Japan encourages Spanish tourists with €519 return flights

JAPAN is keenly seeking to break into the Spanish tourist market and has launched a number of special flight deals to encourage visitors.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) says bookings made from Spanish airports to various destinations in Japan between now and February 14 will start at €519 return, and are valid for flights between this Wednesday (January 17) and December 13.

First-class or business-class seats come in at €1,099 return.

The offer is also being run by Star Alliance – part of ANA – plus Swiss Air, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines.

Deals include stopovers in Tokyo, Osaka or Nagoya en route to up to 45 Japanese destinations, including Hokkaido Island in the north and Okinawa Island in the south.

According to Japan's National Tourism Office, over 93,000 Spanish holidaymakers visited the Asian country in the first 11 months of 2017 – 9% more than in the same period in 2016 – out of a total of over 26 million tourists.

Ishigaki Island, in Japan, has been named as one of the top emerging tourism destinations of 2018, and the All Nippon Airways offer includes flights to this location.