In 2019 tour operators are waiting for growth in demand for tours to Japan by at least 30%

The leading Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) plans to enter the Russian market in 2019. Aeroflot will have a strong competitor on the destination. Meanwhile, Russian tour operators are waiting for further growth in demand for Japan in 2019. 
ANA made a strategic decision to enter Russian routes in the coming months. The company plans to launch regular daily flights to Moscow and Vladivostok in the current fiscal year (starting April 1). According to the publication Nikkei, for ANA new flights are a "reaction to the efforts of Japan and Russia to strengthen bilateral relations" and will help "expand business demand". 
At present, only Aeroflot makes daily flights between Tokyo and Moscow. Japan Airlines operates four flights a week between capitals and do not fly to Vladivostok. According Nikkei, the passenger traffic on the Moscow-Tokyo route from December 2017 to November 2018 increased by 10 % compared with the same period a year ago and reached 140 thousand people. On the line Vladivostok - Tokyo, this figure increased by 20 percentage points and amounted to 70 thousand people. 
According to JNTO, for 11 months of 2018 the Russian tourist flow to Japan increased by almost 24%: 89 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation visited the country. In November alone, 9,300 Russians visited Japan, which is 18.6% higher than last year. 
Japanese statistics are confirmed by tour operators. According to market participants, the dynamics on the destination will remain positive due to a stable economic situation, It is logical that against this background the leading Japanese carrier decided to launch flights to Russia. 
“This year, according to the most modest estimates, we are waiting for an increase in demand for Japan by 30-35%. On the destination we already note the excellent depth of sales, tours are actively booked even for autumn season”, said Ms. Milovanova, the leading specialist of the South-East Asia department of KMP Group tour operator.