Feb 22 - Young Japanese traveling again before college graduation

Wednesday February 22, 9:09 AM


FEATURE: Young Japanese traveling again before college graduation(Kyodo) _ The trend for young Japanese to travel overseas before they finish college, which has been sluggish in recent years due to the recession and bad job market, is making a comeback with cheap packages offered by travel agencies, such as a seven days in London for 70,000 yen and three days in Beijing for 32,000 yen.


These trips were popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Japan's economy was booming. But with the collapse of the bubble economy many young people could not even think of heading overseas for a holiday when they were having difficulty securing jobs after graduation.


But things have been improving recently. JTB Corp. saw a 2.5-fold increase in its student tours from the previous year.


There are some changes in tour styles. Cheap and long tours, such as a 30-day, around Europe tour and a North America transcontinental trip, used to be popular, but recent trips are shorter and concentrated on famous sightseeing spots.


Mari Shimamura, the author of the book "Hello Work of Overseas Trips" said the days of long trips on a shoestring budget are over. "The purpose of spending money has become clear, such as trips to the Disneyland or Italy to watch soccer games."


The number of young people traveling abroad has been decreasing year after year. Justice Ministry figures from 2004 show those in their 20s accounted for 18.5 percent of the total, down 5 points from four years before.


The drop was blamed on the decreasing birthrate and active overseas trips by the elderly.
Shigeru Shimazaki, an official at the eastern Japan sales headquarters of JTB World Vacations Inc., said, "The present overseas travel is supported by women in their late 30s and early 40s who experienced pre-graduation trips during the bubble period. We would also like current students to support traveling abroad 10 to 20 years later."

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060222/kyodo/d8ftrjl03.html