DoT Secretary Joseph Ace H. Durano said the Philippine participation in Tour Expo 2006 would enable the country to be included in the travel plans of Japanese tourists from Osaka for summer and autumn.

"Osaka is Japan’s second most important city after Tokyo and accounts for some 15 percent, or three million, of Japan’s 20 million outbound market," Durano said, citing Osaka as a strategic target of DoT’s promotional campaign.

Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya account for 68 to 70 percent of that market, with Tokyo accounting for 41 percent and Nagoya 12 percent.

Established in 1987, Tour Expo 2006 has become one of Japan’s biggest travel events, showcasing the latest tourism trends, including overseas travel attractions and destinations, leisure facilities and other related products and services.

"There will also be an exhibitor’s presentation seminar that will enable the Philippines to present new and exciting travel information, including health and wellness destinations that will cater to Japanese ladies, male, and silver segments; and food, art, culture, festivals and activities related to the ongoing celebration of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Year," said Rosvi C. Gaetos, head of the DoT’s Team Japan.

"Such seminars and exhibits are very popular with the thousands of visitors from Japan’s travel industry that includes wholesale and retail agents, media, and the general public," Gaetos added.

Using three signature images of heaven, beach, and resort as backdrops, the design of the Philippine exhibit booth will focus on the new campaign "The Philippines – Wellness from the Inside Out."

"These images will strengthen our ‘Premium Resort Islands’ brand and positioning for Japan by providing optimum visual impact on the Japanese ladies segment of our target market," Gaetos explained.

This target segment covers 35 million Japanese women in their 20s to 50s, 7.2 million of whom have extensive overseas travel experience and 1.6 million are classified as fully independent. Of this number, about 5.4 million actually traveled in 2004 to an overseas destination.

Among all nationalities, Japanese tourists have the biggest disposable income and are known to be big spenders on shopping and entertainment, with total spend of .5 billion average spend per traveler of ,746 in 2003.

The Philippines is now also being acknowledged as Japan’s nearest tropical neighbor as Asia gains the biggest share of 45.1 percent of the Japanese outbound market.

Earlier, Durano revealed that an Internet survey conducted in Japan last November showed a significant increase in Japanese awareness of the Philippines as a premium destination, especially among Japanese ladies in their 20s, up 64.6 percent from 46.2 percent; and 20s, up 58.5 percent from 35.4 percent in early 2005.

This development is believed to have contributed substantially to the continued surge in Japanese arrivals, which breached 400,000 for the first time in 20 years. This volume pushed the country’s total foreign arrivals to 2.613 million in 2005, exceeding the government’s target of 2.5 million and posting a 12.3-percent hike over 2004.

For February this year, Japanese arrivals posted a 10.2 percent increase to 35,388 from 32,107 in the same month last year. "This sustained increase is very significant, considering the very festidious nature of the highly-sophisticated Japanese market," Durano said.