asia travel marketing association

PATA & SAN PATA

 founded in 1951, the pacific asia travel association (pata) is a not-for-profit membership-based association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the asia pacific region.  bringing together private and public sector members, pata facilitates meaningful partnerships, aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its more than 650 member organizations, including 82 government, state and city tourism bodies, 14 international airlines and airports, 71 hospitality organizations and 75 educational institutions, as well as thousands of youth (ytp) members across the world.  the san diego chapter of the pacific asia travel association (sanpata) was formed in 1979 and consists of travel industry professionals who are passionate about travel to, and learning more about, various destinations in the pacific asia region.   .

SAN PATA 2023 Executive Board

Rick Tennant, Immediate Past Chairman

Rick Tennant, CTC, CTIE, MCC Xanadu Travel (949) 600-6330

Don Johnson, Chairman

Don Johnson Walking  Path Travel (858) 259-7284

Leslie Marshall, Programs

Leslie Marshall (760) 213-1959

Lindsey Neale-Rozga, Treasurer/Venue Contracts/Insurance Program Director

Lindsey Neale-Rozga Wine Tours Australia & NZ (858) 550-9622

Carole Ericson, Membership Chairperson

Carole Ericson, CTC South Pacific Adventures (858) 829-1282

Kadell Felton Sr., Audio Visual 

Kadell Felton Sr. KFelt Travel (IA of Xstream Travel) (877) 366-6001 Ext 1

Katie Hunter,  Programs

Katie Hunter, CTA In-Sync Travel/Cadence (858) 385-0804

Laurnie Jackman Durisoe Venues & Menus

Laurnie Jackman Durisoe USO-Honor Board (619) 861-1417

Sue Ellen Knebel, Marketing Manager, Web & Social Media

Sue Ellen Knebel, CTC DreamFinder Travel

(760) 304-8456

Yazmin Ceja, Programs

Yasmin Ceja, CTC Yaz Travel Svcs (619) 746- 4568   

Michie Vinje,   Menus & Venues

Michie Vinje Tek N Travel (619) 838-5908

Jill Powell,  Life Member, Admin Coordinator & Bookkeeper

Jill Powell Life Member (619) 609-PATA (7282)

Melinda Jarrell FAM Trips

Melinda Jarrell, CTA, VTA

Winner Destination (760) 975-3973

Theresa Bagg, Secretary

Theresa Bagg

Expedia Cruises (619) 957-5088

Open Position

Are you interested in joining our team?  We'd like to talk with you! Email us from our contact page.

PATA Member Countries

PATA countries listed alphabetically: 

AMERICAN SAMOA, ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, BAHRAIN, BELIZE, BERMUDA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL,  CAMBODIA, CANADA, CHILE, CHINA, CHINESE TAIPEI, COLOMBIA, COOK ISLANDS, COSTA RICA, CYPRUS,  ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, FIJI, FRENCH GUIANA, FRENCH POLYNESIA,  GREENLAND, GUAM, GUATEMALA, GUYANA,  HAWAII, HONDURAS, HONG KONG SAR, INDIA, INDONESIA, ISRAEL,  JAPAN, JORDAN,  KIRIBATI, KOREA (ROK),  LAO PDR,  MACAU, MALAYSIA, MALDIVES, MARSHALL ISLANDS, MEXICO, MICRONESIA,  NAURU, NEW CALEDONIA, NEW ZEALAND, NICARAGUA, NIUE, NORTHERN MARIANAS,  PALAU, PANAMA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PARAGUAY, PERU, PHILIPPINES,  QATAR,  RUSSIAN FEDERATION, SAINT PIERRE & MIQUELON, SAMOA, SINGAPORE, SOLOMON ISLANDS, SRI LANKA, SURINAME,  THAILAND, TIMOR, TOKELAU, TONGA, TURKEY, TUVALU,  UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, URUGUAY, USA,  VANUATU, VENEZUELA, VIETNAM,  WALLIS & FUTUNA.

NOTE: SOME OTHER COUNTRIES OMITTED DUE TO CIVIL UNREST

PATA "Gallery of Legends" Ho nolul u , Hawai'i Airport   This exhibit recognizes individuals whose contributions exemplify excellence, leadership and vision, and who have enhanced the quality of community life in the Pacific Asia region and throughout the world. 

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1966-03-09 Tokyo Japan

9 Mar 1966, Tokyo (Japan), as East Asia Travel Association (EATA) -- Association touristique de l'Asie orientale . Present name adopted 2000. Ceased to exist, prior to 2009.

Stimulate more tourist traffic to East Asia by combining efforts of member organizations in promotional activities, and by enhancing reception services and tourist facilities.

General Meeting (annual) elects Officers: President; 1st, 2nd and 3rd Vice Presidents; Marketing Director; Auditor. Executive Committee, comprising one representative from each Government member and Airline member, and 2 representatives each from combined Allied members and Associate members. Marketing Committee (meets annually). Secretariat.

Type I Classification

Type ii classification, un sustainable development goals **.

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PATA Women in Travel International Conference, Bohol - March 20 - 22, 2024 Register now at https://forms.gle/ueUWzHqLihyXewLK9

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟮 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀. Kindly register for the event at the link provided: https://forms.gle/APfFsxtM4ktuXxPw7

Happy New Year! Elevate Your Journey: Join PATA Philippines Chapter 2024 – Where Travel Excellence Begins!

2023 Pata Pause: All Stars Showdown Christmas party on December 4, 2023 6 PM at The Heritage Hotel Manila Ballroom. Year-end event of our beloved members.

PATA and PIATA'S AI CHAT GPT VS CHAT OVER TEA! - Balance Tech Efficiency, Emotional touch and Long term Well Being in DUSIT THANI Manila on OCTOBER 17, 2023. REGISTER NOW!

Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 97 government, state and city tourism bodies, 27 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 63 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond.

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5F, Office of Product and Market Development, Department of Tourism 351 Senator Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1200 Secretariat: +63 (02) 459-5200 ext. 522 | [email protected]

Top Member Network for Pacific Asia Travel Professionals

Technology | Relevance | Innovation | Resilience

The Pacific Asia Travel Association New York chapter connects public and private organizations for the responsible development of the travel and tourism industry specifically to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. PATA provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its more than 650 member organizations, including 82 government, state and city tourism bodies, 14 international airlines and airports, 71 hospitality organizations and 75 educational institutions, as well as thousands of youth members (YTP) across the world.

PATA New York Chapter is dedicated to facilitate meaningful partnerships to enhance the value, quality and sustainable growth of travel and tourism to and from countries in APAC, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its more than 650 member organizations, including 82 government, state and city tourism bodies, 14 international airlines and airports, 71 hospitality organizations and 75 educational institutions, as well as thousands of youth members (YTP) across the world.

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These are recent announcements from PATA New York.

Roadshow on "Goa India's Premier Tourist Destination" brings India to NYC!

Lunar new year celebration.

Travel Trade Program

Holiday Party

Dine Around – Mexican

Asia Conference

ITS International Travel Show

PATA Travel Mart

Mid Autumn Festival

2022 nyc experience wellness & travel virtual media event is open to all media and travel advisors..

Brazil Experience New York at Churrascaria Plataforma Brazilian Steakhouse from 5:30 pm.

Destination Queenstown is coming to the US on July 19 for an East Coast sales mission at 12 noon RSVP . Spaces are limited. RSVP date ends on 7/5/2022 You can view the list of Queenstown suppliers joining us here

Temperature around malaysia, today 26.2c.

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TravelAsker

What is the role of PATA in tourism growth?

April 21, 2023

By Kristy Tolley

Understanding PATA’s Role in Tourism Growth

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting tourism in the Asia Pacific region. Founded in 1951, PATA has played a vital role in the growth of the tourism industry in the region, which has become one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic tourism markets in the world. PATA’s role encompasses a wide range of activities, including advocacy, research, education, networking, marketing, crisis management, innovation, partnerships, and membership services.

PATA’s History: How It Became a Leading Tourism Organization

PATA was founded by a group of travel agencies and airlines in Hawaii in 1951 with the aim of promoting travel to the Asia Pacific region. Since then, it has grown into a leading tourism organization that represents a diverse range of stakeholders, including national tourism organizations, hotels and resorts, airlines, travel agencies, and other tourism-related businesses. PATA has a presence in over 100 countries and territories, with headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. Over the years, PATA has played a pivotal role in shaping the tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region, providing a platform for stakeholders to collaborate and share knowledge and expertise.

Advocacy: PATA’s Efforts to Promote Sustainable Tourism Development

PATA is committed to promoting sustainable tourism development, which is vital for the long-term growth and prosperity of the tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region. One of PATA’s key initiatives in this area is the "PATA CEO Challenge", which encourages tourism industry leaders to develop innovative solutions for sustainable tourism. PATA also advocates for policies that support sustainable tourism development, such as promoting responsible tourism practices, protecting natural and cultural heritage sites, and reducing the carbon footprint of tourism activities.

Research: PATA’s Contribution to the Understanding of Tourism Trends

PATA is a leading source of research on tourism trends in the Asia Pacific region, providing valuable insights into the latest developments and trends in the industry. PATA’s research covers a wide range of topics, including consumer behavior, market trends, and destination development. PATA’s research reports are used by industry stakeholders, governments, and academics to inform their decision-making and planning.

Education: PATA’s Role in Developing Human Capital in the Tourism Industry

PATA is committed to developing human capital in the tourism industry through its education programs. PATA’s initiatives include the PATA Academy, which offers training and development programs for tourism professionals, and the PATA Foundation, which provides scholarships and grants to students and professionals in the tourism industry. PATA also partners with universities and other educational institutions to promote tourism education and research.

Networking: PATA’s Platform for Industry Professionals to Connect and Collaborate

PATA provides a platform for industry professionals to connect and collaborate, facilitating the exchange of ideas and knowledge. PATA’s networking events include conferences, workshops, and seminars, which bring together industry stakeholders from across the Asia Pacific region and beyond. PATA’s networking opportunities enable industry professionals to build relationships, share best practices, and stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the industry.

Marketing: PATA’s Initiatives to Promote Asia Pacific as a Tourist Destination

PATA is committed to promoting the Asia Pacific region as a tourist destination, showcasing its diverse cultures, natural attractions, and unique experiences. PATA’s marketing initiatives include the Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts, which provide insights into the latest tourism trends in the region, and the PATA Destination Marketing Forum, which brings together destination marketing organizations to share best practices and strategies.

Crisis Management: PATA’s Response to Challenges Facing the Tourism Industry

PATA is actively involved in managing crises that affect the tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region, such as natural disasters, pandemics, and political instability. PATA’s crisis management initiatives include the PATA Crisis Resource Center, which provides information and resources to help tourism industry stakeholders respond to crises effectively.

Innovation: PATA’s Support for Technology-Driven Tourism Growth

PATA is committed to supporting innovation in the tourism industry, which is essential for its long-term growth and sustainability. PATA’s initiatives in this area include the PATA Innovation Forum, which brings together industry leaders to discuss the latest trends in tourism technology and innovation, and the PATA Tourism Technology Forum, which focuses on the role of technology in enhancing the visitor experience.

Partnerships: PATA’s Collaborations with Other Tourism Organizations

PATA collaborates with other tourism organizations to promote tourism in the Asia Pacific region and advance the interests of the industry. PATA’s partnerships include collaborations with national tourism organizations, destination marketing organizations, and other tourism-related businesses. PATA’s partnerships enable it to leverage the expertise and resources of its partners to achieve its objectives.

Membership: PATA’s Benefits for Industry Stakeholders

PATA membership provides a range of benefits for industry stakeholders, including access to PATA’s research and education programs, networking opportunities, and marketing initiatives. PATA membership also provides a platform for industry stakeholders to engage in advocacy for policies that support sustainable tourism development.

Conclusion: PATA’s Ongoing Contribution to Tourism Growth in Asia Pacific

PATA has played a vital role in the growth and development of the tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region for over 70 years. Its role encompasses a wide range of activities, from advocacy and research to education, networking, marketing, crisis management, innovation, partnerships, and membership services. PATA’s ongoing contribution to tourism growth in the Asia Pacific region is essential for the long-term prosperity of the industry and the communities it serves.

Kristy Tolley

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The PATA Malaysia Chapter (PMC) established in 1975, is an extension of the Association (PATA) to assist in translating the global objectives of PATA into local action within Malaysia, through operating programs and activities relevant to local communities and also avail the facilities of PATA to all Chapter members. PMC has the vision to be Malaysia’s leading voice on travel and tourism within Asia- Pacific and its mission is to create value for tourism stakeholders through private and public sector collaboration and also to promote the sustainable growth of travel & tourism to, from and within Malaysia. Current membership of 88 comprise government sectors, airlines, educational institutions, hotels, tour & travel agents and other organizations/associations connected with the tourism & hospitality industry. Tourism Malaysia took over the helm of PMC since 2012, considering the historical benefits contributed by PATA in the gradual transformation of Tourism Malaysia and the development of the tourism industry in Malaysia through key events such as PATA Conferences, Travel Marts and Annual Meetings hosted in Malaysia. The current chairman of PMC is YBhg. Datuk Musa Hj. Yusof, the Deputy Director General (Promotion) of Tourism Malaysia.

Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, which including government, state and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organisations, and educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 32 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 28 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members' desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA's Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, India and London.

Latest News

PATA Malaysia Chapter Celebrates the Successful La

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Malaysia Chapter proudly announced the successful launch of its PATA Malaysia Chapter Student Wing, wh

Industry Networking & Fellowship Dinner 2023

Join us for the Industry Networking & Fellowship Dinner 2023 hosted by the prestigious PATA Malaysia

PATA Malaysia has won the prestigious Spirit of PA

PMC has been honored with the prestigious Spirit of PATA Award for its outstanding achievements and

WORLD TOURISM DAY PMC-TAYLOR'S UNIVERSITY YOUTH SY

WORLD TOURISM DAY PMC-TAYLOR'S UNIVERSITY YOUTH SYMPOSIUM 2023 - TOURISM AND GREEN INVESTMENT. SAV

Inter-state Tourism Networking Forum 2023 PERLIS !

Inter-state Tourism Networking Forum 2023 PERLIS ! Register Today !

Exciting Announcement! Join me at the Tourism Career Forum organised during PATA MYFutureJobs Tourism Career Fair 2023.

Join the panel discussion on WORLD TOURISM DAY 2022 'RETHINKING TOURISM' to get a thorough insight of the exclusive discussion.

The International Research Conference is a federated organization dedicated to bringing together a significant number of diverse scholarly

Tourism Malaysia will be organizing Roadshow to Kingdom Saudi of Arabia from 21– 29 May 2022 covering 3 cities Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah.

Join the 2nd edition of Langkawi Tourism and Hospitality virtual conference

International Joint World Cultural Tourism Conference will provide a forum for international educators, scholars, researchers.

nternational Travel Expo (ITE) is big tourism event in south Vietnam and organized annually by HCMC Tourism Department in September.

Cirium runs regular market updates and this month’s Cirium Live webinar will be focused on “The Sustainability Challenge”. It will be held on 27

PATA India is pleased to invite you to 11th Update and Outlook Meeting with Ministry of Tourism for PATA Members and the larger tourism fraternit

PMC Events Replay

NEW AGE OF DESTINATION MARKETING -GOING DIGITAL

REVITALIZING TOURISM: THE EMERGENCE OF NEUROMARKETING

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES IN HUMAN CAPITAL RECOVERY

BUSINESS RECOVERY & MASTERING HYBRID EVENTS

Meet Our EXCO

Executive comittee.

YBhg Datuk Musa Hj Yusof

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Chairman

Mr Mohamed Sallauddin Mohamed Shah

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad Vice-Chairman

Y.Bhg. Datuk M. Ali

Dhesu Travel & Tours (M) Sdn Bhd Honorary Secretary

Y.Bhg. Dato’ Aruldas Arulandu

Tourland Travel Sdn Bhd Honorary Treasurer

Committee Members

Y.Bhg. Dato’ Megat Shahrul Azman Abas

FIC Sdn. Bhd.

Mr Jonathan Low

Global Success Learning Academy Sdn BHd.

Mr Steve Woon

Lexis Hotels & Resorts Sdn Bhd

Mr Presanth Chandra

TIN Tech Group

Mr Nicholas Yeap

Flexiroam Sdn Bhd

Puan Izwarni Binti Mohd. Salleh

Erican College

Mr Roslan Ismail

Malaysia Airlines Berhad

Mr Azhar Mohammad

Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Mr Mohd. Noor Ismawi Bin Ismail

Universiti Teknologi MARA

What people Say?

" I go to many land, meet many people and know that there are many poor people that need our help. "

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PATA Women Leadership in Travel Series: Kimarli Fernando

PATA Women Leadership in Travel Series: Jane Sun

Informal Thai Tourism Workers Project: Highlights and Outcomes

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MasterChefs’ Trip to Nepal concludes, fostering Nepal’s Authentic food, Cul

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When it comes to travel, the Metaverse has real advantages

Booking Holdings prepares for busy summer in Europe travel demand

How to pivot your business during COVID

First to hit last to recover, can the Travel Industry survive?

Milieu Insight study reveals domestic travel plans for summer across SEA

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Attract more visitors from Russia

RMAA Travel is a Tourism Marketing and Advertising Agency. Our mission is to help global travel and tourism brands to access the Russian outbound travel market

RMAA Travel is a Tourism Marketing and Advertising Agency whose mission is - to help global travel and tourism brands to access the Russian outbound travel market

Get in touch

Destination Marketing Success Stories

Our customers have benefited from our expertise. Check out a small selection of our success stories below.

North Karelia

How we successfully drilled the Finnish North Karelia into minds of Russian tourists

Challenge: To put Finnish North Karelia on the world tourist map in the eyes of a tourist from Russia

• Russian market study
• Marketing strategy planning and launching
• An interactive Map of the Crazy Acts in North Karelia creation
• Post-campaign report
• The total number of impressions of the image campaign of North Karelia on the Russian Internet amounted to 11 353 333;
• The number of unique visitors to the tourist site of North Karelia visitkarelia.fi - 45 597;
• The number of published articles in the media - 93;
• The demand for the tourist region in the Internet increased by 1.5 times.

The integration of the tourism brand for Indonesia in the FIFA - World Cup 2018 global event

Project: Out of home campaign in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novgorod, Rostov‑on‑don and Samara

• Channels selection
• Campaign planning and launching
• Help in the adaptation of creative materials
• Third party independent post-campaign report
• Audience over 60 million people

Philippines

Advertising campaign to promote the Philippines

• Channels selection based on affinity indices
• Campaign planning and launch
• Audience more than 90 million people

The advertising campaign for Morocco in the context of UN Summit

• Audience more than 47,5 million people

Advertising campaign for Qinhuangdao

Project: Out of home campaign in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novgorod, Rostov-on-don and Samara

• Audience over 60 million people
• Audience more than 90 million people
• Audience more than 47,5 million people

Russian Tourism Market in numbers

people live in Russia

Russians left abroad*

Russia held in world tourism*

Russians spent for one trip per person

of Russian tourists stayed in hotels

of Russians travel independently

Looking to break into the Russia outbound travel scene?

As the agency that is run by Russian professionals who truly understand Global way of doing business we effectively collaborate with travel, airline and hotel brands in the Russian market.

We are not just a marketing agency – we are a team of leading professionals in travel marketing, PR, online and offline communications. We bring our expertise and energy straight to our clients and become part of their team.

Because of our proprietary research practice we know everything about Russian travellers. We help our clients to determine their competitive advantages and create unique and effective strategies based on customer goals. In the research process, we use the latest neuromarketing technologies to evaluate the effectiveness of the current creative strategy.

We inspire people to go places. Our every step: from marketing strategy creation to final content will be focused around travellers’ wants and needs. In the communication strategy, we use both traditional forms of content and the latest AR and VR technologies .

We lead travellers to your destination. Our team will select the best tools to drive brand awareness and growth potential.

We measure success. We use outcome measurement tools to estimate the collective impact of travel marketing efforts.

We propose our team to be Official representative office of your country in Russia&CIS. On your behalf, we will act as organizers and participants of various events of the tourism industry: from webinars to exhibitions, and will represent your interests before agencies and tour operators of the CIS countries.

We don’t just bring people from Russia - we help to attract the right travelers...

Baby boomers

Generation X

Generation Y

Generation Z

Travelers With Kids

• Russian "baby boomers" are attracted by simple and clear advertising, which exudes optimism.
• They believe in the power of brands and have a positive attitude towards the loyalty programs.
• The priority is to advertise in traditional media: television, print media, billboards, transport, mailing.

• Generation X is eager to try something new, while not “cheating” on its favorite brands.
• In advertising, you need to show the uniqueness and value of the tourism product.
• The priority is advertising on TV, in fashion magazines, outdoor advertising, the Internet, individual offers by email.

• Millennials often shop online. When choosing, they read reviews and ratings.
• They do not believe in traditional advertising and are skeptical of brands.
• The Internet is the most effective advertising channel for Generation Y. TV, print media and outdoor advertising can be used as a supplement.

• Centenials do not believe in traditional advertising and are skeptical of brands.
• Gen Z are used to perceiving information visually. They rarely use search queries, and they draw information from videos on YouTube.
• The most effective channels of interaction with the Z generation are YouTube, instant messengers, social networks, and advertising on marketplaces.

• Many Russian families refuse to travel abroad after the appearance of children, because they believe that the trip will not succeed with a child. We help family destinations to dispel these myths.
• 60% of young mothers in Russia practically do not leave the Internet.
• On average, mothers spend 2.5 hours on TV and 3.5 hours on the Internet daily.
• The most effective channels for interacting with moms are the Internet, with a focus on social networks and forums for moms and TV.

...at the right time

Our Industry Solutions

We are experts at following industries and we are helping

Tourism Ministries

• Identifying competitors (countries and regions) for Russian tourists, in the Global market. Analysing their strengths and weaknesses to determine your competitive advantage.
• Giving you an overview of the latest trends among Russian travellers.
• Increasing your country’s brand awareness through online and offline brand promotion activities.
• Building business relations between countries and the Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturizm).
• Building business relations between countries and local tour operators.
• Giving you overview of the latest trends among Russian travellers.
• Identifying competitors - airlines operating in the Russian market. Analysing their strengths and weaknesses to determine your competitive advantage.
• Strengthening your brand through online and offline promotion activities.
• Creating your digital airline strategy for the digital passenger.
• Targeting relevant Russian travellers via multiple channels and devices.
• Identifying Russian tourists wants and needs when choosing a hotel.
• Strengthening your hotel business through online and offline brand promotion activities.
• Leveraging digital advertising tools to promote your hotel website.

Marketing & Advertising Agencies

• Giving you access to our expertise and the Russian Tourism Market research database.
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Webinar for Destination Management Organizations and National Tourism Offices | May 2020

Conference held by RMAA Travel team in December 2019 for representatives of tourist offices and embassies.

RMAA CEO Vadim Tylik joined PATAcademy as a speaker in November 2019 in Bangkok.

PTM is Asia Pacific’s international travel trade exhibition featuring unparalleled networking and contracting opportunities to help travel and tourism organisations access decision makers, meet new clients, expand their networks, establish new relationships and consolidate existing business partnerships.

The webinar was led by Svetlana Pyatikhatka, Business Development Director of RMAA Travel. Webinar is a part of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Spotlight series.

The meeting of the National tourism boards of countries and embassies, organized by the agency RMAA Travel with the support of ANTOR Russia, was held in Moscow in April 2019.

During the meeting, the CEO of our agency (Vadim Tylik) spoke about the tourism marketing trends, the direction of the media industry, and following tourism industry.

Russian Tourism Market Report: Trends, Analysis & Statistics 2022

How to impress Russian tourists and attract them to your country.

Russian Tourism Market Digest

Learn about the main changes in the Russian tourism and digital market in 10 minutes

Russian Tourism Industry Mind Map

Mind Map of Russian travel and tourism industry players

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The Spirits Business

India to drive travel retail sales.

The president of the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) believes India will drive travel retail sales in the future.

Speaking during his last TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference (12-16 May) as president, Erik Juul-Mortensen discussed the state of the duty free and travel retail industry in Asia Pacific.

In his opening speech for the Singapore show, Juul-Mortensen said the rate of post-pandemic recovery has varied widely across the region.

“Last year, passenger traffic at both Hong Kong and Macau International Airports reached just 55% of its 2019 level,” he continued.

“In Malaysia, 2023 passenger volumes returned faster at 78% of their pre-Covid total. Changi Airport fared even better, seeing 86% of the 2019 passenger count pass through its terminals last year. Mumbai International Airport in India heads the pack however, serving 10% more passengers last year than in 2019.”

Juul-Mortensen believes that India will “drive duty free and travel retail sales across Asia Pacific and beyond for years to come”, and highlighted there were 149 civil airports in the country ­– double the number it had a decade ago.

“Nine more are approved or construction work has already started, while many others are planned,” he noted. “Delhi and Mumbai are both gaining second airports, and there is even talk of a third one for Mumbai.”

Citing data from consultancy CAPA India, Juul-Mortensen said outbound international departures by Indian residents were predicted to rise from 17.4 million in 2019 to more than 50m in 2030.

He also noted that the region’s passenger traffic would return to 2019 volumes by the end of this year, according to ACI World.

“Longer term, Airbus thinks Asian passenger flows will grow roughly twice as fast as the global average, and two to three times faster than Europe and North America, for the next 20 years,” Juul-Mortensen said. “The indications are for plenty of footfall in airport terminals.”

China remains ‘concern’

In regards to the China market, he said recovery has been slow due to cautious spending.

“Economic conditions today in China are a concern for many duty free and travel retail professionals, with a troubled property sector, weak consumer confidence and lower GDP growth than in recent years,” Juul-Mortensen explained. “The country’s shoppers are understandably cautious when it comes to spending.”

Despite the slower recovery, he cited a report by Bain & Company that said China would account for more than a third of global luxury spending by 2030, up from less than a quarter in 2023.

Juul-Mortensen also highlighted that Korea’s recent introduction of purchase limits and regulations on bulk shipments was an “important step in the right direction”.

Cruise boom

Speaking about the potential of the cruise channel, he said the sector had experienced “impressive growth” from a modest base.

Data from trade body the Cruise Lines International Association forecasts cruise passenger numbers will double between 2022 and 2027 to approximately 40m per year, Juul-Mortensen noted.

He continued: “Asia Pacific accounted for a quarter of those passengers in 2022. This is a sector worth watching in Asia Pacific, especially since cruise passengers spend more on average than air passengers.”

Regarding sustainability, the TFWA president said the sector needed an “industry-wide approach” as it tops the list of traveller preoccupations, and criticised the lack of “coherent labelling or in-store communication”.

He also called on the industry to adapt to consumer preferences and create “engaging activations” to reach travellers.

Juul-Mortensen concluded: “As an industry, we must get a tighter grip on our market through data sharing, and show travellers a more serious, coherent approach to sustainability.”

In the December 2023 issue of The Spirits Business , we explored whether 2024 could be the year the rum category booms in global travel retail .

The TFWA will host its annual flagship conference in Cannes, France, from 29 September to 3 October 2024.

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International Offices of the Tourism Authority of Thailand

• TAT Beijing Office Room 902, Office Tower E1 Oriental Plaza, No.1 East Chang An Avenue, Dong Cheng District, Beijing 100738 China Tel: (86 10) 8518 3526-29 Fax: (86 10) 8518 3530 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tatbjs.org.cn Areas of Responsibility: Beijing, Liaoning Province, Jilin, Tianjin, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Shanxi, Henan, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Mongolia
• TAT Chengdu Office 1404, Yanlord Landmark Office Tower 1 Renmin South Road Section 2, Chengdu 610016 Sichuan, China Tel: (86 28) 6465 6299 Fax: (86 28) 6465 6399 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: cn.tourismthailand.org, www.tourismthailand.org.cn Areas of Responsibility: Xinjing Uyghur Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Gansu, Shaaxi, Chungqing, Sichuan, and Tibet Autonomous Region
• TAT Guangzhou Office Room 1252-1254, The Garden Tower, The Garden Hotel, 368 Huanshi Dong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China Tel: (86 20) 8333 8999 Ext 1252-1254 Fax: (86 20) 8365 1836 E-mail:  [email protected]  Areas of Responsibility: Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan and Hunan
• TAT Kunming Office Room 1301, Brilliant Plaza No. 6 Sanshi Street Kunming, Yunnan PR, 650011, China Tel: (86 87) 1317 8840 Fax: (86 87) 1317 1664 E-mail Address:  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
• TAT Shanghai Office 27th Floor, Room 2703, CH Finance Centre Building, 288 Nanjing Road (West), Huang Pu District Shanghai 200003, China Tel: (86 21) 33 66 3409 Fax: (86 21) 33 66 3408 E-mail address:  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Shanghai, Shandong, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang
• TAT Hong Kong Office Room 2101, 21/F Prosperity Tower 39 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2868 0732 Fax: (852) 2868 4585 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand.org/hk Areas of Responsibility: Hong Kong and Macau
• TAT Taipei Office 13th Floor, Boss Tower No. 111 Sung Chiang Road (Near Nanking East Road Junction), Taipei 104, Taiwan Tel: (886 2) 2502 1600 Fax: (886 2) 2502 1603 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tattpe.org.tw Area of Responsibility: Taiwan
• TAT Fukuoka Office Hakata Riverain Eest Site 11F, 2-1, Shimokawabatamachi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0027 Japan Tel: (81) 92 260 9308 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.thailandtravel.or.jp Areas of Responsibility: Kyushu Island and Okinawa
• TAT Osaka Office Nikke Yotsubashi Bldg., 1-4-26 Shinmachi, Nishi-ku Osaka 550-0013 Japan Tel: (81 6) 6543 6654, 6543 6655 Fax: (81 6) 6543 6660 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.thailandtravel.or.jp Areas of Responsibility: Southern area of Honshu Island, Kinki, Chugoku and Chabu
• TAT Tokyo Office Yurakucho Denki Building, South Tower 2nd Fl. Room 259, 1-7-1 Yurakucho Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0006, Japan Tel: (81 3) 3218 1077 Fax: (81 3) 3218 0655 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.thailandtravel.or.jp Areas of Responsibility: Northern area of Honshu Island, Tohoku, Kanto and Hokkaido Island
• TAT Seoul Office Room No.1205, Daeyungak Tower, 12th Floor, 25-5, 1-Ka, Chungmu-Ro, Chung-Ku, Seoul 100-706, Republic of Korea Tel: (82 2) 779 5416-8, 779 5160, 779 5162-4 Fax: (82 2) 779 5419 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tatsel.or.kr Area of Responsibility: Republic of Korea

ASEAN, South Asia & South Pacific

• TAT Sydney Office Royal Exchange, Suite 2002, Level 20, 56 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia Tel: (61 2) 9247 7549 Fax: (61 2) 9251 2465 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand.org/au Areas of Responsibility: Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific
• TAT Mumbai Office 215, 4th Floor, Free Press House Free Press Journal Marg Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400 021 India Tel: (91 22) 2204 2727, 2204 2728 Fax: (91 22) 2204 2729 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: www.amazingthailand.co.in Areas of Responsibility: Western and Southern India, Sri Lanka and Maldives
• TAT New Delhi Office A 12/4 Ground Floor, Vasant Vihar New Delhi, 110057, India Tel: (91 11) 4166 3567-9 Fax: (91 11) 4166 3570 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: www.amazingthailand.co.in Areas of Responsibility: Northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan
• TAT Jakarta Office The Plaza, 38th Floor, Zone B, 1. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30 Jakarta 10350 Indonesia Tel: (62) 21 2992 2353 Fax: (62) 21 2992 8355 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: www.wisatathailand.com Areas of Responsibility: Indonesia
• TAT Kuala Lumpur Office Suite 22.01, Level 22nd, Menara Citibank, 165 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur 50450 Malaysia Tel: (60 3) 216 23480 Fax: (60 3) 216 23486 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand.my Areas of Responsibility: Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam
• TAT Singapore Office C/O Royal Thai Embassy 370 Orchard Road, Singapore 238870 Tel: (656) 235 7901 Fax: (656) 733 5653 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: https://tourismthailand.sg/ Areas of Responsibility: Singapore and Philippines
• TAT Ho Chi Minh Office The Empire Tower 5th floor, 26 – 28 Ham Nghi Street District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Tel: (84 86) 291 3885-6 Fax: (84 86) 291 3887 E-mail:  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Vietnam, Lao PDR, and Cambodia
• TAT Prague Office Quadrio Business Center, Purkynova 2121/3, 110 00, Prague 1, Czech Republic Tel: +420 281 913 738, +420 281 913 739 Email: [email protected] Website: Czech Market – www.amazingthailand.cz Poland – www.amazingthailand.pl Ukraine – www.tourismthailand.com.ua Romania – www.thailanda.ro Areas of Responsibility: Czech, Poland, Hungary. Slovak, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Moldova, Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro
• TAT Paris Office Office National du Tourisme de Thailande 90, Avenue des Champs-Elysees, Paris, 75008, France Tel: (33 1) 5353 4700 E-mail: Information: [email protected] , Others: [email protected] Website: www.tourismethai.fr Areas of Responsibility: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Morocco, Monaco, Tunisia and Algeria
• TAT Frankfurt Office Kirchnerstr.6-8, 60311 Frankfurt / Main Tel: (49 69) 138139 0 E-Mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.thailandtourismus.de Areas of Responsibility: Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• TAT Rome Office Ente Nazionale per il Turismo Thailandese Via Barberini 68, 4th Floor, 00187 Roma, Italy Tel: (39 06) 420 14422, 420 14426 Fax: (39 06) 487 3500 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.turismothailandese.it Areas of Responsibility: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Türkiye, Greece, and Cyprus
• TAT Moscow Office 16/23, Building 1, 3rd Floor, 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street, Moscow, Russian Federation 125047 Tel: +7 (499) 250 8345 Fax: +7 (499) 251 6433 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand.ru Areas of Responsibility: Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyz
• TAT Stockholm Office Drottninggatan 33 GF 111 51 Stockholm, Sweden Tel: (46 8) 700 56 91 Fax: (46 8) 700 56 99 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: www.thecoloursofthailand.com Areas of Responsibility: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• TAT London Office 4th Floor, 12 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XH Tel: +44 020 7925 2511 Fax: +44 020 7925 2512 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.fanclubthailand.co.uk   Areas of Responsibility: United Kingdom and Ireland

The Americas, Africa & Middle East

• TAT Los Angeles Office 611 North Larchmont Boulevard, 1st Floor Los Angeles, CA 90004, USA Tel: (1 323) 461 9814 Fax: (1 323) 461 9834 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Guam Island and all Central and Southern American countries
• TAT New York Office 61 Broadway, Suite 2810 New York, N.Y. 10006, USA Tel: (1 212) 432 0433 Fax: (1 212) 269 2588 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Alabama, Arkansas, Canada, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington D.C, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas and Canada Countries (West Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and Yukon, East Canada: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and New Foundland)
• TAT Dubai Office (Middle East & Africa) 133 Sheikh Zayed Road, Dusit Thani Dubai, Apartment No. 1804 P.O. Box 450019, Dubai, UAE Tel: (97 1) 4325 0184-5 Fax: (97 1) 4325 0187 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand-middleeast.org Areas of Responsibility: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Africa

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Whether you are looking to get the most out of a tight budget or prefer premium luxury when discovering Russia, Olta Travel will be your perfect partner.

Let us make your tour to Russia a memorable experience, so you can enjoy a worry-free journey!

• FROM BIG GROUPS TO INDIVIDUALS: we craft a tailored offer for almost any budget, thanks to our distributed network of trusted partners, direct connections with service providers and our own profound knowledge of destinations in Russia. 
• TOP SERVICE GUARANTEE:  We take care of everything to secure travelers’ satisfaction and are prepared to deal with unexpected issues should they arise.
• COMFORTABLE PRICING:  Olta Travel keeps the cost of discovering Russia at a fair, reasonable level because we love our country and seek to share this love with you.
• NATION-SPECIFIC PROGRAMS : based on our experience working with tourists from all parts of the world, we know how to surprise and amaze your compatriots with Russia.

PRIVACY POLICY ON THE PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA

This Policy of personal data processing (hereinafter - the Policy) applies to all data that "OLTA Travel" Co. Ltd (hereinafter – Olta Travel) receives from the visitors of website http://www.oltatravel.com (hereinafter "the Website") and explains how it is processing, stored and how the confidentiality is ensured.

1. Processing and use of personal data.

1.1. In this Policy, personal information means any information left by users on the Website of Olta Travel, including Name, Surname, company, email address and other contact information, left in the message.

1.2. The person who left personal data on the Website of Olta Travel, consents to their use, namely:

1.2.1. The inclusion of the email address, name, surname, company name or any other contact information left in the message in the contact database of Olta Travel. The database is hosted in a secure cloud-based customer relationship management service Bitrix 24, as well as on a secure service for newsletters – Unisender.

1.2.2. Receiving email newsletters with news, promotions, special offers and other useful materials, but no more than twice a week. The visitor of the Website at any time has the right to unsubscribe from the mailing list of Olta Travel, by clicking on the unsubscribe link located at the bottom of each letter.

1.2.3. Direct communication with the manager of Olta travel on the treatment of the user.

1.2.4. The use of contact information to show relevant advertisements to users in social networks and the Internet.

1.2.5. For other purposes performed with the individual consent of the user.

2. The collection, storage and protection of personal data.

2.1. All personal data collected on the Website is processed, stored and secured in strict accordance with the provisions of the legislation of the Russian Federation (Federal law of the Russian Federation of 27 July 2006 № 152-FL "On personal data") and the European Union (The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679).

2.2. Olta Travel is taking the necessary legal, organizational and technical measures to protect personal information from unlawful or accidental access, copying, distribution of personal information, as well as other unlawful actions in relation to personal data of users, which include:

•     secure transfer and storage of personal data on secure servers;

•     automated processing of personal data;

•     identification of possible threats to the security of personal data;

•     limiting the number of persons having access to personal data;

•     application of measures of internal regulation of the procedure of working with personal data (internal regulations for employees of Olta Travel);

•     improving methods of collection, storage and processing of data.

2.3. All data received on the Website of Olta Travel are transmitted via a secure https Protocol and stored on servers in secure, cloud-based customer relationship management service Bitrix 24, as well as in safe service for creating email newsletters Unisender.

3. User rights and obligations of Olta Travel.

3.1. Upon the request from the user Olta Travel should:

•        confirm the fact and methods of storage and processing of personal data of users;

•        inform about the method of obtaining personal data of the user;

•        explain the legal bases, objectives and timing of the processing of personal data;

•        in case of personal data leakage, inform the user about it;

•        make changes or delete users ' personal data from the database to stop storing and processing it;

•        warn about the expected cross-border transfer of personal data.

3.2. The user has the right to request the deletion of his personal data by sending an e-mail to [email protected] as well as the exclusion from the email-mailing by clicking on the "Unsubscribe" button located in the body of each letter.

4. Conditions of termination of processing and storage of personal data:

•       company liquidation;

•       a written request for withdrawal of consent or exclusion from the database;

•       at the request of the user, if the data were obtained illegally.

5. Olta Travel is not responsible for information posted by a visitor on the third party websites, links to which can be posted on the Website of Olta Travel.

6. More information about the collection, storage and processing of personal data by Olta Travel, the user may get by sending an email to [email protected] .

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Japan Likes Tourists, Just Not This Many

The country has politely handled travelers for years, but as international visitors spill into previously untouristed spots, some residents are frustrated.

By Yan Zhuang

The writer spent several days elbowing through crowds in Kyoto and Fuji City, Japan.

On two recent occasions, a foreign tourist walked into Shoji Matsumoto’s barbershop, through a front door that grates loudly when opened more than halfway, wanting a haircut.

One was Italian, the other British. Mr. Matsumoto, who is 75 and speaks neither of their languages, didn’t know what to tell them. He picked up his scissors and began to cut, hoping that his decades of experience would carry him through the stilted encounters.

Tourists, propelled in part by a weak yen that makes their money go further in Japan, have been pouring into the country ever since it eased its coronavirus-related entry restrictions in 2022. Some officials, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, have raised concerns about overtourism. In March, there were more than three million international arrivals, a monthly record, and a more than 10 percent jump compared with March 2019.

Nearly two thirds of international visitors tend to be from South Korea, Taiwan and China. Last year, spending from foreign tourists made up about 9 percent of Japan’s gross domestic product.

Popular sites in cities like Kyoto, Japan’s ancient royal capital, feel increasingly unmanageable. Visitors are spilling into previously untouristed places, like small towns near Mount Fuji or the commercial district of Kyoto where Mr. Matsumoto cuts hair.

“Before, it was normal to see tourists in certain spots,” Mr. Matsumoto said from a low chair in his barbershop on a recent Saturday. “But now, they’re spreading out to random and unexpected places.”

That influx is testing the patience of a generally polite society.

In Kyoto and other heavily visited cities, some residents grumble about being priced out of hotel rooms or crowded out of buses and restaurants. Others say that tourists sometimes disrespect local customs by, say, chasing after geishas to photograph them or eating while walking, a behavior that is considered rude in Japan.

One day last month, it took Hiroshi Ban six hours — twice as long as usual — to visit Kyoto’s Heian Jingu shrine. Mr. Ban, 65, attributed the delay partly to tourists who hold up buses by counting out coins for the fare.

“Every day feels like a carnival here,” said Mr. Ban, an event organizer. “We can’t enjoy our daily lives in peace.”

Even those who directly benefit from tourism revenue worry that it might be unsustainable.

Hisashi Kobayashi, a taxi driver in Kyoto, said business was so good that taking a day off felt like passing up easy money. But many tourism-related industries were struggling to keep up with demand as they recovered from pandemic-era labor shortages, he said.

“When Japanese people come here, they feel they’re in a foreign land because there are so many tourists,” Mr. Kobayashi, 56, added as his taxi approached a bottleneck near a popular temple. “It’s not Kyoto anymore.”

Some rural locations are feeling the strain for the first time. One is Fuji City, about 200 miles by road east of Kyoto in Shizuoka Prefecture.

After a bridge with a direct view of Mount Fuji started to become popular on social media late last year, Shizuoka’s tourism department said on Instagram that it was a good spot for “beautiful, dreamlike pictures.” Left unsaid was that the bridge sat in a residential area with no visitor parking spaces, public toilets or garbage cans.

Many visitors littered, parked in driveways and in some cases dodged traffic to take photos from the bridge’s median strip, residents said in interviews.

Over a public holiday last month, about 300 tourists arrived daily for four days, standing in a line for photos that coiled down the street, said Mitsuo Kato, 86, who lives by the bridge.

“They just park here,” Mr. Kato said outside his home on a recent Sunday, as groups of tourists from South Korea diligently took photos of clouds that were obscuring Mount Fuji. “So we had to put up signs.”

Officials across Japan have been responding to the tourism surge with varying degrees of efficacy.

In Fuji City, the authorities erected a makeshift six-car parking lot and started to build a larger one that would fit 15 cars and include a bathroom, said Motohiro Sano, a local tourism official.

In a neighboring prefecture, Yamanashi, officials in the town of Fujikawaguchiko put up a billboard-size screen last month to deter tourists from photographing a Lawson convenience store whose blue awning sits beneath the mountain and became a staple of social media posts. The screen is now dotted with holes large enough to fit a phone camera lens, the local news media reported .

In Shibuya, a heavily visited area of Tokyo, officials announced plans to ban drinking alcohol outdoors at night in an attempt to curb bad behavior by young people and tourists.

And in Kyoto, where signs in train stations ask visitors to “mind your manners,” the government began running special buses for tourists this month.

At the city’s Nishiki market, where some residents have complained of finding grease stains on their clothing after squeezing through throngs of snacking tourists, Yoshino Yamaoka gestured to two signs hanging outside her barbecue eel restaurant.

Both said in English, “No eating while walking.” One had a larger font, and its text was underlined in red.

“People weren’t following it, so I put up this one with a stricter tone,” Ms. Yamaoka, 63, said of the bolder sign. But she wondered whether her new approach was too strict.

“Business depends on the tourists,” she said.

To beat the crowds on a recent weekend, some tourists visited popular Kyoto sites at sunrise or waited 40 minutes to eat at a popular ramen joint at 11 p.m. A few complained about the congestion they had helped to create.

“It’s a disaster,” said Paul Oostveen, 70, a tourist from the Netherlands, after leaving the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a popular attraction.

From his empty barbershop, Mr. Matsumoto said that he had successfully cut the hair of his two foreign clients and that he wouldn’t turn away others who stumbled through his door.

But he worried about providing good quality service to customers he couldn’t understand, he said, and would prefer that non-Japanese speakers go elsewhere.

Even though tourism is good for the nation, he added over the drone of a radio, “There’s a part of me that’s not fully content.”

Yan Zhuang is a Times reporter in Seoul who covers breaking news. More about Yan Zhuang

KXAN Austin

Divers find remains of Finnish WWII plane that was shot down by Moscow with a US diplomat aboard

by: JARI TANNER, Associated Press

Posted: Jun 15, 2024 / 05:44 PM CDT

Updated: Jun 15, 2024 / 05:46 PM CDT

HELSINKI (AP) — The World War II mystery of what happened to a Finnish passenger plane after it was shot down over the Baltic Sea by Soviet bombers appears to finally be solved more than eight decades later.

The plane was carrying American and French diplomatic couriers in June 1940 when it was downed just days before Moscow annexed the Baltic states. All nine people on board the plane were killed, including the two-member Finnish crew and the seven passengers — an American diplomat, two French, two Germans, a Swede and a dual Estonian-Finnish national.

A diving and salvage team in Estonia said this week that it had located well-preserved parts and debris from the Junkers Ju 52 plane operated by Finnish airline Aero, which is now Finnair. It was found off the tiny island of Keri near Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, at a depth of around 70 meters (230 feet).

“Basically, we started from scratch. We took a whole different approach to the search,” Kaido Peremees, spokesman for the Estonian diving and underwater survey company Tuukritoode OU, explained the group’s success in finding the plane’s remains.

The downing of the civilian plane, named Kaleva, en route from Tallinn to Helsinki happened on June 14, 1940 — just three months after Finland had signed a peace treaty with Moscow following the 1939-40 Winter War.

The news about the fate of the plane was met with disbelief and anger by authorities in Helsinki who were informed that it was shot down by two Soviet DB-3 bombers 10 minutes after taking off from Tallinn’s Ulemiste airport.

“It was unique that a passenger plane was shot down during peacetime on a normal scheduled flight,” said Finnish aviation historian Carl-Fredrik Geust, who has investigated Kaleva’s case since the 1980s.

Finland officially kept silent for years about the details of the aircraft’s destruction, saying publicly only that a “mysterious crash” had taken place over the Baltic Sea, because it didn’t want to provoke Moscow.

Though well documented by books, research and television documentaries, the 84-year-old mystery has intrigued Finns. The case is an essential part of the Nordic country’s complex World War II history and sheds light into its troubled ties with Moscow.

But perhaps more importantly, the downing of the plane happened at a critical time just days before Josef Stalin’s Soviet Union was preparing to annex the three Baltic states, sealing the fate of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for the next half-century before they eventually regained independence in 1991.

Moscow occupied Estonia on June 17, 1940 and Kaleva’s doomed journey was the last flight out of Tallinn, though Soviets had already started enforcing a tight transport embargo around the Estonian capital.

American diplomat Henry W. Antheil Jr., who is now considered one of the first U.S. casualties of World War II, was aboard the plane when it went down.

The 27-year-old Antheil, the younger brother of the acclaimed composer and pianist George Antheil, was on a rushed government mission evacuating sensitive diplomatic pouches from U.S. missions in Tallinn and Riga, Latvia, as it had become clear that Moscow was preparing to swallow up the small Baltic nations.

An Associated Press wire item dated June 15, 1940 noted that “Henry W. Antheil Jr. of Trenton, N. J., attached to the United States Legation in Helsinki, was killed in the mysterious explosion of a Finnish airliner yesterday.” In the U.S. media, Antheil’s death was overshadowed by much bigger news from Europe at the time: the Nazi occupation of Paris.

The U.S. Embassy in Tallinn has thoroughly documented and researched the case over the years.

Embassy spokesman Mike Snyder told the AP that “news of the possible location of the wreck of the Kaleva passenger plane is of great interest to the United States, especially since one of the first U.S. casualties of the Second World War, Diplomat Henry Antheil, occurred as a result of the plane being downed.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. ambassador in Estonia, George P. Kent, shared a post on X that included photos of Antheil, Kaleva and a memorial plaque by the American Foreign Service Association in Washington with Antheil’s name engraved in it.

Kaleva was carrying 227 kilograms (500 pounds) of diplomatic post, including Antheil’s pouches and material from two French diplomatic couriers — identified as Paul Longuet and Frederic Marty.

Estonian fishermen and the lighthouse operator on Keri told Finnish media decades after the downing of the plane that a Soviet submarine surfaced close to Kaleva’s crash site and retrieved floating debris, including document pouches, that had been collected by fishermen from the site.

This has led to conspiracy theories regarding the contents of the pouches and Moscow’s decision to shoot down the plane. It still remains unclear why precisely the Soviet Union decided to down a civilian Finnish passenger plane during peacetime.

“Lots of speculation on the plane’s cargo has been heard over the years,” Geust said. “What was the plane transporting? Many suggest Moscow wanted to prevent sensitive material and documents from exiting Estonia.”

But he said that it could have simply been “a mistake” by the Soviet bomber pilots.

Various attempts to find Kaleva have been recorded since Estonia regained independence more than three decades ago. However, none of them have been successful.

Not even the U.S. Navy’s oceanographic survey vessel Pathfinder could locate remains of the plane in a 2008 search around the Keri island in a venture commissioned by the Estonian government from the Pentagon.

“The wreckage is in pieces and the seabed is quite challenging with rock formations, valleys and hills. It’s very easy to miss” small parts and debris from the aircraft, Peremees said. “Techniques have, of course, evolved a lot over the time. As always, you can have good technology but be out of luck.”

New video taken by underwater robots from Peremees’ company show clear images of the three-engine Junkers’ landing gear, one of the motors and parts of the wings.

Peremees and his group are “absolutely” convinced the parts belong to Kaleva because of the distinctive and recognizable design of the German-made Junkers Ju 52, one of the most popular European passenger and wartime transport planes in the 1930s and early 1940s.

The plane was operated by the predecessor of the Finnish national airline Finnair.

Jaakko Schildt, chief operations officer of Finnair, described Kaleva’s downing as “a tragic and profoundly sad event for the young airline” that Finnair, then named Aero, was in 1940.

“Finding the wreckage of Kaleva in a way brings closure to this, even though it does not bring back the lives of our customers and crew that were lost,” Schildt said. “The interest towards locating Kaleva in the Baltic Sea speaks of the importance this tragic event has in the aviation history of our region.”

Peremees said his company would now focus on creating 3D images of Kaleva’s debris and discuss with Estonian authorities about the possibility of raising some of the items and, if found, the plane’s cargo and human remains.

Snyder from the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn said that Washington is closely monitoring the diving group’s efforts.

“We are following the investigation of the site and will be happy to discuss with our Finnish and Estonian (NATO) allies any developments resulting from recovery efforts,” Snyder said.

A stone memorial set up in the early 1990s to the victims of the Kaleva crash is located on Keri, and Helsinki’s old preserved Malmi airport terminal building, where Kaleva was supposed to arrive, has a memorial plaque set up in 2020 with the names of the victims.

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Reporting by Reporting by Tassilo Hummel in Paris, Gleb Stolyarov in Tbilisi, Polina Nikolskaya in London and David Gauthier-Villars in Istanbul. Additional reporting by Anton Zverev and Christian Lowe in London, Mari Saito in Berlin and Maria Tsvetkova in New York. Edited by Cassell Bryan-Low

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Tassilo is a trained lawyer who first joined Reuters in Berlin, then re-joined in Paris. He covers French politics and business, EU institutions and NATO.

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