Following the successful launch of the Chinese language site last year, Experience Oz today launches a fully functional Japanese site to cater to the revitalised Japanese tourism market in Australia.

The Japanese language website will give the market access to over 2000 tours, activities and experiences from around Australia and New Zealand.

The new launch comes at a time when the Japanese tourism market is predicted to grow considerably in the coming years with estimates suggesting the market will be worth between $2.7 and $3.3 billion by 2020*.

Matt Hobbs, Digital Marketing Manager of Experience Oz said the need to provide tailored content was becoming increasingly important.

“Japan has long been one of the largest tourist markets in the country and is the second biggest source of business for Experience Oz - even before launching the Japanese-language specific site,” said Mr Hobbs. 

“It has been a tough couple of years for the Japanese tourism market in Australia, with visitor numbers dampened significantly by their economic decline.

“The perception is Japanese tourism is dying or reducing, but what we have been witnessing over the last 12 months is a revitalisation of the FIT Japanese tourist market as they increasingly move away from group travel in favour of the flexibility of independent travel.

“This recent shift has meant that websites with tailored content are ever more important to make the process of booking tours and experiences as simple and pain-free as possible,” he said. 

The website incorporates a range of up to date web standard techniques including native language detection, mobile and tablet-friendly user interface, CDN system for faster delivering of content to international audiences and more, all aimed at making the experience booking process as smooth as possible for the Japanese customer.

Mr Hobbs said the Japanese platform comes following the successful launch of the Chinese website late last year.

“The Chinese platform has been extremely well-received and has resulted in a significant increase in web traffic and sales of 370 per cent since launching,” said Mr Hobbs.

“Our Japanese platform goes beyond simple translation of website content – it has been designed to appeal to the differing preferences of the market and offers Japanese-specific payment options.

“We've focused only on the products that appeal to Japanese customers, such as specific tours, wildlife experiences and other activities, to allow us to filter out irrelevant product and tailor the landing pages to suit for faster conversions,” said Mr Hobbs.

The Japanese version of Experience Oz is also expected to appeal to the 43,692 Japanese speakers living in Australia**, many who have Japanese as the default language on their computers and mobiles.

The new site has been optmised for all major modern web browsers and serves as Australia's largest one-stop shop for international experience bookings.  The site can be viewed at www.experienceoz.com.au/ja

*Tourism Australia, Japan Market Profile 2013

** Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australian Social Trends Report, using data from the 2011 Census

For more media information please contact Giulia Badalotti at Ruby Public Relations on 07 5514 8575 / 0404 844 494 or email publicity@rubypublicrelations.com.au

About Experience Oz

Experience Oz offers a best price guarantee on tours, attractions and activities with no booking or credit card fees and unbiased reviews all on a secure online booking site.

Over 2000 products including theme park tickets, attraction tickets, day tours, hot air ballooning, jet boating, whale watching and great dinner and show packages are all on offer at Experience Oz with customers able to skip the queues at most attractions and save valuable holiday time.

Visit www.experienceoz.com.au or call 1300 935 532 to book or find further information.