Tourism business with sharply reduced income Overcome troubles with "nearby" and "online" June 23, 16:51

"Long-lasting self-restraint, anyway, this summer, I want to go somewhere not here!" Is

it just me thinking?

I think that many people plan a trip every year as summer vacation approaches, but this is not the case as usual. Due to the new coronavirus, the number of people going on a trip has decreased, and the income has sharply decreased. We are looking for ways of tourism in the Corona era, with the intention of getting our business back on track before the summer travel season.

Keywords are "near field" and "online".
What ideas are you trying to overcome in this difficult situation? (Nana Yamada, Gamura, International Affairs Department)

A big blow to the tourism industry

"99.9% decrease"

This is a comparison of the number of foreign tourists who visited Japan in April and May of this year, compared with the same period last year. Only 2900 in April and 1700 in May, a further decline.

According to the statistics of the Japan National Tourism Organization, which began with the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the second summer Olympics were scheduled to be held, and it was the worst record ever.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the number of people who travel abroad this time will decrease by up to 80% compared to last year. The Japanese tourism industry, which has been supported by more than 30 million foreign tourists over the last year alone, is inevitable.

Rediscover the charm of the local area!

"Although I can't go abroad, I'm still worried about going out in Japan." In

order to respond to the voices of travelers like this, all the tourist spots in Japan are focusing on "near trips". .. Many local governments have begun efforts to discount hotel fees only for guests staying within the prefecture or in the city.

Among these, Achi Village in Nagano Prefecture, which is focusing on tourism PR as a “village of the starry sky” where the stars can be seen beautifully, is targeted at people living in the prefecture, and since June 1 it has become a tourist attraction such as the Hirugami Onsen We issue coupons for 5000 yen per adult per night that can be used at accommodation facilities.

Immediately after the start of reception, reservations were flooded and there were about 3000 applications.

Yuji Shirasawa, President of Achimura Tourism Bureau
“I have been supported by tourists from the Tokyo metropolitan area so far, but I think this is an opportunity for the citizens of the prefecture to know more about Hirugami Onsen.”

These movements of attracting local tourists have continued in tourist spots all over the country, and experts said, "In the unlikely event of a mass infection, if we limit it to tourists in the prefecture, it will be easier to trace the infected person. Some voices evaluate it.

It's still hard to go out, so this summer vacation. The demand for "nearby trips" is likely to increase further.

If you are online, you can go far

Nevertheless, the "online tour" that utilizes the Internet is aimed at people who want to go on an overseas trip.

A major travel agency, "HIS", shows the appeal of online tours when you feel like you are really there. This tour will show you the attractions of various tourist destinations by a local guide connected by an internet conference system.

I (Yamada) also took a tour of Machu Picchu, a World Heritage Site in Peru.

There are about 200 customers on this day. On the tour, a guide who knew the locals explained the history and highlights of Machu Picchu in fluent Japanese.

Finally, the guide answers the questions asked by the participants using chat.

Various questions were asked, such as "is there a limit to the number of people who can climb the mountain overlooking the ruins?" "Is it true that there is no toilet in Machu Picchu?"

Can I pay online?

This online tour was held free of charge for about a month after the long holidays. I wanted to make people want to go on a trip and make a reservation when they can actually go abroad, so I thought that it would be meaningful not to make a profit immediately. ..

However, the longer the travel restrictions on overseas travel and the longer the online tour period, the more difficult it will be to continue.

Free tours do not lead to tour guide income and company profits remain at zero. Whether or not it can be established as a sustainable business became a decisive factor for continuation.

Therefore, the company plans many paid tours after June.

It is a mechanism that you can choose your favorite tour from the company's homepage and pay with a credit card.

A wide variety of tours are available, from a reasonable priced tour at around $10, about 1000 yen in Japanese yen, to an expensive tour at $150, about 16,000 yen. For example, the expensive $150 tour is a five-series tour.

You can take lessons such as vocalization and dance online from a stage actor living in New York and make your own music video.

In addition, the talk show tickets by the performers of Cirque du Soleil, known as the circus, have been devised such as adding coupons that will discount the tickets on the stage when actually applying for a tour to the United States. ..

How much is a travel subscription?

When developing as a business, the biggest challenge was how much it would be reasonable to carry out an online tour, and how to set the price.

Especially difficult was the “subscription” service, where you can join your favorite online tour by paying a fixed amount each month.

This is because unlike video streaming services, travel content subscriptions are rare and there are no quotes.

In early June, the company conducted a survey of 120 staff members within the company. "How much is the sales image when you set a 30-day subscription fee for the online experience tour?"

Approximately half of the respondents responded, and based on the results, we had internal discussions and decided on $50 in 30 days. Currently, there are about 50 tours, and they will be added as soon as a new project is made.

About 10 days after the start of the service, the subscription accounts for half of the sales of the online tour.

However, once the price has been decided, it is not limited to that. We try to optimize the price by repeating marketing while watching the usage situation and purchase tendency of customers.

HIS São Paulo Branch Tomoko Uemura Inbound Manager
"In the age when various information can be easily obtained on the Internet and SNS, I think the point of an online tour is "who and how to send that information." We hope that by keeping the freshness of the information sent from the company, introducing subcultures that can only be known after actually going, and inflating the urge to go to experience, we can give the motivation to go to the site. It's a tough business situation, but it's important to take advantage of this pinch as an opportunity, so I would like to make a thorough preparation for the resumption of travel."

After the interview

I thought that Mr. Uemura's words, "to turn a pinch into an opportunity," apply to all industries that live in the corona era, not just tourism.

Even now that we have to live with Corona, various demands such as "I want to go somewhere", "I want to buy something, I want to eat, I want to see", etc. have never disappeared.

I feel that the difference between business and business depends on how to respond to the demand within the constraints of preventing the spread of infection, and whether it is possible to flexibly respond with ideas and action.

This year's summer sightseeing is a little different from usual years, so why not add "nearby" and "online" to your options?

International Department Reporter
Nana Yamada

Joined in 2009
After working at Nagasaki Station, Chiba Station, Economic Department,
now in charge of America and Europe in International Department

International Department press
Tamura galaxy

2013. He joined
through Tsuhosokyoku, the Chibahosokyoku
currently responsible, Europe in the International Department, the Africa