Japan Tourism Agency is considering announcing the results of 385 tourism restart projects

From October 2023 to January 2024, Tochigi Prefecture solicited a two-night, three-day tour of Okunikko for wealthy foreigners for 4 million yen, but no one wanted to participate, and the tour was not implemented in the end. This case became a hot topic when it was reported by major media outlets in February.

The high-priced tour for wealthy foreigners in Tochigi Prefecture is planned as a "special plan to enjoy a luxurious experience in Okunikko during the autumn foliage season". Selected for the second public call for "Tourism Restart Project" by the Japan Tourism Agency in April last year Was. The project is expected to receive up to 15 million yen from the national government, and Tochigi Prefecture has budgeted for FY2023.

When applying for the project, Tochigi Prefecture consulted with a branch of a major local travel agency and commissioned the planning and sales of the tour. The tour announced in the fall of 2023 was lavish, including a helicopter transfer from Tokyo to Tochigi Prefecture, a stay at a foreign-affiliated hotel, and dinner at the former Italian Embassy, and the participation fee was initially set at 4 million yen per person. At the time of its launch, major media outlets reported it as a product that captured the trends in the inbound tourism market. Later, the tour content was changed and the price was revised to 2.9 million yen, but no applicants appeared.

In the execution of the Okunikko tour business, Tochigi Prefecture developed its business in cooperation with major travel agencies and famous hotels, which have a wealth of know-how in tour planning, sales, PR, and acceptance, with support from the Japan Tourism Agency. Regarding the results of this project, the governor of Tochigi Prefecture explained, "There was a lack of schedule management and PR." In addition, the related expenses used by Tochigi Prefecture to prepare the project will be paid by the national government to the prefecture.

Tourism Restart Project|Aiming for Annual Foreign Visitors to Japan Consumption of Over 5 Trillion Yen

The "Tourism Restart Project" is a project to support "highly novel and special projects that contribute to inbound tourism" conducted by local governments and general companies, and was open to the public in 2022 and 2023. The business target was set at more than 5 trillion yen per year for foreign visitors to Japan, and it was characterized by not only refining tourism resources but also selling them within the business. These points are different from the support projects established to maintain management during the Corona disaster.

A total of 385 projects were adopted, including 139 in the first round of recruitment in FY2022 and 246 in the second round of recruitment in FY2023, assuming that subsidies of up to 80 million yen would be paid for projects targeted by local governments and up to 10 million yen ~ 15 million yen for projects targeted by private companies.

In mid-March, when the editorial department of Yo Tabi News asked the International Tourism Department of the Japan Tourism Agency about the results of the selected businesses, they replied, "We are currently carefully examining the performance reports from the selected operators. In addition, 3rd Recruitment is not planned.

The "Tourism Restart Project" was implemented with the aim of consuming more than 5 trillion yen through adopted projects in response to the already expected demand in the inbound market in Japan, which is different from the support project aimed at maintaining business management during the coronavirus disaster. The results of the 385 projects for which a large budget was invested may provide valuable data for the improvement and development of Japan's inbound strategy, so the results of the projects are expected to be made public promptly.