We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the 726 entries that have been submitted. Today (October 24, 2024), we announced the winning entries. We apologize for the delay in the announcement.
The Grand Prize and Excellence Award of this contest will be awarded to the " Sustainable Tourism Promotion Project by Preventing and Controlling Overtourism We will provide QUO Card Pay as a travel support fund to the pioneer model area selected as a "QUO Card Pay". This is intended to encourage people to actually visit areas that are working on measures against overtourism and see the effectiveness of their efforts.
Following the announcement of the winning and finalists, I gave a brief critique of the entries and overall trends on the theme of overtourism.
October 24, 2024 Good Travel News News Editorial Department
| < Selection> In the first round of judging, the editorial department selected 20 works from 726 works. As the second round of judging, local governments, tourism associations, DMOs (excluding businesses), etc., which were selected for the Japan Tourism Agency's "Self-Sufficiency Tourism Promotion Project by Preventing and Controlling Overtourism," were asked to vote anonymously, and the top entries were selected. |
<Grand Prize> Prize: QUO Card Pay (worth 30,000 yen)
【Kawayanagi】"Come more, come more, come and come and come and
The dilemma of overtourism is humorously expressed in the Kansai dialect, which evokes sympathy. The mixed feelings of wanting people to come to the area and having too many tourists are beautifully expressed.
<Excellence Award> Prize: QUO Card Pay (worth 10,000 yen)
[Tanka] "I should have come to see the superb view, but the sea of people, this is also a strange view, and I hold the camera" Ryusei Aoyama (Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture)
(Commentary) with humor and sarcasm about the reality of tourist destinations. The irony is that travelers expect a spectacular view, but in reality, the camera captures a surprising crowd rather than a spectacular view.
< Special Prize (5 winners) > Prize: QUO Card Pay (worth 1,000 yen)
【Kawayanagi】"Travel is a troubled tourist spot" Non-chan (Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture)
Commentary: A concise and impactful expression that brilliantly depicts the problem of overtourism. It sharply captures the reality that traveling for fun can ironically turn into "trouble".
【Kawayanagi】"Tourism is as decentralized as investment" Fujio Okada (Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture)
Commentary: Diversification, which is often cited as a solution to overtourism, is contrasted with investment risk management. It sharply expresses the viewpoint that when tourist spots are concentrated in one place, there is a possibility that you will have big troubles as well as investment.
【Kawayanagi】"I want you to come, but I want to protect this life" Moon Hikari (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture)
It is a simple expression of the earnest feelings of local residents. The conflict between the opposing elements of tourism and local life resonates. It also overlaps with the dilemma depicted in the Grand Prize winning work.
【Kawayanagi】"Tourism is also multipolar dispersed to a secret spot" Amami Kaede (Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture)
It proposes a direct solution to the problem of overtourism. It avoids the concentration of tourist destinations in one place, and emphasizes the importance of dispersing tourists to multiple hidden and attractive places through the term "multipolar decentralization". It is a forward-looking work that combines challenges and solutions.
"If you can't get on the bus that finally came, and you get on the next bus, the inside of the bus will be like a foreign country" Satopin (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture)
It accurately depicts the traffic situation in tourist destinations where inbound tourism is increasing. It was seen that foreign tourists were carrying large trunks and occupying the back seats of the bus.
The following are the finalists who narrowly missed out on the prize.
< Finalists (13 works)>
【Kawayanagi】"I came to see that scenery, but this scenery" Murasakimaru (Ota City, Gunma Prefecture)
【Kawayanagi】"Visiting Japan, the shrine gods also have more work" (Sakaide City, Fukui Prefecture)
【Kawayanagi】"Push Trip is a Journey Not Pushed Healing Trip" Tomio Kojima (Hadano City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
【Kawayanagi】"Shift the time to avoid over-rhythm" (Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
【Kawayanagi】"If you divide the crowds, you will create good fortune" Yobo (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
【Kawayanagi】"Trip to get points with garbage" Makocchan (Tokyo)
[Tanka] "Even in a secret place, depending on the presentation, a new landmark, became a star, like Yasumura" Yamamune Unsui (Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture)
【Tanka】"Tourism, avoid sinking places, give in, let go of your heart in a secret place" naoki (Mitaka City, Tokyo)
[Tanka] "Crowd of people, raise your heels, stretch your back, and what you see is the screen of your smartphone" Makoto Murata (Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture)
【Tanka】"Discerning the flow of information and people, relaxing and savoring the time of travel" (Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture)
【Tanka】"People come because their customs are different, and I want to understand each other because they are different" Toshihiko Matsumoto
(Kyoto City, Kyoto)
[Tanka] "Inbound, I finally learned, but what's popular now is over Nanchara" Kazuyoshi Baba (Suita City, Osaka)
【Tanka】"Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Don't Concentrate, Don't Concentrate" Hirofumi Uchihashi (Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture)
review
Many of the finalists and prize-winning works weave humor and irony, or suggest solutions such as the decentralization of tourist destinations. In addition to these, there were also works that pointed out the impact of social media on the behavior of tourists and the depreciation of the yen that are exacerbating overtourism.
Overall, many respondents attributed overtourism to the increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan and their behavior, and pointed out the lack of response by the national and local governments. Some of the works contained expressions that could not be published here, giving us a glimpse of negative sentiment about overtourism.
While declaring itself a tourism-oriented country, the national and local governments are required to achieve concrete sustainable results in the fight against overtourism, not just for the purpose of spending a single fiscal year's budget. However, it seems very difficult to achieve both "tourism promotion," "safe and secure residents' lives," and "public sentiment" in the current measures.
At the end of 2024, each region working on the "Sustainable Tourism Promotion Project by Preventing and Controlling Overtourism" will submit a report on the project to the Japan Tourism Agency. The content of the report will be an important test for the future of overtourism in Japan
"The 2nd Good Trip Kawayanagi Tanka Award" Application Guidelines Released (June 20, 2024)