500.

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The airport is already crowded with Thais going out of the country during the long holidays of Songkran. Police are told that there would be a lot more of passengers, about 2,000 who are scheduled to travel with the firm in trouble coming to the airport on Wednesday.

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Source - TheNation

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New Purple Line trains arrive, #Thailand

A new Japanese-made carriage is unloaded at the Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri.

 Nine carriages that will form three trains on Bangkok's Purple Line arrived from Japan on Friday for the new electric railway extension scheduled to open next August.

Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Marine Department, said the new carriages arrived from Yokohama on the Thai-registered TMN Progress vessel at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri province at 9am Friday.

Bangkok Metro Plc (BMCL), the system operator that holds the concession from the state-run Mass Rapid Transit Authority, ordered the trains from its supplier, a Marubeni-Toshiba joint venture. The supplier had the trains produced at the plant of Japan Transport Engineering Co (J-Trec) in Yokohama. The trains will be transported to a depot at the Khlong Bang Phai station in Nonthaburi province.

BMCL has ordered a total of 21 trains comprising 63 carriages for the Purple Line that stretches 23 kilometres from Bang Yai district in Nonthaburi to Bang Sue district in Bangkok.

Test runs of the new line are expected to begin late this year and service is scheduled to start in August 2016.

Source: BangkokPost

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