"Connecting Reform to the Future" 2022 JTB Co., Ltd. President & CEO's New Year's Thoughts (original text)

I would like to extend my best wishes for the new year with the arrival of the new year.
Last year, in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus infection that has continued since 2020, it was a year in which not only cross-border movement, but also domestic movement and outings were restricted for the majority of the year. Although the environment surrounding the tourism industry is still severe, the rapid spread of vaccination by the public and private sectors in Japan and the penetration of a high level of awareness of infection prevention among people have led to a gradual recovery in exchanges.

While being tossed around by the pandemic for the past two years, we have accumulated a great deal of knowledge about the new coronavirus by sincerely facing the social issues required by the new lifestyle of with corona. The implementation of advanced infectious disease control measures at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games held last summer is an example of this.

In March 2022, the JTB Group will celebrate its 110th anniversary. On the occasion of this milestone year, the "New" Vision for the Creation of Exchange (Medium-Term Management Plan) will move from the "structural reform phase" to the "recovery and growth phase."

The theme is "Connecting Reform to the Future."

We have always existed between people, companies, schools, and communities, and we have been striving to create value by "connecting and connecting" and to be recognized by our customers. We will continue to strive to deliver this value in a way that is even closer to each and every customer by utilizing the hospitality of our employees and the power of digitalization.

In addition, we will apply the value and power of this technology to a variety of solutions that are not limited to travel, and contribute to solving regional and social issues, such as "DX promoting regional development and tourism operators," "promoting communication and engagement inside and outside companies," and "providing children with learning about the SDGs."

With regard to regional development and revitalization, we will implement reforms to equip JTB's bases nationwide with purchasing functions(1) and, together with those involved in the tourism industry, accelerate our efforts to ensure that we can respond to the expected recovery in inbound demand.

This year, international events such as the 24th Olympic Winter Games (Beijing 2022) and the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games and the 19th FINA World Championships 2022 Fukuoka are scheduled to be held.

From next year onwards, bright and exciting large-scale events such as the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, the 33rd Olympic Games (Paris 2024) and the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and the Japan World Exposition 2025 (Osaka-Kansai Expo) will continue to be held.

Although it is a major premise that the infection situation has calmed down, it will be held in the presence of spectators, and we hope that the whole of Japan will be crowded with many foreign tourists visiting Japan in 2025.

The pandemic has reminded us of the importance and necessity of travel and interaction for humanity. The tourism industry, which is rooted in every corner of the world, has a very large impact on society and the economy, both in terms of economic ripple effects and the number of people employed (2).

We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that each and every one of the JTB Group's corporate activities embodies our management philosophy of "Realizing a peaceful and prosperous society" and leads to the future of the sustainable tourism industry.

I would like to conclude my New Year's greetings with the hope that this year will be truly opened up in a new era of exchange with a bright smile.

Jan. 4, 2021

JTB Co., Ltd. Representative Director, President & Chief Executive Officer Eijiro Yamakita

(1) Bases with purchasing functions: Fukushima, Niigata, Nagano, Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Tokushima, Kochi, Kagoshima (as of December 2021) Planned to expand to approximately 30 bases by the end of FY2022
(2) Domestic: Travel consumption of 29.2 trillion yen, production spillover effect of 55.8 trillion yen, employment inducement effect of 4.56 million people (all in 2019)
Source: Japan Tourism Agency website Statistics and White Paper https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/siryou/toukei/kouka.html
World: Tourism accounts for about 10.3% of global GDP ($8.9 trillion) and about 10% of employment (320 million people)
(出典)Global Economic Impact & Trends2019,WTTCより