The Nippon Travel Agency Co Ltd, the third largest tour agency in Japan, launched the first solely-owned Japanese tour operation in Shanghai. The operation is temporarily for employees from local Japanese-funded companies and Sino-Japan joint ventures, today's Laodong Daily reported.
Although ordinary local citizens cannot sign up for tours with the agency at present, workers from local Japanese-funded companies and joint ventures can, said an industry analyst.
Currently, most local overseas-invested travel agencies act as 'wholesalers' of tourist products, such as tour itineraries, hotel bookings and other services, but do not serve individual travelers or organize packaged tours.
However, the new Japanese travel agency is an exception, planning to receive 80,000 tourists next year and more than 100,000 by 2007.
To date, China has had five wholly-owned overseas travel agencies and 13 joint ventures.