Wanted: Domestic Tourists

[url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/atmoney/news/20090215-OYT1T00112.htm]Original Article[/url] (Original in Japanese: translated [i]probably poorly[/i] by yours truly) Rates for condominium rentals dropping. Falling Aussie dollar leads to more marketing aimed at domestic tourists. In Niseko, where Australian visitors had been continuously increasing, long stay condominium rates are being discounted heavily and marketed to Japanese domestic tourists. Due to the cheapening of the Australian dollar precipitated by the American financial crisis, and a new eye towards increasing the number of Japanese guests, condominium management companies that boast of world class accommodation in one of the world's finest resorts are now dropping rates, resulting in cheaper access to accommodation that was previously unavailable altogether. [url=http://www.jtrip.co.jp/]J-Trip[/url], a travel website that sells ski holidays run by Keith Enterprises (Tokyo), for the first time has 2-4 day holiday packages including Niseko condominium accommodation aimed at domestic tourists. The sales price of the packages includes lift tickets and round-trip tickets from Tokyo to Chitose startign at under jpy 30,000. A salesman expects that "It is accommodation meant for foreign guests, but when domestic guests get the chance to stay they may come to appreciate and utilise the accommodation beyond just this winter season." J-Trip indicates that in the two weeks since the packages went on sale, around 225 people have booked. Even the biggest real estate / development / management company in the area, [url=http://hokkaidotracks.com/]Hokkaido Tracks[/url] (Kutchan), has been offering 30% discounts on jpy 50,000 nightly 1 bedroom condominiums since early February. Hokkaido Tracks states that "With the appreciation of the yen, even with steep discounts foreign owners can see returns." Sales to senior citizens from metropolitan areas and domestic skiiers from within Hokkaido are said to have increased to 10% of the total guest number. For the first time in 10 years, total nights stayed by visitors from Australia is observed to have fallen from a peak last year of 140,000. Condominium definition: Complete with furniture and electronics, their are apartment types and stand-alones. The apartment types have a living room, bedroom(s), and kitchen, and are owned individually by separate owners. The owners use a management company to rent them out to travelers as hotel units when they are not using the property themselves. In the Niseko area there are currently over 200 such buildings.