Tokyo's legendary, 124 year-old Imperial Hotel, Ltd. has announced the opening of its first full-service Southeast Asian sales office in a bid to reinforce marketing efforts within the increasingly important ASEAN region. The Imperial's new Singapore Sales Office opens on Robinson Road in central Singapore on October 1 under the direction of the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo's former Asian Market General Manager Shohei Sekido.

Acknowledging the remarkable economic growth of Singapore and the neighboring Southeast Asian markets, many where visa requirements for Japan have been relaxed, the Imperial's Singapore office will focus on sales activities directed at affluent individual travelers and a broad corporate market, hoping as well to increase sales of international conferences, seminars, regional government assemblies and incentive travel to Japan.

Foreign arrivals in Japan dropped some 20 percent after the 2008 Lehmann shock and 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, but in 2012 the Annual Joint Meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund was hosted at the Tokyo Imperial as was the ASEAN Summit in December of 2013. Foreign arrivals have increased from North America and Asia and make up 40 percent of the flagship Imperial's market against the backdrop of a continuously depreciating yen.

Imperial Hotel, Ltd. operates the world famous Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, founded in 1890, and the sleek new riverside Imperial Hotel, Osaka, as well as several smaller second tier brand hotels and an elegant 75 room mountain resort in the Japan Alps. It has sales offices in New York and a general sales agent in Taiwan. Sales aimed at China, South Korea and Taiwan are directed from Tokyo headquarters. With accommodations for visitors from Asia now on the rise, The Imperial Hotel in the capital and The Imperial Hotel in Osaka are jointly targeting an increase of 40% in such revenue by 2020, compared with 2013.

Singapore Sales Office is at 80 Robinson Road, #10-01A, Singapore 068898; telephone +65-6420-6800; facsimile +65-6826-4086.