Industry Information

New Zealand Paradise Week in November 2007 was the largest cross agency promotional effort ever held in Japan. The event aimed to give the Japanese a fresh take on what New Zealand has to offer as a holiday destination. The event promoted New Zealand’s food and wine, fashion, music and the most up to date activities for tourists.

Results from the promotion exceeded expectations, with 17,000 people attending the weekend event and over 280 attending a VIP gala dinner. Feedback from consumers and everyone involved was excellent, with strong demand for a repeat promotion.

Japanese personality Beverly Maeda visited New Zealand in May. The 59-year-old stage actress, performer and media commentator is well regarded among active older Japanese, and her visit is expected to be covered in two magazines, a lifestyle website and satellite TV show.

Tourism New Zealand has worked closely with the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) to market New Zealand self-drive holidays to international travellers within the JAF’s 1.3 million person database. There are now six major Japanese travel companies marketing self-drive holidays to New Zealand.

In other trade developments, and a first for the Japanese market, JTB is selling Blanket Bay as part of an upmarket package this summer. JTB Royal Road will produce a new New Zealand luxury brochure from October.

New Zealand's Competitors

Other long-haul markets are also feeling the effects in the drop in outbound travel. Japanese visitors to Australia were down by 10 per cent in May 2008 compared with the previous year. Japanese arrivals to Australia for 2008 will be around 450-470,000 visitors, which represents a decrease of 21 per cent compared to 2007.

Despite a 27 per cent capacity reduction planned by Qantas between Japan and Australia, Tourism Australia plans to continue its World Heritage Site marketing campaign, which is targeting the 55+ age group.

Japanese arrivals to Canada showed a 28 per cent decrease in April 2008 compared with the previous year.

Doing Business in Japan

In the latest Economist Intelligence Unit ranking of ‘e-readiness’, Japan ranks 18 out of 70 countries with a ranking of 8.08 out of a possible 10.

Japanese follow strict rules of etiquette. The exchange of business cards (meishi) is mandatory. You should carry your meishi with you at all times as they are handed out in meetings as well as in social settings.

The giving and receiving of cards is regarded as an important and solemn gesture; cards should be presented formally, received with due respect and examined carefully. Use two hands, Japanese side up (if applicable), and never put a card away that you have just received. Examine each card carefully and keep it on the table until the meeting is over.

Patience is a virtue in Japan as most decisions are reached by consensus. Building relationships is very important and information is often more freely exchanged in informal social environments. Punctuality is also very important.

While it is a social custom to give small gifts to business and social acquaintances, the importance of this is diminishing.

With titles, the suffix 'san' can be used instead of Mr, Mrs or Ms, e.g. 'Suzuki-san' rather than 'Mr Suzuki'. As a general rule, first names should not be used when addressing business contacts.