Sunrise Tours Now Offers Thali Menu for 1-Day Mt. Fuji & Hakone Tour

Thali menu added as a selectable lunch option on the best-selling 1-Day Mt. Fuji & Hakone Tour

JTB Global Marketing & Travel, with its Sunrise Tours brand geared for international visitors, will be offering a thali menu※1 on the 1-Day Mt. Fuji & Hakone Tour starting July 1st.

■Development Background
Since Sunrise Tours began operating in 1964, most of the tour participants have been from Europe, the United States, and Australia. However, as the pandemic ended, there has been an increase in the number of customers from India. Furthermore, looking at Japan as a whole, the number of visitors from India reached its highest figure ever recorded for the same months in April and May 2024.※2 Originally on the 1-Day Mt. Fuji & Hakone Tour, while “Vegetarian Meal” and “Muslim-friendly Meal” options have been offered in addition to the “Standard Meal” based on Japanese cuisine, we have now developed the long-awaited Thali Meal in order to ensure that our customers from India, whose numbers are estimated to increase in the future, as well as guests from outside India who enjoy thali meals, can fully enjoy their trip to Japan.

 

 

■Thali Menu Highlights

The development of the Sunrise Tours original thali menu began when our staff traveled to India, the home of thali, to gain a deeper understanding of the Indian custom of valuing food and the culture and attention to detail of thali. An Indian restaurant in Gotemba, popular among locals and Indian visitors to Japan was asked to supervise the project, as it would be a restaurant that could serve thali meals that make use of what the staff learned on site. Working closely with our business partner providing the lunch venue as well as contact persons at JTB India, a part of the JTB Group, we repeatedly tried different types of curry and garnishes until we had completed the menu.

■Future Outlook
As India and the rest of the Global South are predicted to experience significant economic growth and an increase in the working-age population, Sunrise Tours believes that this region is expected to have more visitors to Japan in the future. Starting with the provision of thali meals, we will further promote product development that offers meals that meet the preferences of people living in each country and takes into account each country's customs. At the same time, we will strengthen our sales by collaborating with branch offices of the JTB Group in the Asia Pacific region, local agents, and OTAs specializing in local regions. As a leading company in Japan inbound tourism, JTBGMT will continue to work with business partners to put effort in meeting the increasing demand in the industry in the future. And to accommodate the diverse needs of customers with different cultures and customs, we will continue to work on creating ideal settings for more interaction and excitement by providing opportunities for customers from all over the world to truly enjoy their time in Japan.

 

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※1 Thali means large plate, and also refers to a style of serving food in countries such as India and Nepal where several dishes are arranged together on a large platter.
※2Reference:  From Preliminary Figures for Visitor Arrivals to Japan in April and May 2024 announced by JNTO