Balearics eye Japan as potential new tourism market

ATTRACTIONS: Japanese travel tour operators and travel showed particular interest in the islands’ cuisine, culture and active tourism CREDIT: Illes Balears (Mallorca - Menorca - Ibiza - Formentera) Facebook @TurismeIllesBalears

THE Balearics are eyeing up Japan as a potential new tourism market.
A recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the archipelago and restrictions on travel and quarantine requirements introduced by a series of European nation governments have really hit the islands’ tourism sector where it hurts.
The massive drop in the number of German and UK visitors has been a particular blow.
But last week the AETIB Balearic Island Tourism Strategy Agency was looking much further east to promote the region’s attractions, taking part in the virtual edition of the Tourism Expo Japan.
Instead of face-to-face meetings, and thanks to the collaboration of the Spanish Tourist Office in Tokyo, the agency held on-line talks with Japanese tour operators and travel agencies on presenting the Balearics as a holiday destination for next year.
There was particular emphasis on the islands as an ideal choice for the older market outside the peak summer months.
“They showed a lot of interest in everything related to culture, active tourism and gastronomic experiences, especially wine tourism and olive tourism”, revealed regional Economic Model, Tourism and Employment minister Iago Negueruela.
The AETIB is planning to participate, albeit virtually, in a number of other trade fairs between now and the end of the year in a bid to explore opening up different visitor markets.
These include the Loop luxury fair in Prague, the Paris International Cultural Heritage International Salon, the ILTM luxury travel event in Cannes and South Korea’s Seoul International Tourism Industry Fair.

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Written by

Cathy Elelman

Cathy Elelman is the local writer for the Costa de Almeria edition of the Euro Weekly News.

Based in Mojacar for the last 21 years, Cathy is very much part of the local community and is always well and truly up on all the latest news and events going on in this region of Spain.

Her top goals are to do the best job she can informing the local English-speaking community, visitors to the area and the wider world about about the news in Almeria, to learn something new every day, and to embrace very new challenge this fast-changing world brings her way.

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