Japan is proving to be a destination of choice for incentive travel in the Asia-Pacific region. With winter approaching in the northern hemisphere, now is the perfect time to be considering an end of year ski trip.

Sapporo is a dynamic urban centre that offers everything you’d want from a Japanese city: a thriving food scene, stylish cafes, neon-lit nightlife, shopping galore and of course the famous snow fields.

During winter Sapporo is most well-known for the Sapporo Snow Festival, which attracts more than 2 million visitors each February from around the world.

Sapporo’s proximity to the mountains gives you access to some great ski hot spots:

• Teine
• Kokusai
• Rusutsu
• Kiroro
• Fu’s
• Nakayama Toge
• Niseko
• Niseko Moiwa
• Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort

Travel to Sapporo has now been made easier with Finnar and Qantas announcing new direct flights to Sapporo in time for the winter ski season.

“Japan is a key market for us, and we are excited about adding Sapporo to our network” says Christian Lesjak, Finnair Senior Vice President, Network and Resource Management. “Finnair is the only European airline to fly a scheduled route to Sapporo, and with five key Japanese cities in our network, we are now the largest European carrier flying to Japan.”

Qantas International Acting CEO Naren Kumar said Sapporo was a highly sought-after holiday destination for Australian travellers. “Travel between Australia and Japan is booming. These new flights make it easier for Australians to reach Hokkaido’s popular ski resorts like Niseko and Rusutsu,” said Mr Kumar.

Want to learn more about beautiful Sapporo? Meet with the Sapporo Convention Bureau at AIME 2020.