[JTB Communication Design] Current status and issues of inbound tourism policies of local governments nationwide
JTB Communication Design Press release: September 26, 2024 Current status and challenges of inbound tourism policies of local governments nationwide ―Expectations and worries of local government officials regarding foreign tourists―
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-23d447c07fc8b011d6ef67571755f9cb-1327×1249.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-0408f28c584a732764a415b2cb5c2eb4-1405×282.jpg 1. What can be expected from inbound tourism measures is “economic benefits” for tourist attractions, local restaurants, and
accommodation facilities. Expectations are particularly strong outside of metropolitan areas. When we asked 515 officials involved in inbound tourism initiatives at local governments across the country about the benefits of successful inbound tourism initiatives, the top choices were economic benefits for tourist attractions, local restaurants, and accommodation facilities. Particularly in municipalities outside of metropolitan areas, there was a tendency to have high expectations for these three economic benefits. Next, over 30% of respondents cited an increase in employment in existing and new businesses, and over 20% cited an increase in the number of young people and an increase in population.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-d78eb82295c7ca85882ac3d237c5bb5f-1388×1079.jpg 2. 74% of respondents said they are implementing measures to promote inbound tourism. What we are “implementing” is “disseminating information using online advertising and SNS” and “producing and distributing tourist pamphlets and guidebooks.” The things that were “effective” include “setting up a foreign-language website and tourist information center,” “disseminating information through online advertising and SNS,” and “providing campaigns and discount services for foreign tourists.” 74% of respondents answered that they were implementing inbound tourism measures (“I am implementing” “I am actually implementing”). A high percentage of people outside metropolitan areas answered that this was being done.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-49f18b8440487159f269aa66fc7278ba-1398×395.jpg When we asked respondents who said they were implementing such measures, they answered, “Dissemination of information using online advertising and SNS,” “Production and distribution of local tourism pamphlets and guidebooks,” and “Websites and tourist information available in foreign languages.” “Setting up a place” was often mentioned.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-fba34d4c1be8141a4f488f5cdc9809e5-1411×1000.jpg Furthermore, when we asked those who answered that they had
implemented measures to promote inbound tourism about the
effectiveness of each inbound measure, the measures that most answered were effective were “setting up a website with foreign language support and tourist information centers” and “online advertising.” and disseminating information using SNS,” and “providing campaigns and discount services for foreign travelers.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-9117c0330fdb577722d44433c8276c65-1425×1114.jpg 3. Sightseeing spots that appeal to inbound travelers include “historical sites,” “events/festivals,” and “townscapes and shopping streets.” When asked about sightseeing spots that appeal to inbound travelers, “Historical sights and sites” was the most cited. The runner-up was “cityscapes and shopping streets” in urban areas, and “events/festivals” in non-urban areas. Outside of urban areas, “relaxing facilities such as hot springs and public baths” and “nature such as oceans and rivers” were more common than in urban areas.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-3dce62a6883508c75be5206319d888d6-1422×1092.jpg 4. The challenges in implementing inbound tourism measures are “infrastructure and transportation access,” “systems for accepting inbound travelers,” “cost effectiveness,” and “methods to measure effectiveness.” There is a strong sense of challenge outside of metropolitan areas. When asked what they felt was difficult in implementing inbound tourism measures, the answers were “improving local infrastructure and transportation access,” “balancing the increase in the number of inbound tourists and the system to accommodate them,” and “cost-effectiveness (relative to promotions and measures.”) The top responses were “I don’t know how to measure results” and “I don’t know how to measure results.” Regarding the top items, the percentage of people outside metropolitan areas who recognized them as issues was higher.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-a36d21022fe463d21a984a1897d51eb1-720×552.jpg 5. 56% measure the effectiveness of inbound tourism initiatives. The most commonly used measurement method is “the number of foreign visitors to Japan.” Overall, 56% of respondents said they were measuring the effectiveness of inbound tourism initiatives.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-935e0aec42dbb9f6bc798774374d0b0e-1379×448.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-760b42b2f3e026efa41d288d6f64f8d6-1322×1042.jpg 6. 92% of respondents feel there are issues with DX. The most common answer is “There is no personnel with DX knowledge or experience” Outside of metropolitan areas, “not having enough budget” is also high on the list. When we asked whether they felt there were any issues with DX (digital transformation) when conducting inbound business, the percentage of respondents who answered that they felt there was an issue (“I feel an issue” “I feel rather an issue”) 92% overall.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-9355a84abbc04243ab88fe9832c36735-1199×346.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-94a863bf33763feb127cc1e1f681ca6b-1055×1079.jpg 7. The analytical data needed to consider inbound measures is “analysis of which SNS led to inbound visits to Japan,” “the number of inbound visitors to Japan for each implemented measure,” and “destinations and length of stay for each inbound visitor’s country of origin.” When asked about the analytical data needed when considering inbound tourism measures, the most common answer was “analysis of which SNS led to inbound visits to Japan,” with a particularly high percentage of data outside of metropolitan areas. Next, requests were made for “the number of inbound visitors to Japan by sales promotion measures implemented,” “destinations and length of stay by age and gender of inbound tourists,” and “destinations and length of stay by inbound tourists’ country of origin.” I did.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-dbfbf666176fb407b9ffc44563a82a27-1310×1071.jpg 8. Regarding motivation for inbound work, 60% of respondents said, “I think inbound is a meaningful topic” and “I have acquired new knowledge and ways of thinking.” On the other hand, nearly 60% of respondents said that “inbound business is difficult.” When asked about their feelings when working on inbound business, 63% of the respondents answered, “I think inbound is a meaningful theme for Japan and the world,” indicating that they feel the significance of inbound business. I did. Next, there were many responses such as “I have acquired new knowledge and ways of thinking” and “I want to know more things,” indicating that the content of inbound work is new and that there is an awareness of improving knowledge. Nearly half of respondents said “I find inbound work rewarding” and “Inbound work is fun,” and this tendency was especially strong outside of metropolitan areas. On the other hand, 58% of the respondents said that “inbound work is difficult,” and “I feel pressured to produce results” and “I don’t have anyone inside or outside of the workplace I can talk to about inbound work.” I saw about half of them. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-a44a66483bbb33cc5aad541c4ac38e30-1445×1262.jpg [About the survey subjects] A questionnaire survey was conducted among a total of 515 people working for local governments and involved in the inbound field, 206 people working in metropolitan areas and 309 people working outside metropolitan areas. In order to select the target audience, a preliminary survey was conducted among men and women aged 20-69 and civil servants from metropolitan
areas/non-metropolitan areas. We extracted people who work in local governments, metropolitan areas/non-metropolitan areas, and are involved in the inbound field. The breakdown of gender, age, and time spent on inbound work in this survey is as follows.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-180cf14eab46f27bb782a6755e1cab97-1288×1183.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21206/130/21206-130-7883ac1801f84973241ddbef04224de6-1324×326.jpg As a result of conducting a questionnaire survey of 515 public servants (municipal employees) working in local governments across the country, the current status of inbound tourism policy implementation and effectiveness measurement was clarified. The motivation status of local government employees involved in inbound work was also shown. The following is a summary of future challenges and prospects that can be inferred from the survey results. 1. Inbound tourism is an important issue that is expected to have economic effects on the region Regarding inbound tourism, the “Basic Plan for Promoting Tourism Nation” was approved by the Cabinet in March 2023, which includes the goal of achieving an early goal of 5 trillion yen in travel consumption by foreign tourists visiting Japan, and increasing the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan by 2025. A goal has been set to exceed 31.88 million people (2019 level). *Quoted from the “Basic Plan for Promoting Tourism Nation” approved by the Cabinet on March 31, 2023 In this survey, half of the local government officials involved in inbound tourism said that inbound tourism measures would improve the economic growth of tourist attractions, local restaurants, accommodations, etc. They answered that they can expect “benefits.” This expectation was particularly strongly expressed in the responses of local government employees outside metropolitan areas, and we could feel their expectations for inbound travel outside of metropolitan areas. Although the proportion of respondents who expected employment and population growth was lower than that of economic benefits, 20 to 30% of them answered positively, and one in three or one in four local government employees said they expected inbound tourism. It can be inferred that there is a possibility that there is an expectation that this will lead to an increase in employment and an increase in the number of residents. Inbound tourism can be said to be an important issue for regional economic effects, future regional revitalization, and regional revitalization. 2. Foreign language support and media utilization are keywords for promoting inbound tourism The top effective inbound measures were “setting up a website and tourist information center in foreign languages,” “disseminating information using online advertising and SNS,” and “campaigns and discount services for foreign tourists.” The offer was “. Through these measures, we believe it is important to appeal to potential customers who may be traveling to Japan, increase awareness, and further motivate them through campaigns and services. In the survey, local historical attractions, events/festivals, streetscapes, and shopping streets were cited as tourist spots that appeal to inbound tourists, but these should also be widely publicized through foreign language support and the use of media. You will be asked for it. For example, possible methods include posting historical sites online with explanations in foreign languages, or posting pictures of foreign tourists enjoying the local area on SNS while protecting their personal information. You can Of course, holding actual events and festivals that can make this kind of appeal possible will also be an important measure. It can be said that the combined use of real, online, media, etc. will be required to promote inbound tourism in the future. 3. In addition to improving infrastructure and systems, measure the effectiveness of measures and increase cost effectiveness Infrastructure, transportation access, and the system for accepting inbound travelers were cited as issues in implementing inbound tourism measures. Furthermore, the problem of overtourism has been pointed out in recent years, and it is considered necessary to improve measures to address these issues from the perspective of protecting the safety and daily life of not only foreign tourists visiting Japan but also local residents. Another issue raised was not knowing how to measure cost-effectiveness and effectiveness. 56% of respondents answered that they were measuring effectiveness, and while the most common measurement content was “number of foreign visitors to Japan,” there was a small percentage of detailed effectiveness measurements such as “number of people who stayed after visiting the site.” It was. It is assumed that there are cases in which local governments are conducting inbound tourism promotion through trial and error, without being able to clearly grasp the effects. In order to implement measures effectively within a limited budget, it is important to measure the effectiveness of each measure as precisely as possible and utilize it in the next measure. The necessary data included “analysis of which SNS led to inbound visits to Japan,” “the number of inbound visitors to Japan by each measure implemented,” and “destinations and length of stay by country of origin of inbound tourists.” These survey results appear to reflect the feelings of respondents who are actually involved in inbound tourism initiatives. It is hoped that it will be possible to make detailed measurements, such as which media and measures lead to visitors from which countries, which regions of Japan they visit, and how many days they stay. 4. Solving issues by promoting DX As mentioned above, IT knowledge and skills are considered indispensable for planning and implementing inbound measures that utilize online, as well as for measuring the
effectiveness of the measures, and DX promotion is also essential for local government organizations. It seems so. In this survey, we also asked for answers regarding DX, and 92% of the respondents answered that they felt there were issues with DX when conducting inbound business. Many respondents cited the lack of staff and the lack of clarity on what to achieve through DX. Outside of metropolitan areas, “lack of sufficient budget” was also cited as a top priority, and it seems necessary to do what can maximize the effect within a limited budget. It is also possible to consider hiring DX personnel within the local government organization, collaborating with an external organization, or outsourcing some of the work. 5. Measures tailored to the motivation of civil servants (local government employees) When we asked respondents how they felt when working on inbound tourism, more than 60% of them answered, “I think inbound tourism is a meaningful theme for Japan and the world,” indicating that they work while feeling the significance of their work, which is an element of motivation. It was shown that it was hitting. On the other hand, nearly 60% of respondents said “Inbound work is difficult,” and 60% said “I learned new knowledge and ways of thinking.” From these answers, it can be inferred that while the inclusion of unknown parts and new content in work has the effect of increasing motivation, it also makes the work more difficult and difficult events occur. Because of this, it is necessary to take measures that take into account the motivation of the person in charge. For example, we provide training and education to deepen our knowledge, we create a place for study groups to regularly share the knowledge and problem awareness we have acquired, and we provide hints for solutions, and we have people and departments within the organization that we can consult with at any time. It’s also important. However, the specialized knowledge unique to inbound tourism, the aforementioned effect measurement, and knowledge about DX may be difficult to resolve within local government organizations alone. Therefore, it is necessary to think flexibly, such as by taking joint measures among local governments and collaborating with external organizations with specialized knowledge. ◆JTB Communication Design Co., Ltd. (JCD) Company Profile Address: 12th floor, Celestine Shiba Mitsui Building, 3-23-1 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Representative: Representative Director Takuyuki Fujiwara Established: April 8, 1988 URL: https://www.jtbcom.co.jp/ ◆Work Motivation Research Institute URL:
https://www.willcanvas.jtbcom.co.jp/work_motivation/ ◆Contact information for press inquiries JTB Communication Design Co., Ltd. Public Relations Office TEL: 03-5657-0860 E-mail: jcd-pr@jtbcom.co.jp