Japan Airlines and Kyodo News Digital partner to help foreigners overcome cultural and language barriers during trips in Japan

TOKYO, Japan, 2017-Nov-02 — /Travel PR News/ — Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (JAL) and Kyodo News Digital Co., Ltd. (KND) are partnering on an online project to help foreigners overcome cultural and language barriers during trips to Japan, in order to make their travel experiences more pleasant and enjoyable.

According to the Japan Tourism Agency^[1], the most troublesome aspect of travel in Japan for a foreigner is “communication” where culture and language present barriers. With this in mind, JAL and KND are implementing a new online project utilizing the voices of foreigners currently residing in Japan.  The project will encourage the sharing of knowledge and experience on communication in a culture like Japan, and how foreign travelers can make their trips more enjoyable.

The first phase of the project will include a blogger campaign and a survey targeting foreigners residing in Japan. Details are as follows:

(1) City-Cost x JAL Blog Campaign

From November 1, 2017 to February 28, 2018, a blogger campaign will be held on the theme of “How to overcome language and cultural barriers to successfully communicate and enjoy traveling in Japan.” The campaign will be aimed at users of “City-Cost”, an online community platform for foreigners living in Japan. (Operated by KND)

During the campaign, selected blog posts from City-Cost users will be shared on the platform’s social networking accounts. Bloggers who generate the most “likes” and “shares” will be given attractive prizes, such as 20,000 JAL Mileage Bank (JMB) miles, a night for two at Hotel Nikko Alivila – Yomitan Resort Okinawa and other JAL original gifts.

(2) Survey for foreigners regarding travel and communication

From October 31, 2017 to November 30, 2017, a survey will be conducted via the “City-Cost” platform regarding travel and communication issues in Japan.

By analyzing the domestic travel demands and preferences of foreigners, JAL and KND aim to develop better travel promotions according to the real needs of travelers.

For details, please refer to the sites below:

JAL: http://www.jal.co.jp/en/dom/special/travelwithease/

City-Cost: https://www.city-cost.com/resources/G60QM/Okinawa/City-Cost-x-JAL-Blog-Campaign

To encourage foreigners residing in Japan to travel and proactively share their experiences, JAL will be giving away 10,000 JPY Amazon Gift Cards to ten random passengers who have booked and purchased eligible domestic flight tickets on its Japan region English-language site (www.jal.co.jp/en) for travel from November 1, 2017 to March 20, 2018. In addition, eligible JMB members will receive 100 bonus miles for each flight on Okinawa routes.

¹ Source: “Japan Tourism Agency: Questionnaire Results on Improvement of a Domestic Environment for Accepting Foreign Tourists Visiting Japan” (February 7, 2017). 

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