As the Junaid Khan – Sai Pallavi starrer Amir Khan productions’ unnamed Bollywood movie has created a buzz in the social media in India much ahead of its release, the same is true for Sapporo city tourism in Hokkaido, Japan, where the movie was shot. In anticipation of the movie’s release some time next year, Sapporo city tourism has started the promotions of the city and its attractiveness in the Indian market.
Japan’s airline company All Nippon Airways (ANA) is taking special interest in the promotion of Sapporo in India and they will be supported by Global Destinations, a destination representation company from Mumbai, in promoting one of the most beautiful cities of Japan, which is globally known for its snow festival,in India.
“ANA is the official partner for Amir Khan Productions’ new Bollywood movie which is shot in Sapporo. We will have special promotional campaigns to create travel demand for Hokkaido and Sapporo close to the release of the movie,” said Tsuneya Katagiri, country manager – India, ANA.
“It’s a great opportunity for Sapporo for sure,” said Lara Horin of Tourism & MICE promotion department, Economic & Tourism Affairs Bureau, Sapporo city. She said that Sapporo is quite popular with domestic and international tourists as it is well connected by air (1.5 hrs) and rail (8 hrs). “There is a flight to Sapporo every 30 minutes from Tokyo,” she said.
Winter – December to March – is the most popular tourist season for Sapporo. The city also hosts an annual Snow festival which attracts visitors from far and wide. There are half a dozen ski resorts around the city where guests can indulge in a variety of winter sports activities besides skiing, she said. “Sapporo is the third largest nightlife destination in Japan,” she added.
The city, she said, is also popular for its dining options. There are so many Indian restaurants as well in the city.
During winter last year, the firm collaborated with Kimono Mom, a popular YouTuber with a subscriber base of 1.4 million. “Dogo Onsen” in Shikoku is a famous hot spring resort. This town is attracting a number of tourists. The culture of ‘geisha’ has flourished in these hot spring resorts which include traditional music, dance, and games for the recreation of the visitors.
Ryo Bunno, executive director – India, Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) also spoke about the unique offerings of Hokkaido in general and Sapporo in particular. Since the golden route – Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto – is over exposed, the endeavour is to introduce new regional destinations. Sapporo, he said, could really be an alternative considering the seasonality of the destination. While the winter months are when visitors flock to Sapporo to experience the powdery snow and the magnificent ice sculptures, Bunno said that the Spring season in Sapporo is equally enchanting. “The May-June months are off-season as far as domestic tourism is concerned and therefore Sapporo will be less crowded and hotels and other facilities more affordable. These are the peak travel months for Indian outbound,” he said.
Over 1.7 lakh Indians visited Japan in the first 10 months of 2024 and the JNTO is hopeful of touching the 2 lakh mark by end of this year. ANA operates 7 frequencies a week from Delhi and 3 days a week from Mumbai currently.
