Meanwhile, Japan's capital long has been a key location for
corporate meetings."Tokyo and Japan are still popular with corporate
groups from the United States, and the country wants to continue to host them,"
said a Japanese National Tourist Organization spokesperson. "New hotels
and new air service will help. But the long flight seems to be a hurdle for
many corporations, so the majority of U.S. corporate groups come from Hawaii
and the West Coast."
In Japan, January 2011 occupancy was up by 3.1 percent year
over year, average daily rate up by 3.8 percent and revenue per available room
up by 7.1 percent, according to STR Global.
According to a January Carlson Wagonlit Travel report, the
Asia/Pacific region is recov- ering from the global economic crisis more
quickly than several other parts of the world, including North America and
Europe, and that growth is impacting travel demand: Interna- tional
Asia/Pacific air traffic between January and November 2010 increased nearly 10
per- cent year over year, as did 2010 hotel occupan- cy levels. Air, hotel and
rail prices are expected to rise, according to the report, and Asia/Pacific
hotel negotiations will be tougher.
Several new hotels during 2010 opened in Japan,
including the 160-room St. Regis Osaka, which opened on Oct. 1, and the
251-room Capitol Hotel Tokyu, which opened its doors on Oct. 22. The Royal Park
Hotel Kyoto, meanwhile, is slated to open in fall 2011.