Japanese firms team up for better tourist service

A new service in Japan aims to make it easier for travelers from abroad to have their luggage delivered to their hotels.Electronics-maker Panasonic, travel agency JTB and delivery firm Yamato Holdings will launch the service on a trial basis on Thursday. It will allow tourists arriving at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to send luggage to their hotels without filling in any paperwork. Panasonic’s online cloud storage service will be used to manage JTB’s customer data on travelers. Yamato Holdings will use the data to deliver their luggage.Panasonic and JTB will also install translation machines at 27 hotels as part of a separate service.When a tourist asks a question using a microphone, the machines will produce an audio translation in Japanese to help support check-in procedures. The system is also designed to offer tourist information.The 3 companies aim to officially start the services by next March.An executive at Panasonic, Masahiro Ido, says...