Japanese Hoteliers Urged To Hold Onto Tradition

Above, a Japanese-style ryokan room in Atami. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When people visit a foreign country, one of the main draws is to experience that country's traditional culture. Who wants to go somewhere that one could find the same in Indianapolis?

This was a topic at the recent JATA T-Expo.

According to Travel Daily Asia:

‘How do you make visitors stay more nights at your property?’ was one of the questions asked to Japanese hoteliers at the recent JATA T-Expo in Tokyo. 

In a symposium entitled ‘Diversifying destinations for sustainable growth’, a panel discussed the appeal of truly local experiences – in this case, Japanese activities like seeing monkeys bathing in hot springs, wearing Yukata pyjamas and Japanese-style sandals, pottery making and traditional archery. 

Owners of local ryokans – traditional Japanese guesthouses – also discussed how they had improved sales. 

Embracing culture differences was a key theme; sleeping on tatami mats was an attraction in itself, not a comfort problem.

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