Indonesia-based travel tech unicorn Traveloka has partnered with West Japan Railway Company (JR West) to launch a Japan Trains feature. Traveloka is the first travel and lifestyle booking platform in Southeast Asia to partner directly with JR West to passes for trains in Japan in the Traveloka app, according to an official statement.
The new feature wants to provide Traveloka users with seamless travel experience in Japan.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, tourists from Southeast Asian nations have increased year-on-year. In May 2019 alone, Japan welcomed more than 317,000 tourists from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. This number also translates to a huge demand for JR West Rail Passes for these travellers.
The JR-West train network covers 18 regions and includes both conventional trains and the Shinkansen high-speed train.
The partnership allows Traveloka users to get the most competitive price and a complete selection of passes. After purchase, you will receive the “JR Exchange Order” via email that needs to be activated and exchanged with the actual JR Pass. You can opt to activate the Exchange Order in the airports or train stations that have Japan Rail exchange offices or have them delivered to your hotel in Japan. Traveloka also offers 100% refunds for cancelled purchases.
The Japan Trains feature is currently only available in Indonesia but will be rolled out to other Southeast Asian countries in 2020, according to the statement.