Airport News Japan

Five North Tohoku Airports Join Together to Launch New Magazine - First Cooperative PR Effort to Create an “Image” for the Region

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Five North Tohoku Airports Join Together to Launch New Magazine

The companies administering five airport terminal buildings in North Tohoku jointly launched a magazine on August 29.

The free publication is called "Furatto Kitatohoku - Information on the Five Airports of North Tohoku, Fall/Winter 2008", and is a collaborative effort to attract air travelers to Aomori and Misawa Airports in Aomori Prefecture, Akita and Odate-Noshiro in Akita Prefecture, and Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture. The 18-page, A4 size full-color magazine features plenty of sightseeing information, photographs and maps on hot springs, ski slopes, local cuisine and more, and includes coupons for airport shops.

According to the office that prepared the launch, this is the first time the five airports have worked together for promotion. They believe that in the current difficult airport business environment, an effective tourist promotion strategy is to foster the image of each airport as a base for sightseeing in North Tohoku. The airports are collaborating in an inter-prefectural project by offering discounts when rental cars from one airport are returned to a different airport in the region, and information on this campaign also appears in the current magazine.

About 25,000 copies of the first issue have been printed, and will also soon be distributed to New Chitose, Haneda, Osaka (Itami), Chubu, Fukuoka and Naha Airports in addition to the five behind the publication.

The magazine will be published twice annually, with the next issue being the Spring/Summer 2009 issue. It is hoped that this unique collaboration between airports will attract tourists to North Tohoku from across the nation.