Product development for Japanese FIT-markets

The following report is a study conducted for Oy Tumlare Corporation Ab, a worldwide destination management company with a branch office in Helsinki. The purpose of the research is to determine, what kind of travel products should be developed for Japanese FIT-markets. In order to conduct the research, different aspects of Japanese travellers were studied in depth: topics such as their characteristics, interests, behaviour and differences in demographic groups are covered. After providing some insight on the Japanese travellers, different theories of product development in travel industry are presented. The data was gathered through a qualitative research method of semi-structured interviews, that followed the themes presented in the theoretical part of the study. Scope of the research was relatively narrow, but the findings did present new aspects of product development for the Japanese FIT-markets. All of the interviewees are stakeholders of Tumlare Corporation, and have been working closely with Japanese travellers. The interview findings heavily support the theories and statements made in the theoretical portion of the report. The results of the study suggest, that Japanese FIT-markets have a strong desire to experience the true local culture amongst the locals in Finland. The results show, that the Japanese FIT’s are able to get by with English language, but do not necessarily grasp the true meaning behind an explanation due to culture-bound logic. This is something that the travel professionals should be taking into consideration more. Products designed for Japanese FIT’s should involve participation in some way or form, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise for the customer. Incorporating a story behind the product has been deemed an extremely important aspect for the Japanese. Marketing the product to Japanese FIT’s should be initially done through easily consumable mass media, reviews, and word of mouth. Due to such a broad and forever changing topic, no fool-proof pattern to product development for the target market was found. However, different characteristics of Japanese travellers and product development were discovered, that could ease future product development ideas and processes