Against the unfavorable trend of Japan’s tourism, a big group of Thai company visited Fukuoka and Kyushu for an incentive tour.

The group of Summit Queen Ltd., a Hokkaido Lingerie Company based in Thailand, arrived in Fukuoka Airport in two groups.

The total of 230 tour members were enthusiastically greeted by staff of Kyushu District Transport Bureau, Kyushu Tourism Promotion Organization and Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau as they emerged from the gate, with a message from Commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency displayed on the screen along with banners in Thai.

One of the factors that brought big groups from Thailand back to Kyushu was the effect of the promotional activities that have been going on since a couple of years ago in collaboration among Fukuoka City, FCVB and Kyushu Tourism Promotion Organization.

Last year, a delegation of Fukuoka City and the Convention Bureau visited Bangkok and Cheng Mai to promote traffic on both ways between Thailand and Fukuoka.

They brought guidebooks and maps in Thai language as well as suggestions of tour courses to the local tourism agencies.

This time’s tour was organized by one of the agencies who received their visits, and the members of the promotional visit are very happy to see their project baring fruit in the current circumstances.

We hope that the Thai visitors will bring back a wonderful memory from their trip around Kyushu, and become a leveraging power to increase tourists from their homeland.

July 19, 2011

Ryoko Baba