The Japanese travel market has developed a heartfelt connection with South Africa, a crucial factor when they choose a destination. While Japanese outbound travel has been declining in general, it grew by 31,7% to SA between January and July last year, compared with the same period in 2011.

Bradley Brouwer, Regional Manager: Asia Pacific, SA Tourism, explains: “When the massive earthquake hit Japan in 2011, a South African emergency aircraft was the third aeroplane to land in the country. The Japanese will never forget this and now, whenever we start our presentations to Japanese trade, they loudly exclaim ‘kezuma’, which means ubuntu in Japanese.” 
Brouwer says, since the earthquake, devastating tsunami and resulting nuclear crisis, the Japanese have revalued the importance of family, being connected and face-to-face interactions. They have also been spending less and saving more. Yet, despite the absence of direct flights between Japan and SA (there are various flights via other hubs), Japanese travel to SA has grown significantly, stimulated by the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Japanese also adore SA’s iconic attractions such as Table Mountain, especially since it has been named one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
Although Japanese leisure departures depend heavily on organised tour groups, the country’s travellers are becoming more experienced, he says. They now prefer flexibility around their holidays, and are forcing the trade to adapt. Special-interest travel, such as running and cycling, is also growing. 
According to Brouwer, the Japanese trade tends to opt only for the existing pie of SA experiences, as they don’t receive sufficient material on new attractions, in Japanese, to give them different options. He invites the SA trade to link their Facebook pages to SAT’s in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, and send his office their information and newsletters (in open files). His office will translate these into Asian languages and send them out, free.
Due to the language barrier, Asian travellers often don’t feel welcome in SA. “That’s why it’s so important to provide them with hotel welcome letters and brochures in Asian languages, give them good quality welcome gifts, and encourage senior officials, such as GMs, to come out and meet groups personally,” says Brouwer. More tips for trade are: treat Japanese visitors, who are used to high standards, to excellent service; keep to groups’ pre-fixed schedules; and always be on time.
Other barriers to Asian travel growth are the fact that SA is considered an ultra-long-haul destination with indirect flights and expensive airfares, as well as safety and security concerns among travellers and trade. “The Japanese are some of the most sensitive people in the world when it comes to safety. That’s why we need to build confidence in brand SA, and why operators should reassure them about personal safety,” Brouwer concludes. 
SAT is planning a 12-day workshop in June for the SA trade in Japan, China and South Korea.