New Directions in Post-COVID Tourism

In June 2022, for the first time in about two years, the Japanese government finally began allowing tourists on package tours to enter Japan.

For businesses that depend on foreign visitors, this was welcome news.

We want to give visitors
an even warmer welcome.

But the road to recovery for inbound tourism promises to be a long one.

Though foreign tourists are few on the ground, Japan is experiencing a boom in micro-tourism.

People are discovering worthwhile destinations in their own back yard.

What is Japan's tourist industry learning from the pandemic?

Look closely, and you can see signs of change everywhere.

My name is Vayu.

I'll be your navigator.

Before the pandemic, growing inbound tourism was a major element of Japan's economic strategy.

2019 saw over 30 million foreign visitors.

Then COVID changed everything.

Today, innovative thinking is opening doors to a different kind of tourism.

Enoshima island, part of a popular resort area fifty kilometers south of Tokyo.

The area boasts sandy beaches, a major aquarium,

an ancient Shinto shrine, and a wealth of other tourist attractions.

Before COVID, nearly twenty million visitors flocked to Fujisawa, where Enoshima is located.

The collapse of inbound tourism and the drop in domestic travel cut visitor numbers by 40%.

But 2021 saw a healthy uptick in tourism, almost all of it domestic.

With travel still down due to COVID, people within easy distance of Enoshima are driving the recovery.

My daughter loves to come to Enoshima.
It's biking distance from where we live.

For tourist-facing businesses, the trend is encouraging.

COVID-19 has had a huge impact.
But now we get more local visitors.

Japan's population remains cautious about COVID.

To draw more visitors, the city of Fujisawa launched a website in collaboration with Enoshima business owners.

It's called ENOMAP.

The app displays crowd conditions in real time, so users can manage their infection risk.

The system depends on real-time input from tourist businesses.

No need for AI or sophisticated tech.

Updating local conditions is as easy as pressing a button.

This well-known purveyor of Japanese sweets likes the system's convenience.

If we get busy, I just push this.

Smartphone apps can be tricky.
But this is truly simple.

It's very easy to use,
even for someone like me.

But there's even more happening on Enoshima.

Its renowned botanical gardens are undergoing a renewal.

This iconic observation tower is a symbol of the island.

The gardens were laid out by Samuel Cocking, a 19th-century British merchant.

Today they're managed by the city.

They feature a huge number of plant species, including many from the tropics.

But in recent years, the gardens faced a challenge - a shortage of local visitors.

In 2021, the city installed attractions to give the gardens broader appeal.

This outdoor trampoline is a magnet for kids.

With more for children to do and enjoy, the number of family visitors is on the rise.

A new museum traces the history of the gardens.

Visitors can explore the remains of Samuel Cocking's huge greenhouse.

Workshops unlock the secrets of horticulture.

Fun and learning go hand in hand.

Fujisawa raised part of the money for the renewal from crowdfunding.

The response was positive, with donations totaling well over five million yen.

The city plans to eliminate daytime admission fees to make access even easier for locals.

There's a limit to what the city
can do on its own.

To support tourism, it's essential
that everyone involved collaborates.

With incremental steps, Fujisawa is planting the seeds for micro-tourism growth.

We got here in 30 minutes by car.

The grownups can enjoy tourism,
and the kids have places to play.

We think it's great.

This attraction is too good because I cannot stop and my son is playing there.

So, it is really really attractive.

And it's nice to have places for children which is very very important when you travel.

Professor Kato Kumi conducts research into sustainable tourism.

In the wake of COVID, she sees opportunities to wean the industry off its dependence on foreign visitors.

Many tourist venues and activities
shut down due to COVID.

At the same time, I think people
are willing to try new approaches.

Awareness of tourism as an industry
that benefits society has taken root.

More planning participation
by local residents is very positive.

The pandemic made people think twice about long-distance tourism.

Spending more time in their communities lead them to discover tourist attractions in their own back yards.

In the midst of urban development, a river draws avid photographers.

We get many species here,
like kingfishers and chickadees.

They've been coming for a long time.

Machida is a populous city in western Tokyo.

The Sakai River runs along the city's edge.

It's a home for many species of wild birds.

With illegal trash dumping on the rise in recent years, the waterfront area was becoming far from beautiful.

Earth Cross Over is a group of citizens who aim to make the Sakai River a tourist asset.

They're working hard to clean up the river.

Hashizume Maki leads the effort.

A practicing psychotherapist, she was inspired to launch her cleanup effort while sheltering at home during the pandemic.

Because I was stuck at home,
I saw how important nature is.

Gathering trash is a way
to create new value.

What makes Hashizume's group different is their approach to the objects they gather.

One of her members uses them to create accessories.

The business is called SAKAI JEWEL, and it generates income for the group.

Resinized cigarette butts make popular key holders.

Fragments of glass and ceramics retrieved from the riverbed become whimsical rings.

Fun and imaginative design can transform discarded objects and reveal their hidden potential.

Prices run around 20 to 30 US dollars.

KanakoNezzz is a design professional and the creator of SAKAI JEWEL.

You can't do regular volunteer work
without an income and spare time.

It's important to enjoy volunteering.
I can turn trash into accessories.

It's very positive synergy.

Earth Cross Over is attracting help from local residents rediscovering the river's natural beauty.

Gathering trash made me realize
how precious the river really is.

I hope our activities draw attention
to this beautiful side of Machida.

Since I started cleaning up the river,
my love for Machida is much stronger.

Because of this, I hope more people
will be motivated to visit us.

People in this region
don't need to travel to central Tokyo.

Instead, they can visit Machida
because it's a worthwhile destination.

I hope it becomes that kind of place,
and more people come to visit.

Kato Kumi draws a connection between people working to improve their communities and micro-tourism.

Local communities are working
to improve their lives and surroundings.

People are finding ways to make
their regions shine.

Their efforts may be modest...

but enjoying your hometown
is part of the micro-tourism concept.

Technology development is spawning new forms of tourism.

Autonomous robot chauffeurs are one example with exciting potential which may help tourists get more out of their visit.

RakuRo is an autonomous robot chauffeur that shares the sidewalk with pedestrians.

It moves at walking speed.

The user inputs a route, sits back, and enjoys the view.

The robot does the rest.

With onboard sensors and full camera coverage, it has good situational awareness.

The chauffeur will pause for stoplights and slow down when pedestrians are nearby.

Riders are free to relax and take in the sights and sounds, or even take photos or videos while on the move.

Taniguchi Hisashi is the president of ZMP, the company behind RakuRo.

He's convinced that robot chauffeurs may someday be an essential tool for tourists.

Often when visiting,
tourists just hit the high spots.

It would be better if they could
take their time and see everything.

But that can be tiring.

With help from our robot,
people can relax and enjoy their visit.

Taniguchi's mobile robot underwent field testing in Himeji city.

This is the home of Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It's nearly a kilometer from the railway station to the castle.

Most visitors go directly by bus or taxi.

Unfortunately, they miss numerous sights and shops along the way.

ZMP programmed their robot chauffeur to take visitors through the shopping area on the way to the castle.

Solutions like this are especially important in expanding mobility for the elderly.

While cost and other challenges remain, a Himeji city representative sees potential for RakuRo and similar solutions.

Our testing will ensure user safety
and identify points we need to consider.

The search for innovative new tourist technologies is just beginning.

COVID was a huge blow for the tourist industry.

But when inbound tourism disappeared, the industry began to discover even more potential close at hand.

The post-COVID innovation blossoming all over Japan is a harbinger of the era of micro-tourism.