Japanese visitor boom driving Victorian incentive sector

Japanese visitor boom driving Victorian incentive sector

Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) in collaboration with airline partner Qantas, and accommodation partner The Langham, Melbourne, hosted 12 Japanese incentive agents in Melbourne and regional Victoria for a jam-packed program of high end immersive experiences.

Hosted for two days between 10-11 July 2017, the program showcased the states capabilities as a leading incentive reward destination for the growing Japanese market.

For the year ending March 2017, Victoria has experienced a 20 per cent increase in visitation from Japan.

MCB Chief Executive Officer, Karen Bolinger, said the Japanese market is an emerging growth market for driving the ongoing success of Victoria as an incentive reward destination.

“The increased air capacity between Japan and Melbourne is driving a boom in visitation, which we are seeing expand into the business events sector, providing more business opportunities for the state and MCB partners.

“Hosting famil groups such as this opens the door for suppliers to meet face-to-face with influential decision makers in a cost-effective manner, while giving buyers the opportunity to physically see and experience the product for themselves,” Bolinger said.

Fifteen MCB partners participated in the famil program recognising the value of business events. They included Metropolis Events, Rochford Wines, Oakridge Wines, Melba Restaurant, Melbourne Star Observation Wheel, Melbourne & Olympic Parks and Queen Victoria Market.

Qantas Regional General Manager Japan, Masashi Ogino, said Qantas was pleased to help showcase Melbourne event venues and incentive group hotspots to the visiting Japanese incentive agents.

“Melbourne is a highly sought-after destination for the group market, with travel between Australia and Japan booming. The Free Trade Agreement is also generating strong growth with business travellers seeking commercial opportunities between the two countries,” he said.

“In December 2016, Qantas launched a new daily service between Melbourne and Tokyo Narita in response to strong demand, and we’ve so far had great feedback from Victorian tourism operators and the many companies in Melbourne and Japan who do business between the two countries.”

The program highlighted the city and regions various accommodation and event venues, took participants sky high on the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel and Eureka 89 events, showcased local produce from Queen Victoria Market followed by local wine sampling in the Yarra Valley wine region and gave participants a taste of the CBD via the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant.

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