Two Japanese Trade Groups Tour the Golden State

The Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) joined forces with Visit California Japan to help kick start product development to the Golden State by conducting two familiarization (FAM) tours bringing eight tour planner staff from seven leading travel companies to gateway destinations and surrounding destinations.

The FAM opportunity was a direct result of the California-Japan Trade Mission that took place in March 2023. The mission included a tourism track led by Visit California President and CEO Caroline Beteta and consisted of 12 California travel industry CEOs. Visit California and JATA signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding with the goal of creating promotions and products to help recover Japanese visitor numbers and increase spending in California on par with 2019 levels.

The Northern California JATA FAM (Nov. 27–Dec. 1, 2023) visited Berkeley, Carmelby-the-Sea, Monterey, Napa Valley and San Francisco with four key tour operators from three companies over four days. The route featured premium venue experiences such as Pebble Beach, dinner at Chez Panisse with chef and owner Alice Waters, the Napa Valley Wine Train Legacy Experience and a Golden State Warriors versus the L.A. Clippers NBA game. 

The Southern California JATA FAM (Dec. 4–10, 2023) visited Anaheim, Greater Palm Springs, Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Monica with four key tour operators over six days. This route strongly featured sports and outdoor activities while also showcasing sports venue and new hotel property inspections in all destinations. The FAM also included unique culinary experiences such as a stargazing buffet dinner in Joshua Tree National Park.

As a result of the FAM, overwhelming positive responses were received and the participants left with a variety of new ideas on how to incorporate destination offerings into current itineraries.