LONDON, July 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
Travellers worldwide are showing support for the Japanese tourism industry, following the earthquake in March. New figures from a recent Hotels.com survey show more than 60% of global respondents are open to visiting the country.
Japan ranked in the top three favourite global destinations for more than half of respondents worldwide*, with the majority preferring a visit to the capital, Tokyo. Eighty-six per cent of respondents also said they would consider a trip to Japan within the next year.
Flight and hotel costs were a major incentive, with almost 70 per cent saying they would visit Japan now if the price was right. Japan's food, culture and sight-seeing were also important motivations.
Mr. Hideki Yokoyama, Senior Director, Tourism Division, Bureau of Industrial and Labour Affairs of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, said: "I am very encouraged that so many people in the Hotels.com survey indicated that they are willing to travel to Japan. I hope that everyone can visit Japan and experience the best of Tokyo's fantastic hospitality which never changes. Moreover, I would like everyone to see that the whole of Japan is working together for a rapid recovery. Please feel free to visit Japan now or in the near future."
"It is great to see the intention to travel to Japan remains, despite the recent natural disasters, and that it has been named a favourite destination," said Johan Svanstrom, Vice President and Managing Director of Hotels.com Asia Pacific. "Much of Japan remains open for business and it is vital that the global travel industry supports its operators and hotels."
Notes to editors
* Hotels.com's research was conducted in July 2011 among over 500 travellers from 17 countries including Australia, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
About Hotels.com
As part of the Expedia, Inc. group which operates in all major markets, Hotels.com, the global hotel specialist, offers more than 135,000 quality hotels, B&Bs and serviced apartments worldwide and operates more than 75 Hotels.com sites around the world. Hotels.com benefits from one of the world's largest hotel contracting teams in the industry, negotiating the best rates for its customers. Travellers can book online or by contacting one of the multilingual call centres.
SOURCE Hotels.com
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