Japan inbound tour operator and ground handler for the travel trade.
Agents call us by many names — DMC, inbound or incoming tour operator, ground handler, land operator, wholesale partner. They describe the same job: the company in Japan that runs your clients’ trip on the ground while you keep the client. Here is what each term means, and what Explera does under it.
What is Explera?
Explera is a Japan inbound tour operator and destination management company for travel agents and tour operators. We contract hotels, transport, guides and experiences across Japan, operate them on the ground with a 24/7 duty desk, and quote confidential net rates, white-label.
Last updated: 18 October 2026
The trade terms, and what each means in Japan.
Destination management company (DMC)
A company inside the destination that designs and runs programmes for travel agents and tour operators — hotels, transport, guides, experiences and support — and never sells to the traveller.
This is what Explera is: a B2B Japan DMC.
Inbound tour operator
The trade’s name, seen from the destination, for the company that operates incoming visitors’ trips on the ground.
Explera is a Japan inbound tour operator for travel agencies worldwide.
Incoming tour operator / receptive operator
The same role, in the vocabulary used in Europe and Latin America: the company that “receives” a foreign agency’s clients.
Explera receives your clients at the airport and runs the programme until departure.
Ground handler / ground handling company
The company responsible for everything that happens on the ground — transfers, guides, check-ins, timings and problem-solving.
Our operations team handles the ground in all eight regions of Japan, with a 24/7 duty desk.
Land operator
A common Asian and Indian trade term for the local company that books and operates the “land” portion of a package once flights are arranged.
You sell the package and the flights; Explera operates the land arrangements in Japan.
Wholesale / net-rate tour operator
A supplier that quotes confidential net rates to the trade, so the selling agency adds its own margin.
Every Explera quotation is net; your mark-up is yours to set.
White-label tour operator
An operator that delivers under the agency’s brand, so the client sees only the agency.
Itineraries, vouchers and name boards can carry your branding.
B2B travel company / travel trade partner
A business that works only with the trade — travel agents, tour operators, MICE planners and corporate buyers.
Explera is B2B only and does not market to your clients.
A note on wording: in Japan “travel agency” is a licensed category. Explera works behind your agency as its DMC and ground operator; your agency remains the seller of record.
Everything on the ground, from one desk.
An inbound tour operator for every region of Japan.
One contract and one invoice cover all eight regions. Each region page lists the destinations we operate and when to sell them.
Choosing between operators? Our guide to choosing a Japan DMC lists what to check, and how we work explains the quotation process.
Questions agents ask about inbound tour operators.
What is a Japan inbound tour operator?
A Japan inbound tour operator is the company in Japan that arranges and runs foreign visitors’ trips on behalf of overseas travel agents and tour operators: hotels, transfers, rail, guides, experiences and support on the ground. Explera is one, working B2B only, at net rates.
Is a DMC the same as a ground handler or land operator?
In practice the terms overlap. “DMC” stresses programme design, “ground handler” the on-the-day operation, and “land operator” the land part of a package. Explera does all three for Japan.
Does Explera sell to travellers directly?
No. Explera works only with the travel trade — agencies, tour operators, MICE planners and corporate buyers — and delivers white-label under your brand.
Are your rates wholesale or net?
Net. Every quotation is a confidential net rate for the trade; you set your own margin on top.