Japanese club together to boost Phuket

[aussie dollar]

Japanese club together to boost Phuket

PHUKET CITY: The number of Japanese tourists visiting Phuket is recovering – albeit slowly because of misperceptions and feelings of guilt about visiting the tsunami disaster region.

Now, to give the island’s image a boost in Japan, a “Japanese Love Thais” festival is to be held June 25 in the Grand Ballroom of The Metropole hotel.

Phuket Japanese Association President Kazushi Miyashita said the March Japanese arrivals figure of 5,000 was only about 30% of last year’s figures for the same month.

While low, however, the figure is still an improvement on the almost complete disappearance of visitors from Japan in the months immediately following the tsunami.

“I think the reason that more people aren’t visiting Phuket is encapsulated in a Japanese saying: ‘When people die, we stay home and mourn the dead,’” he explained.

He added that he hoped the one-day festival would help convince Japanese people that there is no longer any reason to feel guilty about coming to Phuket.

The event will feature traditional shows, games and even a chance for women to have themselves photographed wearing kimonos.

Part of the proceeds will go to charity, he added.

Mr Miyashita said that with the lack of Japanese tourists, about half of the 100 or so Japanese-run businesses on the island have had to close. These include Japanese restaurants, tour agencies, dive companies and language schools.

“Much of the recovery is due to word-of-mouth reports that it is safe to travel here,” he said, adding that future events to be staged by the Phuket Japanese Association might include inviting Japanese tsunami experts to come here and share their knowledge with the people of Phuket.

Suwalai Pinpradab, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Region 4 office in Phuket, said the TAT would soon conduct a road show to Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima and Nagoya to boost tourism from Japan.

She said the marketing campaign would especially target single working women, who generally have high diposable income.

While many airlines have curtailed flight service to Phuket, there are still three flights a week to Phuket from Osaka, she pointed out.



To see picture/s related to this story, please go to http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/in...splay=1Brought to you by:
The Phuket Gazette
11:25 local time (GMT +7)

[LivinLOS]

Well reading about the increased 'scientific' whaling thats just been agreed I am not too impressed

[americanfarang]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

Well reading about the increased 'scientific' whaling thats just been agreed I am not too impressed

Better go for some steel hulls as I do not think the L-tails make for good whaling vessels........Must be a greeny????

[TV Channel 11]

Andaman News on TV11 Phuket (local aerial not cable TV) & FM90.5 broadcasts a Special Report about the Japanese festival at 8.30am on Wednesday 29 June 2005 with text below:
and a mini-video may be available later on http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=134160


The Japanese Festival in Phuket also called the “Japanese love Thais” festival was held on Saturday evening, the 25th June, just one day before the 6 month anniversary of the tsunami, to show Japanese solidarity with the Thai people, to display Japanese culture, to bring 90 tsunami affected children to the party, and have fun together.
Jointly organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand or TAT and the Phuket Japanese Association, the fair was certainly well attended with probably over 2,000 people packed into the Royal Phuket City Hotel.

This was probably because the fair featured lots of Japanese food delicacies prepared by Japanese chefs, various games for kids, and chances to dress up in Japanese clothes, plus Japanese culture performances on stage including dancing by children and adults of both nationalities, and impressively big and loud Taiko drums, which were specially flown in by Thai Airways, and were certainly exciting and brought a lot of atmosphere to the event and crowd.

The Japanese Ambassador to Thailand presided over the fair with Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, and President of the Phuket Japanese Association, Kazushi Miayshita, who all gave speeches
and they were joined in toasts with Japanese drinks by Japanese Chamber of Commerce delegates from Bangkok, Japanese Rotary Club members, and officials from the TAT, who expected the event to help boost tourism, especially Japanese visitors and expats from Bangkok to Phuket.

We talked to the Japanese Ambassador, Atsushi Tokinoya and he told us what he expected from the fair:
“I think the Japanese… made efforts to send message.. resilient, here in Phuket.”

We were also interested to know if the Japanese perception of the Andaman was now nicer and safer, especially for tourism:
“Yes I think so..not so many from Japan..but they will come back”

We continued to enjoy the fair, and caught up with the busy Vice President of the Phuket Japanese Association, Hajimo Ohno. We were curious to know how they got support for such a successful enjoyable event for Phuket: “From Bangkok & Japan.. sponsors from Thailand.. Japanese Association Thailand.”

He also revealed that the Phuket-Japanese Association currently has 250 members in Phuket, and about 40 expats came down from Bangkok and 100 from Japan.

We also wanted to find out what the highlight was for them: “We invited children who lost a lot… to encourage them.”

The Association donated 200,000 baht to students and schools from Ban Nam Kem in Phang Nga province:

We could see most of the students, were enjoying themselves with the free food and drink. They were also taken earlier to the Phuket Aquarium for a fun field trip away from the problems of Phang Nga.
Their English & Art teacher, David Johnson, together with his daughters, came along and explained more:
“Today through the kindness of the Japanese Embassy… sent 2 coaches, to aquarium, for many of the children this is first time, in a big city.. we are privileged to teach English & Art, from New York, as volunteers, hope to be there a year or two”

As we looked around and saw the fun all the kids were having, this boy: half Japanese, half English, taught us some Japanese language:
“ Flute lingo - that's apple. Having fun? Yep!”

So this event certainly proved a wonderful way to bridge gaps between cultures of Japan and Thailand and bring joy to kids from Phang Nga, Phuket, and Thailand's tsunami areas.

[Dodger]

Obviously the President of the Phuket Japanese Association, Kazushi Miayshita ought to lay off the local water.