July 5, 2001

Asian Travel
Japanese Tourists Are Flocking
To Hollywood-Themed Tours
By AMY L. WEBB
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


Japanese fans of the U.S. television program "The X-Files" recently toured Washington to see for themselves if the truth is really out there. During trips to the White House and the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, visitors hunted for paranormal beings, and, of course, took lots of pictures.

In response to a growing demand for Hollywood-themed tours, Japanese travel agencies are designing packages that incorporate trips to television and movie sets, short visits with celebrities, and special screenings with scripts translated into Japanese.

This spring, the Osaka-based Nippon Travel Agency marketed its X-Files tour for 150,000 yen ($1,212) with plane tickets and hotel accommodation included. "We noticed that the television show was extremely popular here," said Rajeev Rawat, senior agent at Nippon Travel. "People get so involved in television shows and movies and they want to have the real experience, to be like the actors."

Last year, a record 17.8 million Japanese people traveled abroad, an increase of 8.9% over 1999, according to the Ministry of Justice. And although the recent economic slump has deterred some Japanese travelers from taking lengthy vacations overseas, the popularity of theme tours persists, due to enthusiastic fans eager to interact with their favorite programs, said Mr. Rawat.

The first of the Hollywood-themed tours, "Beverly Hills 90210," promised Japanese fans an opportunity to live the same lifestyle as their favorite American TV characters: days spent shopping in a nearby mall, dinners of hamburgers and french fries, and seeing Beverly Hills High School. For 288,000 yen, Japan Travel Bureau ran a five-day tour of the show's sets and of surrounding Los Angeles. At the end of the trip, one of the series' six cast members would meet with the group.

"Beverly Hills 90210" ran on Japan's national NHK network for six years, becoming one of the highest-rated programs in the country. Soon after the show started to air, fan clubs sprung up throughout the country and members wrote letters to travel companies, asking them to design a tour around the show.

"It was one of the most popular tours we've ever had," said Miho Fujisaki, communications manager for JTB. "We had waiting lists for months for women all over the country who wanted to take the tour. We had to consider a lottery system at one point to manage all of the people who wanted to make a reservation."

JTB has stopped offering the package since the series was canceled in the U.S. Ms. Fujisaki said the company still takes calls every month from fans hoping to join the tour. "We can't offer the tour anymore, because the sets are gone, and the cast members have other schedules. Now, we are waiting to see what the next big hit on NHK will be, and we will start creating another TV tour."

Another company,  Hawaii Movie Tours, based in Kauai, started incorporating Japanese-language tours into its regular schedule two weeks ago and plans to merge with two Japanese travel agencies by the end of the month. Until January, Japanese business represented less than 1% of the tours. Last month, the company led five groups of 52 Japanese tourists.

"I anticipate that by this time next year, 20% of our tours will be Japanese," said Bob Jasper, president of Hawaii Movie Tours, a company which takes tour groups around to sets used for movies that have been filmed on Kauai or to studios currently in production. "They are fascinated with stardom and with Hollywood. We give them the opportunity to experience it all, as if they were a part of the action."

Tourists arrive in Kauai, board private minivans, and are given a script from the movie translated into Japanese. The lights dim inside the van and a screen rolls down. Seconds later, the group is watching a show in surround sound. As the van reaches a spot where the scene was filmed, the minivan stops and the group disembarks, ready to explore the set.

Hawaii Movie Tours has led groups to such sets as "Six Days, Seven Nights" and "Godzilla." Currently, the tour includes a trip to the set where "Dragonfly," a new Kevin Costner film, is being shot. "We stop at sets so our groups can walk around and see everything firsthand," said Kathy Warrack, who heads reservations for the company. "We always try to arrange for groups to visit with cast members, but that can be difficult."

Indeed, the logistics of organizing movie-themed tours can be challenging. Tour operators have to arrange deals with movie sets and TV studios, and production staff members aren't always willing to have tour groups milling around. And there is the problem of inclement weather, or worse, a series cancellation.

"We always keep everyone occupied," said Ms. Warrack. "There are always old sets to visit and places where movie stars ate."

On the way back from the set, tour operators pipe familiar show tunes through the speakers. "They love to sing along," said Ms. Warrack. "We almost always play songs from 'South Pacific" and "Blue Hawaii." It's a good end to the day."