A Travel Agent's Guide to Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The Olympics are held every four years, making them the ultimate sports event in the world. For travel agents with sports-loving clients, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are a fabulous opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With less than a year away, you don't have much time to book your clients' trip to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, so we've put together an in-depth guide that will help you get started.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic games will begin on July 24 and end on August 9, 2020. Some events, like women's soccer matches and softball games, will take place two days before the starting date, so keep that in mind if your client wants to get in on the sporting action right away.

As for the location, Tokyo is planning to have all the events in two zones: the Heritage Zone in the northwest section of the city and the Tokyo Bay Zone, which centers on the bay of Tokyo. Tokyo has a fantastic metro system that is easy to use so your clients should have no issue navigating the city and the games no matter where they're staying. You can find specific venues for each event on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics website.

If you're assisting your clients with purchasing tickets for the Olympics, you'll have to purchase tickets through CoSport. The site is set up to allow the purchase of tickets in two ways. You can purchase tickets for specific events or purchase from a series of packages which includes tickets to the games and accommodations for a set price. The most expensive hotel and ticket combo packages can cost upwards of $20,000 or more. As of now, it looks like individual tickets for the 2020 Olympics are sold out on the CoSport page.

Many hotels in Tokyo have already announced that they're all booked up which isn't the best news since there's going to be a 14,000-room shortage for the expected 10 million visitors. Many luxury hotel properties like Hotel Okura Tokyo and Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel are among hotels that have already announced no vacancy for the games.

It may be too late to find a luxury property with an available room, so turn your attention to three-star hotels, hostels, capsule hotels, love hotels, or even rental properties. The city also plans to turn some of the cruise ships docked at the Tokyo Cruise Terminal into floating hotels which may be a fun and unique accommodation for your clients.

If your client doesn't have a ticket to the games, going with one of the hotel and ticket packages from CoSport might be the best option. Granted, it won't save your client a lot of money, but it will guarantee they have somewhere to stay.

If you find that booking a hotel in Tokyo is too costly or even too difficult to do, consider booking your client's hotel outside of the city. Japan has an impressive train system and it could be more cost-efficient to book a hotel in a nearby city and then pair it with a Japan Rail Pass. That way, your client can get to and from the competitions in Tokyo easily and efficiently.

It's a long flight to Japan and if your client is going to put in the time and money toward seeing the 2020 Olympics, they might as well visit other parts of Japan before or after the games.

You can expect that many visitors to the games will be doing the same, with most aiming for cities and destinations close to Tokyo or with high-profile names like Kyoto, Osaka, and Mount Fuji. Rather than send your client to areas where they'll be enveloped by crowds and suffer long wait times into attractions, plan their mini-trips to underrated destinations in Japan.

Sell your clients on experiencing something beyond Tokyo as well to really maximize the trip.

One rising destination to explore that is a great example of an off-the-beaten-path destination for a post- or pre-Olympic vacation is Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's major islands. It's best known for the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a long walking path that involves visiting 88 temples in about six weeks. While your clients might not want to do this long walk, they can visit these stunning temples around the island, such as Chikurinji Temple near Kochi.

In addition to temples, Shikoku is home to historic wonders like Himeji Castle in Himeji and Kochi Castle in Kochi, as well as the architecturally-appealing white-colored UDATSU town in Mima. Those who enjoy outdoor adventure will fall in love with the Iya Valley, home to a thrilling vine bridge, waterfalls, Ryugado Cave, an Oboke Pleasure Cruise, and a five-star stay in a traditional ryokan hotel with a lovely onsen called Hotel Iyaonsen.

We haven't forgotten about the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan! They'll be held in Tokyo right after the Olympics from August 25th to September 6th. Single tickets and packages are still available for purchase on CoSport. The biggest concern that travel agents might face when it comes to the Paralympics is finding accessible accommodation if their clients have disabilities.

Paralympic athletes and officials have had issues finding accessible rooms in Japan as many Japanese hotels are not accessible and feature small rooms and hallways. While the Tokyo committee claims there are 700 accessible rooms, many argue the number is more likely around 100. If your client has a disability, you might have to contact the hotel directly and ask for room or doorway dimensions and more information about their accessible rooms.