Foreign tourists are becoming the main customers for drift ice tours in eastern Hokkaido, prompting organizers to plan strategies to increase customer satisfaction within this group from next season on.
Tours in Abashiri and Shiretoko saw a big jump in customers this year as good weather continued. However, many cruises were canceled in Monbetsu due to bad weather, with the number of customers declining by 10 percent from the previous year.
Icebreakers popular in Abashiri
According to the Abashiri Local Meteorological Office, drift ice arrived this season at the same time as an average year. However, areas around Abashiri experienced many days when the drift ice came close to the shore due to the direction of the wind or the ocean current.
This benefited the Doto Kanko Kaihatsu, which operates two drift ice sightseeing and icebreaker ships called Aurora. The Auroras' cruises ended on April 3.
There were more than 100,000 passengers on the two Aurora icebreaker ships for the first time in 10 years since 2008, reaching 109,899 passengers in total.
What is significantly different from 2008 is the percentage of foreign passengers. Compared to about 20 percent in 2008, foreigners accounted for 45 percent of total passengers this year.
The company's careful business strategy is behind this success. Company chief executive officer Akira Takahashi visited Hong Kong and Taiwan for promotional purposes this season, and the company distributed videos and images of the ships taken by a drone to overseas travel agencies.
The company set up a cutout inside the ship for photo opportunities for the photo-sharing service Instagram, to encourage passengers to pass on information about the ship through social media sites.
Company official Toshikazu Oki said: "Having more staff who can speak foreign languages is an issue. We'd also like to consider extending our service hours."
Shiretoko sea eagles a big draw
Steller's sea eagles, which have been designated a national special natural monument, flocked to catch herrings thrown onto the ice from a ship. This scene is unique to Shiretoko, with Chinese-speaking tourists taking numerous photos as they expressed their delight.
According to the Rausu town government, there were 6,263 passengers on sightseeing ships operating in the town in February, up 30 percent from the same month the previous year at 4,687. This is 2-1/2 times more than in 2012, when the town embarked on drift ice tourism.
The main feature of drift ice tours in Rausu is that passengers can get close to drift ice on a small ship, with watching Steller's sea eagles particularly popular among foreign tourists.
Drift ice tours in the town are often included in package tours for wealthy foreigners. This summer, guesthouses for foreigners will be constructed near a port.
But some problems have also arisen. This season, a Steller's sea eagle crashed into an object as it was chasing food and was injured. There is also concern that ecosystems in the Shiretoko UNESCO World Heritage site could be destroyed.
The Environment Ministry is asking tour organizers to refrain from feeding the birds, but moves to review the practice are slow.
Monbetsu troubled by bad weather
Meanwhile, cruises on the icebreaker Garinko-go II, operated by Okhotsk Garinko & Tower Co. based in Monbetsu, were often canceled due to bad weather, starting with the cancellation of this season's first cruise on Jan. 10.
There were 17 days when passengers could see drift ice, slightly less than 70 percent of the previous year's 25 days. The number of passengers on the ship was 27,973, significantly less than the 30,582 people last year.
"There might be negative effects of wind and waves," said company official Yuka Kubota. "We want to aim to offer cruise services that passengers can enjoy, even if they can't see drift ice."
The company used to have many customers from Hong Kong. But the number of tourists from the region began to decline about three or four years ago, and instead, there are more customers from Taiwan and Thailand.
The company said it will analyze this trend in inbound foreign tourists and put more effort into attracting them through such means as putting information in foreign languages on its website.
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