Last year, 1700 million tourists visited Hakone Town in Kanagawa Prefecture, one of the leading tourist destinations in Japan, and it has recovered to about 8% of what it was before the spread of the new corona infection, and the town hopes to further increase the number of tourists, saying that "we are finally seeing bright signs."

According to Hakone Town, 1736.386 million tourists visited the town last year on day trips or overnight stays.

It increased by 28.6 million people, or 30.8%, and recovered to <>% compared to Heisei <> before the spread of infection.

However, it was the seventh lowest on record, following three years ago and around Showa 3, when the number of tourists dropped sharply due to the oil shock.

On the other hand, thanks in part to the relaxation of border measures and the government's "nationwide travel support," the economy has recovered to the usual level since October.

Looking at the number of foreign guests by country and region, the United States had the largest number of overnight guests, followed by Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore.

The person in charge of Hakone Town "Finally a bright sign"

Ken Ishikawa, Director of the Planning and Tourism Department of Hakone Town, said, "After two dark years, we are finally seeing bright signs, and in order to increase inbound tourism, we would like to carry out overseas promotions and collaborate with the national government and businesses to increase the amount of consumption by tourists."

Hotels in the town are being renovated to accommodate the increase in individual customers

The spread of the new coronavirus has greatly changed the way we travel.

Hotels in Hakone are renovating guest rooms in response to the large increase in individual guests.

Hotel Okada, located in Yumotochaya in Hakone, is a 122-year-old hotel with 70 rooms.

In the past, group guests accounted for 4% of the guests, but with the spread of infection, the number has decreased sharply. On the other hand, the number of individual and family guests who want to spend a relaxing time in a private space has increased.

Last year, the hotel took advantage of a subsidy from the Japan Tourism Agency and spent more than 1 million yen to renovate six guest rooms from Japanese-style rooms to a mix of Japanese and Western, and converted some banquet halls into private rooms with partitions.

Among the guests staying at the hotel in April this year, the number of group guests was about 6% before the spread of infection, but the number of individual guests exceeded the pre-corona level, and sales per person also increased.

A man in his 4s from the Netherlands said, "Hakone is quiet compared to Tokyo, and I'm looking forward to seeing the hot springs for the first time."

Yohei Hara, Managing Director of Hotel Okada, said, "Since the Corona disaster, the number of individual customers has increased, and the use of rooms with a sense of privacy has increased.

The Tourism Association also trains guides

Hakone Town also focuses on training guides who introduce tourists to the nature, culture, and history of the town.

The Hakone Town Tourism Association "Hakone DMO" has started training courses and certification tests for guides who introduce the nature, culture, and history of the town in detail from the beginning of adulthood.

The aim is to let tourists know the charm of the town deeply, increase their stay time, and become repeat customers, and more than 200 people have taken the course so far.

Mika Asai took an adult course and obtained her qualification and started guiding for foreign tourists and visitors from outside the prefecture.

In June, I guided a woman in her 6s from Hachioji City, Tokyo, along the old Tokaido Road, introducing the mountains of Hakone drawn by Utagawa Hiroshige and explaining that the cobblestones are arranged so that they can be easily drained.

The woman who was guided said, "I usually drive past by car, but when I get a guide, the scenery I see feels completely different from usual."

Mr. Asai said, "Hakone has wonderful hot springs, but it also has a long history and culture, and is rich in nature.