A growing number of startups are tapping into the trend to independent travel in Asia. Tokyo-based trippiece is one of them, writes Pamela Whitby

In 2011, Ian Ishida, the founder and chief executive of Trippiece spotted a gap in the market – the Japanese “shy guy” in search of a unique travel experience. Today, the company has 90,000 users of its service, 60% of which are Japanese men aged 25 to 34.  “Japanese guys are shy but they want a great travel experience and to travel with like-minded people,” says Ishida, and Trippiece can help. According to Ishida, the firm fills the gap between what the industry is providing today and what young travellers really want.  

After all, how the youth of today travel is changing. A recent World Travel Trends Report 2013/14 points out that across the world young people are travelling more, spending more and exploring new destinations. While in the past, youth travel was characterised by cheap deals and low prices, this is no longer the case. The traditional backpacker market has given way to the so-called ‘flashpacker’ who tends to have a slightly bigger budget, is looking for something unique and will travel with a number of gadgets.

Trippiece fills the gap between what the industry is providing today and what young travellers really want from the experience

On trippiece, users can tailor make their own trip with like-minded people in a way that is “totally different from what you get from conventional tour packages,” explains Ishida. Using the company’s website – or by signing up through Facebook or Google+ - customers can share trip details, plan and then actually travel together. Ishida, who calls this “social travelling”, will facilitate a group’s travel plans earning a 10% commission from large Japanese travel agencies, like JTB and HIS, that he has established strong relationships with.

Expansion plans

It seems that trippiece’s efforts to tackle this segment is paying off. So far over 15,000 users have been on, or are expected to go on, domestic and international, with other trippiece users and now the firm is expanding with the recent launch of an English website, and has opened an office in Singapore to target the growing numbers of Asians wishing to visit Japan. According to Japan’s National Tourism Organisation, between 2012 and 2013, the country has witnessed a 31.8% increase in the total number of tourist arrivals. From Singapore alone, there has been a 40.7% increase in the number of visitors coming to Japan.

Initially, trippiece international expansion plans will focus on travellers interested in Japan destinations where it believes it can offer a unique ‘only-in-Japan’ experience.

They could do worse. A recent survey of 3,400 people by Travelzoo and WIMI, a consumer insights consultancy firm, finds that land of the rising sun is ranked as a clear favourite for regional travellers. This is probably down to the fact that the visa application process is straightforward. The same survey also finds that Asian travellers are increasingly looking for independent, high-quality holiday experiences.

• Just 30% of Asian travellers today want a package tour
• 62% of respondents said they want to explore destinations at their own pace
• Over 50% want to spend more on hotels, food and entertainment and less on shopping – in other words the experience is becoming more important.
• On trippiece, 80% of travellers come to the site independendently looking for people to travel with.

This could explain the growing numbers of startups in Japan and elsewhere – think voyagin, tripoto, tripshare and more - that are trying to deliver a more personal, independent travel experience.

Reflecting an understanding of the mobile demands of a tech-savvy audience, trippiece has developed an app for both iOS and Android devices. Since it won the WIT Start-Up Pitch in 2012 in Singapore, the firm has secured US$1 million funding.

To find out more about the world’s fastest growing travel market, join us in Singapore for the Travel Distribution Summit, Asia (May 27-28)