*Japan expects a new travel promotion budget of the U.S.

The U.S. Congress recently approved an omnibus spending package that includes S10 million for travel promotions overseas, though it was cut from an original plan of $20 million. After the U.S. President George Bush signs it, the budget will beeffective. Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) President and CEO William Norman said, "Thetravel industry is grateful for the efforts of House AppropriationsCommittee Chairman C.W. Bill Young."

This Week Headline
*Japan expects a new travel promotion budget of the U.S.
*Vietnam Airlines is preparing for flying into Nagoya next July
*JTB launches consulting companies in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou
*NAA President: "I do not intend to avoid reduction of landing charge."
*Kansai achieved ordinary profit forthe first time in its history
*JAL and ANA determine domestic flight networks for Nagoya
*Domestic passengers reduced for five consecutive months
*JAL air transport result for September 2004
*PAL to offer flight services for Nagoya with A330-300

*Top priority of US-VISIT is to speed up passport control in Hawaii

James Williams, Director of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the U.S. VISIT program, visited Japan to explain the program to require passport holders of visa-exempted countries to be scanned their index fingers and taken their facial pictures when they enter the U.S. territories. He said at a news conference on November 18 in Tokyo that the U.S. takes measures for Japanese travels to enter Hawaii more smoothly. Hawaii is regarded as an important destination for the US-VISIT program to Japanese travelers because more than 1.5 million Japanese annually visit there. Williams revealed that he visited Hawaii with DHS Secretary Tom Ridge to discuss smoother passport control procedures with the immigration office of Hawaii.

This Week Headline
*Top priority of US-VISIT is to speed up passport control in Hawaii
+Making efforts to protect privacies of travelers
*JATA makes up an action plan for 20million overseas travelers
+Planning overseas cultural festivals in local cities
+A road map to aim at 17.35 million overseas travelers for 2005
*CJIA decides to collect landing charge of 1,660 yen per ton
*JAL and SKY agree with code-sharing flights on Haneda-Kansai
*More active air traffic between China and Japan than between Japan and the U.S.
*JAA enjoyed large growth of passengers from Taiwan
*UAL will offer double-daily flights on its Narita-LA route
*Kansai gained more international flight passengers for October

*Overseas travel transactions were nearly up 60% for the first half

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Travel Promotion Divisionreported on November 11 that overseas travel transactions of fifty major travel agents totaled 1,258.9 billion yen for the first halfof FY2004 (April to September 2004), 59.2% more than a year ago. Foreigner-inbound travel transactions also increased by 49.9% to 20.6billion yen, but domestic travel transactions slightly decreased by2.5% to 1,682.8 billion yen for the first half of FY2004, as compared with a year ago. The total reached 2,961.4 billion yen for the first half of FY2004, 17.0% more than a year ago.

This Week Headline
*Overseas travel transactions were nearly up 60% for the first half
*Travel consumptions for FY2003 reached 23.8 trillion yen
*The deregulation allows more Chinese tourists to visit Japan
*JAL ensured net profit for the first half of FY2004
*ANA also raises its domestic airfares to survive the high fuel price
*Haneda-Kimpo charter flights are widely acknowledged through a year
*Skymark is positive to merge Air Do
*A new Russia airline hopes to operate scheduled flights for Japan

*JTB will shift to a business holding company with six business companies

JTB President Takashi Sasaki revealed at a news conference on October 29 that JTB will shift to a business holding company with six business companies by the end of FY2005 or March 31 2006. Under a business holding company, six business companies will be a travel business company, a solution business company, a publishing and advertising business company, a trading business company, an independent business company and a shared service company.

This Week Headline
*JTB will shift to a business holding company with six business companies
+Travel businesses will be fractionized
+Targeting ordinary profit of 3 billion yen for the solution businesses
+Complete depreciation of retirement and pension liabilities by FY2005
*ANA achieved the most revenue ever for the first half of FY2004
*NAL is reborn as one of ANA Group
*ANA successfully reduces CO2 emission
*MAS introducing new business class on its Narita route first
*COA will launch Hiroshima-Guam flight services next year
*Vladivostok Air will introduce new aircraft on its Japanユs routes
*Kansai operates the most flights ever during the 2004 winter schedule

*NTA places 2005 as a very important year for new NTA

Nippon Travel Agency (NTA) Representative Managing Director Adomi Toru said at an interview with the Wing Aviation Press, "NTA will celebrate the 100th anniversary of itsbirth next year. We place 2005 as a very important year to step toward another 100 years," and revealed that NTA will renew its Corporate Images (CI) in April next year starting fiscal year of 2005 to be reborn to "new NTA."

This Week Headline
*NTA places 2005 as a very importantyear for new NTA
*Japan-U.S. Tourism working group organizes local sub-committees
*JATA survey: Overseas package tours for China and Asia are much preferred
*JAL has decided to raise domestic airfares to survive the severe oil price
*SWR hopes to offer daily Narita-Zurich flights next summer
*ANA unveiled the latest B777-300ER
*The domestic flight market was inactive for the first half
*Narita remarkably recovered international flight demands for the 1st half