Beijing Olympics: Where Are the Japanese Tourists?

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After months of negotiation, the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) managed to get 70,000 tickets, only half of what it had requested. This is more than the 50,000 the JOC received for Athens but far fewer than the 160,000 for the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Pollution-Free Training

ANA Sales is one of the eight travel agents commissioned by the JOC to sell these tickets. At present, the company has sold 70% of the sales target, in terms of the number of customers, and 80% of the tickets. The unsold tickets are for the events in which Japanese athletes are not likely to win, such as track and field. "It is very difficult to get a ticket for popular events like judo, gymnastics, and swimming," says ANA Sales' Sawaki. In the case of judo, for instance, the company has 50 tickets for the preliminary rounds but 10 for the finals. "You can't tell a customer to watch only the early rounds and then go back to the hotel to see the finals," says Sawaki. "It's a hard sell."

JOC spokesman Seiji Ishikawa says Japan's allocation of 70,000 is far more than other countries. He admits there are many tickets for events such as baseball that are not popular in Europe, but the number of tickets for the high-profile indoor events is limited. "It is difficult to get as many tickets for popular events as we would like," says Ishikawa.

There's one group of travelers certain to make the trip from Japan. Amid persistent concern about pollution in Beijing, nearly 20 countries have sent their Olympic teams to Japan (BusinessWeek.com, 2/12/08) for last-minute training. In Fukuoka, Japan, for instance, 140 Swedish and 30 Dutch athletes are making final adjustments and preparations before competing. The members of the Swedish Olympic Committee first went to the city in February 2005; since then, coaches and athletes have visited Fukoka 12 times. "As it is very convenient to travel between the international airport and hotels and practice grounds/facilities, athletes will have little strain," says Kikuhiro Takenaka of Fukoka's sports department. The flight from Fukuoka to Beijing is a bit over four hours but requires a changeover in the eastern Chinese cities of Dalian or Qingdao. There used to be a direct flight to Beijing, but Air China, the state-owned Chinese airline, scrapped it last month because of a lack of interest from passengers.

Tashiro is a correspondent for BusinessWeek based in Tokyo.