H.I.S. Canada Inc.

What H.I.S. Canada Inc. does

H.I.S. Canada Inc. is a privately held retail travel agency incorporated in British Columbia in July 1995, operating bilingual Japanese-English travel services from its Vancouver headquarters and a Toronto branch. The company serves a narrowly defined customer base of Japanese tourists traveling to Canada, Japanese students pursuing study abroad programs, and Japanese corporations arranging group and incentive travel. Its product portfolio is service-led rather than technology-led, comprising flight booking (domestic and international), curated tour packages (notably Yellowknife and Whitehorse aurora tours, Canadian Rockies packages, Victoria, Charlottetown, and bear-watching itineraries), hotel reservations, JR Pass arrangements, and a deeper study abroad vertical that includes language school placement, homestay and dormitory housing, visa assistance, and a CA$2M-coverage student insurance product. Additional offerings include corporate/group travel management and a suite of 'experience programs' (childcare assistant, welfare facility, country stay, Anne of Green Gables, teacher homestay, parent-child stay). The HIS Travel Japan sub-brand handles the reciprocal Japan-bound flow.

The company generates revenue through commissions on airline tickets (enabled by IATA accreditation), hotels, tour operators, JR Pass sales, and service fees on customized itineraries, study abroad arrangements, and group/corporate bookings. Pricing is unit-based and per-transaction, with sample tour prices ranging from CA$713 (Yellowknife 2-night aurora) to CA$5,054 (bear-watching 4-day), indicating a budget-to-premium positioning. Distribution combines physical offices, a Japanese-language website with inquiry forms, social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), weekly email newsletters, and branch-specific blog content.

From a corporate perspective, H.I.S. Canada is part of the broader Japanese H.I.S. travel group (operating since 1995) and is led by President Keiya Yamada (山田 圭哉) and Secretary Director Hideo Hatano (波多野 英夫). Reported registered capital is CA$100,000. The most recent disclosed financial figures (October 2017) show 40 employees and CA$18.79M in annual sales. The company maintains all required Canadian travel industry credentials: TICO (#50014190) for Ontario, Consumer Protection BC, ACTA membership, IATA accreditation, and BC Provincial Business License (#2833). As of August 2025, the company shifted away from in-person consultations, routing customers to telephone and email channels.

Name

H.I.S. Canada Inc.

Legal name

H.I.S. CANADA Inc.

Website

https://his-canada.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

H.I.S. Canada Inc. is a Vancouver-based bilingual Japanese-English retail travel agency, founded in 1995, that arranges flights, curated tours, hotels, JR Passes, and study abroad programs for Japanese tourists, students, and corporations traveling between Canada and Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (56151), Tour Operators (56152), Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (56159)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Outbound International Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Study Abroad Program Operators (THAKAGAD), Corporate Visa, Immigration & Compliance Travel Services (THAKACAJ), Educational/Student Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAK)

Keywords

• Travel agency services
• Tour packages
• Flight booking
• Study abroad programs
• Hotel reservations

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Services: The company generates revenue through commissions from airlines, hotels, and tour operators for bookings arranged on behalf of customers. Service fees may also apply for customized travel planning, study abroad program arrangements, and group/corporate travel bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

H.I.S. Canada Inc. is a bilingual (Japanese-English) retail travel agency operating from Vancouver and Toronto that books international and domestic flights, hotel reservations, Japan Rail Passes, and curated tour packages (e.g., Yellowknife/Whitehorse aurora viewing, Canadian Rockies, Victoria, Charlottetown) for Japanese travelers visiting Canada and Canadians traveling to Japan. The company also arranges study abroad programs for Japanese students including language school placement, homestay and dormitory accommodations, visa assistance, and specialized experience programs, alongside corporate and group travel management.

Product overview

H.I.S. Canada Inc. is a dual-city (Vancouver and Toronto) travel agency offering a comprehensive travel service portfolio centered around Canada-Japan travel. The core offering consists of flight booking, tour packages, hotel reservations, and JR Pass arrangements. The company differentiates through specialized study abroad services including language school placement, homestay and dormitory accommodation arrangements, and experience programs (childcare assistant, welfare facility assistant, country stay). Additional services include corporate/group travel management and student health insurance. The subsidiary brand HIS Travel Japan handles Japan-inbound travel services. The product portfolio functions as a service-based travel agency rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flight Booking
• Tour Packages
• Hotel Booking
• JR Pass (Rail)
• Corporate/Group Travel
• Study Abroad Programs
• Homestay Services
• Experience Programs
• Student Insurance (TiSi)

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario)coreOthersH.I.S. Canada is registered with TICO (Ontario travel industry regulatory body) with registration number 50014190, ensuring compliance with Ontario travel industry standards.
• Consumer Protection BCcoreOthersH.I.S. Canada maintains Consumer Protection BC registration, demonstrating compliance with British Columbia consumer protection standards for travel services.
• ACTA (Association of Canadian Travel Agencies)minorOthersMember of ACTA, the Canadian travel industry association, demonstrating industry standing and adherence to professional standards.
• IATA (International Air Transport Association)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorH.I.S. Canada holds IATA accreditation, enabling the company to issue airline tickets directly and access competitive airfare through the IATA billing and settlement plan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tobu Top Tours: Japanese travel agency part of the Tobu Group, serving outbound Japanese travelers with packaged tours and FIT services. Competes for similar Japanese customer segments in Canada.
• Nippon Travel Agency (NTA): Long-established Japanese travel agency serving outbound tourists including to Canada. NTA offers similar flight, tour, and hotel packages targeting Japanese travelers, making it a direct competitor in the Japan-Canada corridor.
• Kintetsu International Express: Japanese travel agency with North American operations offering flights, tours, and corporate travel for Japanese travelers. Overlaps directly with H.I.S. Canada's retail and corporate travel offerings in Canada.
• Tour East Japan: Japanese travel agency specializing in inbound and outbound tours for Japanese travelers, with North American destinations. Overlaps with H.I.S. Canada's tour package offerings to Canadian destinations.
• JTB (Japan Travel Bureau): One of Japan's largest travel agencies with global operations including Canada. JTB serves Japanese outbound travelers with flights, tours, and hotels, and competes directly with H.I.S. Canada for the same Japanese-tourist segment in Vancouver and Toronto.

Broad incumbents

• Expedia Group: Global OTA offering flights, hotels, and vacation packages to Canada with Japanese-language sites. Expedia represents a broad incumbent competing for Japanese outbound Canadian travel bookings.
• Booking.com: Global online travel agency with strong Japanese-language support and Canadian hotel and tour inventory. Booking.com competes for the same Japanese traveler bookings that H.I.S. Canada arranges, particularly for self-directed FIT travelers.
• Rakuten Travel: Japan's largest online travel agency, offering flights, hotels, and tours including to Canada. Rakuten Travel represents the digital-native competitive frontier that H.I.S. Canada's traditional retail model must contend with for Japanese outbound travelers.
• H.I.S. Co., Ltd. (Japan parent): Parent company of H.I.S. Canada and one of Japan's largest travel agencies with global operations. While H.I.S. Canada operates as a regional subsidiary, the parent provides branding, supplier relationships, and cross-referrals that shape the competitive landscape.

Emerging players

• Travelocity / Travelocity Canada: Online travel agency with package offerings for Canadian and Japanese destinations. While not Japanese-specialized, it competes for ancillary bookings from Japanese travelers in Canada who choose to self-book portions of their trip.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/his_canada
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj3QHNThbKJWxE-JHyf78JA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HISCanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/his_canada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/h.i.s.-canada-inc.

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about H.I.S. Canada Inc.