Joe Yoshiyuki Nakazawa appointed new Tourism Australia Country Manager for Japan
SYDNEY, Australia, 2016-Nov-04 — /Travel PR News/ — Tourism Australia has confirmed the appointment of Joe Yoshiyuki Nakazawa as its new Country Manager Japan, taking up the Tokyo-based role on 1 December 2016.
Mr Nakazawa joins Tourism Australia from HRS Hotel Reservation Service Japan, where he is currently the Managing Director.
Prior to his current role, Mr Nakazawa was with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) where he has worked for eight years as Country Manager Japan. Before IATA, he worked as a senior executive at JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) where he managed travel trade relationships, including new business development and e-commerce.
Based in Tokyo, Mr Nakazawa will report to Tourism Australia Regional General Manager North Asia. Mr Hogg said Mr Nakazawa’s extensive aviation experience and understanding of the Japan travel market had been key factors in making the appointment.
“The Japanese market has rebounded strongly in recent times with visitor numbers growing strongly over the past 12 months. A big part in this turnaround has been the focus we have placed upon strengthening our relationships with aviation, distribution and trade partners in market, as well as strong marketing activity. These are certainly areas where Joe’s experience and strong skill set will give us significant additional momentum,” Mr Hogg said.
Mr Nakazawa said he was looking forward to working for the national tourism organisation of a country that helped shape his own personal development.
“Having spent three years studying at Bond University for my MBA, I have already feel a close affinity with Australia. This is an exciting time to join Tourism Australia and I look forward to leading a highly energised team in such an important market,” Mr Nakazawa said.
Japan represents Australia’s sixth largest inbound market, with 391,100 Japanese visitor arrivals for the year ending August 2016, up 20.2 per cent. These visitors generated over $1.5 billion in total expenditure over a similar period.
Mr Nakazawa replaces Andrew Reilly, who previously held responsibility for Tourism Australia’s Japan team and left the organisation at the end of April.
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For further information contact:
Leo Seaton, Tourism Australia, on +61 447 463197 lseaton@tourism.australia.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TourismAus
SOURCE: Tourism Australia