JTC to Open New Rakuichi Takamatsu Duty-Free Shop in Takamatsu, Japan

Japanese duty-free store specialist JTC announced on September 30 that it will open a new Rakuichi Takamatsu Duty-Free Shop in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan.

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The Rakuichi Takamatsu Duty-Free Shop, which is set to officially open on October 1, will cover an area of approximately 397 square meters (about 120 pyeong) and is expected to offer more than 1,100 different products, ranging from health supplements and cosmetics to miscellaneous goods, snacks, and alcoholic beverages. It is conveniently located just a 10-minute drive from Takamatsu Airport. The store features a parking lot capable of accommodating 10 large buses simultaneously, making it ideal for group tourists. The main target customers are tourists from South Korea and Taiwan.

JTC believes that the new Rakuichi Takamatsu Duty-Free Shop is optimally located to capture shopping demand in the Kagawa Prefecture region. Takamatsu, the central small city of Kagawa Prefecture, serves as a transportation hub connecting neighboring cities such as Tokushima, Kochi, and Matsuyama, and enjoys steady domestic travel demand year-round thanks to its mild climate. Recently, the weakening yen and increased flight frequencies have further heightened foreign tourists' interest in Takamatsu. In addition, as the travel trend of experiencing local culture in lesser-known regional cities spreads, Takamatsu is attracting even more attention.

Last year, Takamatsu Airport recorded its highest-ever number of passengers, reaching 2.11 million. This is attributed to the expansion of Asian routes to destinations such as South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and if routes to Southeast Asia are added in the future, tourism demand in the area is expected to increase even further.

Yamamoto Fumiya, CEO of JTC, stated, "The Japanese government has announced that it will allocate 46.4 billion yen (approximately 436.7 billion KRW), which accounts for 87.5% of this year's tourism budget, to revitalize regional tourism, demonstrating a proactive policy approach. The opening of the Rakuichi Takamatsu Duty-Free Shop is a preemptive response to these changes in the tourism industry. It will not only capture the shopping demand of tourists visiting Takamatsu and neighboring areas, but also strengthen our company's performance and long-term growth momentum."

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