JTB, Casio and YAMATO in Overseas Marketing

Japan' s leading tourist agent JTB, Japan Travel Bureau, is going out of its way to market Japanese farm products abroad; Casio, a top electronic manufacturer, has developed a digital camera exclusively for foreign tourists; and YAMATO, a leading mover, has created a refrigerated courier service targeting Taiwan to ship perishable foodstuff.

Today's episode has to do with a 3-way marketing drives targeting overseas market.

JTB is a tour agent known at home and abroad for systematic tourist services. On top of marketing products to consumers, JTB now challenges "marketing customers to products". This is how it works.

The company markets Japan's top brand products, for instance, quality fruits, to Asian customers to have them taste the best Japan has to offer. They simultaneously market the places of origin of such top quality fruits -  package tours to visit such places.

Tourists visit Japan on such package tours and call on farms where high-quality fruits are cultivated and take an interest in rural culture in Japan through food.

JTB West Japan, Osaka, markets with effect from November 20 Tango pear of high sugar content to Hong Kong.

JTB keeps contact with farmers in Okinawa and Aomori and plans to ship "J's Agri" products to Singapore within this year.

JTB plans to have its link with production sites through exporting their farm products to tourism by introducing packages to induce foreign tourist to Japan. QR codes are printed on export products readable by customers for information on the product itself and tourist data along with it.

Now, Casio has come up with a digital camera, ready for marketing in late November, with multi-language services - covering 13 languages now including Thai and Indonesian. The shutter by the lens has self-timer functions for ease of taking your own pictures. The camera is Japan Limited and available only in Japan.

YAMATO announced November 18 an international refrigerated courier service November 30 targeting Taiwan to deliver refrigerated perishables in two days. This is YAMATO's second international refrigerated courier service after Hong kong.