Niseko Turns to Golf Tourism
Japan’s most northern island of Hokkaido may not be the most obvious golf tourism destination in Asia. But if Australian entrepreneur, Peter Murphy – who put skiing in Japan on the world stage in the late 1990s – has his way, golf tourists will just as readily travel to the Niseko region of Hokkaido to play golf as skiers make a beeline in winter for its powder snow. Murphy’s faith in the region goes back to 1996 when he was blown away by the seemingly endless winter weather patterns that dump metres of dry snow on and around the dominant volcanic slopes of Mt Yotei. Murphy’s...
read moreBest-Ever Spring Skiing in Niseko
Niseko, Japan, February 22, 2012 — The best spring conditions in Niseko’s 50-year skiing history and bare bones prices await skiers and snowboarders to Japan’s premier ski destination in March. After receiving more than 18 metres of snow in the past three months – more than the 15-metre average for a full season – Niseko has a 4.2-metre base at the top of the resort and the least crowded slopes in memory. “The season has been incredible,” says the general manager of SkiJapan.com, Marcus Williams. “Niseko still gets falls of dry powder throughout...
read moreNiseko Ski Packages Slashed for February
Niseko, Japan, January 16 — A major inbound ski tourism operator to Niseko, Japan has slashed prices for February as the region experiences one of the best seasons in its 50-year history. SkiJapan.com, which specialises in packages for skiers and snowboarders to Niseko and other ski areas in Japan, is offering free nights’ accommodation in February. The cost for seven nights’ accommodation, lift passes and airport transfers has been cut to $1115 per person based on six people sharing a modern three-bedroom apartment at Yuki Yama, within easy walking distance of the main...
read moreNiseko Seeks To Attract Golf Tourists
Niseko, Japan, December 19 — Renowned for its perfect powder snow in winter, Japan’s ski capital of Niseko is making a pitch to become as well known for its summer attractions – especially golf – as other all-season destinations like Whistler in Canada, Jackson Hole in the United States and Queenstown, New Zealand. The launch this week of golf packages for Summer 2012 under the new banner of Yotei Golf is Niseko’s signal to the world’s 50-million golf tourists – especially those in Asia/Pacific, Europe and North America – that it wants a slice...
read moreNiseko’s Big Test As Ski Season Opens
Niseko, Japan, November 30, 2011 — Ski seasons don’t get much bigger or more important than this. As the first lifts open in Niseko to herald the official start of winter on Thursday, everyone from tour operators to airlines, local hotels, restaurants and ski instructors in Japan’s ski capital is hoping this will be the season of all seasons. The reasons aren’t just about snow. Niseko, after all, gets more than its fair share from the dry, ice-cold winds that blow from Siberia, picking up moisture from the Sea of Japan and dumping up to 15 metres of soft dry powder...
read moreFree Nights Accommodation in Niseko This Winter
November 2, 2011 — Up to four nights free accommodation is being offered to skiers and snowboarders who visit Niseko, Japan during the coming northern hemisphere ski season. Leading inbound tour operator SkiJapan.com is making the free nights offer for accommodation between December 17 and March 2 as an incentive for skiers to travel to Niseko, which this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first ski lift opening in the area. Now with 61 ski runs and 30 lifts in the four-resort area, including a new high-speed gondola that opens this year, Niseko attracts more than 20,000...
read moreNiseko Ski Incentives for Winter Season
October 11, 2011 — A “safe slopes” guarantee, a new eight-person high-speed gondola, a Hong Kong stopover option and a free night’s accommodation are among incentives for skiers and snowboarders to visit Niseko, Japan, this northern winter. The international ski region’s leading inbound tour operator, SkiJapan.com, is offering the safe slopes guarantee to combat safety concerns following the Tohuku earthquake and tsunami that hit the eastern seaboard of Japan’s main island, Honshu, in March. “Niseko is more than 600 kilometres away from Fukishima...
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