FCM Opens Office in Tokyo, Japan

(01 June 2022, 12:33 +07)  FCM has established an office in Tokyo, Japan.

While FCM has previously assisted its portfolio of large national and multi-national clients through Japanese agency partnerships, this investment in a direct-to-market strategy was driven by evolving customer requirements and highlights the considerable business development opportunities the country offers.

“Japan is without a doubt an exciting and dynamic market for business travel. Not only are we seeing strong demand from existing customers, prospects across Asia are also expressing strong interest for TMC support too. To harness the growth potential and capitalise on this trajectory, we are pleased to have solidified our presence while bringing onboard a slew of local talents to our Japanese team,” said Bertrand Saillet, Managing Director for FCM in Asia. “Unsurprisingly, following the progressive opening of Asian countries these past months, we are experiencing strong demand for business travel from companies keen to make up for lost time.”

Kenichi Shiraishi

Although Japan is the world’s fourth largest business travel market, FCM’s research shows there is still significant scope for business development. Less than 15% of Japanese companies currently use a TMC, with business travel mostly managed in-house.

Of the 818 Japanese travel managers who are currently not working with a TMC, 88% indicated a pressing need to digitalise business travel arrangements. This also included an emphasis on risk management, with 81% believing that business travel would be arranged more easily and safely through a qualified, company-designated agency.

The top business travel priorities identified by respondents for TMC support were:

- Japanese-style hospitality with attention to detail;

- Timely trouble-shooting for any problems;

- Flexible open-platform solution that enables integration of preferred tools;

- Omni-channel capability so that users can switch between mobile and desktop without losing functionality;

- Access to accurate information in real-time in the event of an emergency, having peace of mind while freeing up client time to devote to their business; and

- Ability to transfer the entire business travel process and arrangements to an outsourced TMC.

“We are going in with a two-prong strategic approach: first we will increase our direct-to market engagement throughout Japan to elevate our reach. Simultaneously, we will be extending the opportunity territory to global companies with Japanese operations,” said Kenichi Shiraishi (pictured), General Manager. “While risk-reporting and flexible technology capabilities are now bigger requirements for companies in Japan, at the top of their priority list is local fulfilment of travel demands. As a market with very distinct local cultural nuances, we are addressing needs such as service delivery solutions in Japanese language support with Tokyo-based customer success teams who operate 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year; and strong demand for Japanese domestic content for air and land through local partnerships.”