Is Japan the new Whistler?

Japan is closer, quieter, and decidedly cheaper than other snow alternatives, and Aussies are starting to take notice.

While the big leagues of Whistler, Aspen and European snow fields still wear the sash for top snow seasons, options a little closer to home such as New Zealand and Japan are quickly finding their way onto Aussie wishlists.

At the Japan National Tourism Organization’s (JNTO) Snow & Adventure Seminar on Monday, JNTO’s director Maiko Zenki told Travel Weekly the Australian interest in Japan continues to grow.

“Japan continues to be a leading destination for Australian skiers and snowboarders,” she said.

“Japan received more than 13 million international visitors in 2014, and over 302,000 of these were Australians. December 2014 saw the highest number of Australian visitors, up 24% from 2013.”

Zenki told Travel Weekly that with the good exchange rate and close proximity, Japan was fast becoming a key tourism hotspot for Aussies chasing the perfect winter.

The months of December 2014, and January and February 2015 saw the largest number of Aussie tourists, with January 2016 almost at full capacity already.

“Japan is a cost effective travel destination for Australians where they can get more value for their dollar,” Zenki said.

“With only a one hour time difference, two in the winter season, there is hardly any jetlag. Each region has its own culture, its own food and its own attractions to add to the experience.”

“Australians can experience both modern and traditional attractions, from skiing to after-ski activities. We have good connections with Australians, new resorts, and are a good alternative for agents to package for visitors from Australia.”

The consul-general of Japan in Sydney Masato Takaoka also said that Japan had a number of drawcards that other big guns higher up in the northern hemisphere were unable to offer.

“As the number of tourists to Japan continue to rise, the number of Australian visitors does as well, with Australia one of the bigger groups to visit the country,” he explained.

“Skiing, winter and snow are all major attractions for Australian tourists, and for these visitors, Japan is reasonably inexpensive to travel to.”

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest comments

Bruce says:
July 16, 2016 at 2:05 am
Aspen & Whistler etc are not and never have been in the “big league” for ski resorts. This is only in the eyes of Australians who hear a lot about them because they are in English speaking countries. Of the world biggest ski resorts the top 32 biggest ski resorts are in Europe. Whistler-Blackcomb ranks 33rd! The top 32 are all in Europe. Within Europe everyone knows that France donates the world’s ski industry followed by Italy. Due to the sheer numebr of resorts the USA woudl rank 3rd but none of them make the top 40 in size.
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AUSSIEtraveller says:
May 20, 2015 at 12:51 pm
here we go again. Nothing like Whistler or Aspen or Vail in Japan.
Looking at flights in JAN
BNE/CTS fastest is KE only on a Wed at 14 hours 5 mins.
Can get bne/lax in 13;15
Many families want to stop in LA on way to snow +many families then use Qantas ff pts to fly LAX/SEA/YVRCOLORADO.
Japan good for a boys trip. Colorado or Whistler for family trip, although the crowds at Whistler mean Q’s can be long & could be a long way from lifts, even if staying in the village.
At Copper Mt Colorado, all Australians buying a package here get priority lift passes so no Q’s ever & all accommodation is less than 200 metres flat walk to lifts, great for kids. All kids under 13 ski free, (up to 4 per adult purchase, as long as 7 day min purchase).
Currently, if purchase any on snow accom from USD$50/person/night, for 10 night min, then an adult lift pass for 7 of 10 days is only USD$175 with up to 4 kids under 13 free & no Q’s.
Copper Mt used to be run by Intrawest, who run Whistler & tried to turn it into another Whistler, which to a point they succeeded, which is why Copper is known as “little” Whistler.
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