RESAS Workshop on Tourism - A Workshop to Analyze the Current State of Tourism and Consider Its Future Using Data

Regional Economic Analysis System (RESAS: Risasu) is big data that supports various initiatives for regional revitalization from an informational perspective.

Provided by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Cabinet Office (the Headquarters for the Creation of New Communities, People, and Jobs), it is widely used by municipal employees and individuals interested in regional revitalization for effective policy planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Utilizing RESAS, an inquiry-based learning workshop called "RESAS Workshop" has been planned to explore what can be done through data analysis and to think about regional revitalization.

The "RESAS Workshop" is a series of five workshops aimed at deepening the understanding and perspectives on the current and future state of the region, primarily involving school officials, as well as private sector and government participants who handle data in their work.

This was held as the second of the five sessions.

The theme is tourism.

Various speakers from different positions gave presentations on the current state and future of tourism as interpreted from data such as RESAS, leading to active discussions.

This report covers the seminar "RESAS Workshop: Tourism Edition" held on August 8, 2020 (Saturday).

Overview of the RESAS Workshop: Tourism Edition

The flow of the second session, "RESAS Workshop: Tourism Edition," was as follows.

This time, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, participants were recruited in both in-person and online formats.

Participants included those involved in education and community development, as well as employees from various companies.

In the computer lab of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School, each seat was equipped with a computer, and the RESAS homepage was displayed on the screens, allowing participants to use RESAS on the spot.

As it was the second session, the workshop began in a friendly atmosphere.

Presentation by Kawasaki Yoshimi

Kawasaki Yoshimi, a teacher in the commercial department at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School and a member of the RESAS expert committee, spoke about the classes utilizing RESAS in the commercial department.

Starting from the 2022 academic year, a new subject called "Tourism Business" will be established in the commercial department, providing time for students to learn how to manage the region's appeal.

The following image shows students using RESAS.

Each student extracts data on the regional economic situation from RESAS in the form of numbers and graphs, compiling and presenting it as a report.

At Kurashiki Commercial High School, when students reach their third year, they analyze regional issues using RESAS and propose policy ideas to revitalize the region as a culmination of their inquiry-based learning in the Regional Revitalization Policy Idea Contest.

Additionally, there is a site called V-RESAS that provides easily accessible data that can be used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the regional economy and to consider regional revitalization measures, along with examples of inquiry-based learning during the pandemic.

Presentation by Komatsubara Saki

Komatsubara Saki belongs to the Planning Bureau's Research and Marketing Group at the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

She gave her presentation online from Tokyo.

Komatsubara spoke about Inbound Tourist Trends Survey and Tourism during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

"Inbound" refers to travel by foreigners visiting Japan.

JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) is a government agency specializing in inbound tourism and is the only organization dealing with attracting foreigners.

They conduct activities such as attracting international conferences, supporting municipalities through market analysis, and assisting in the establishment and maintenance of domestic tourist information centers to encourage foreign travelers to visit Japan.

In recent years, the tourism industry has been on the rise globally, and Japan seems to be experiencing a similar trend.

For example, in 2019, the tourism industry accounted for 7.0% (39.1 trillion yen) of Japan's GDP (Gross Domestic Product), highlighting its significant economic impact.

Looking at the trends from the inbound tourist survey, it was noted that 80% of foreign visitors to Japan are from Asia, with China being the most represented nationality.

However, inbound trends fluctuate due to political issues and events occurring in that year.

For example, in 2019, there was a significant increase in visitors from Ireland, a country with a strong rugby culture, due to the Rugby World Cup, with visits exceeding five times the previous year.

Additionally, there are differences in inbound trends by prefecture, with Okayama Prefecture reportedly experiencing an increase of more than eight times in recent years.

The impact of COVID-19 on tourism has been significant, with approximately 2.5 million foreign tourists visiting Japan each month before the pandemic, but as shown in the following data, this number has drastically decreased.

With restrictions on entry and exit, news reports have highlighted the difficulties faced by tourist destinations.

While this was felt intuitively, seeing it in data makes it clearer.

Thus, the tourism industry is in a difficult position due to COVID-19, and the following points were shared regarding what needs to be considered moving forward:

1. Who are the foreigners coming to my region?
2. What are the tourism attractions of my region? (How can they be enhanced?)
3. What regions and tourism attractions are preferred in other parts of Japan and the world?

Talk from the Tourism Division of Kurashiki City Office

A representative from the Tourism Division of Kurashiki City Office spoke about the current state and future of tourism in Kurashiki.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 5 million tourists visited Kurashiki City each year, with 65% of all tourists to Kurashiki visiting the Bikan Historical Area.

The Bikan Historical Area is the most visited tourist destination in Okayama Prefecture.

However, due to COVID-19, tourist numbers have drastically decreased at all tourist sites in Kurashiki City, including the Bikan Historical Area.

Kurashiki City has implemented the following support measures for businesses.

• Kurashiki City Business Continuity Support Fund
• Kurashiki City Support Fund for Struggling Businesses
• Bokke! Great Deals on Kurashiki Mirai Travel
• Support Local Shops☆Get Discounts with Cashless Payments

Message from Okayama Prefectural Tourism Federation

A representative from the Okayama Prefectural Tourism Federation (Okayama Tourism WEB) spoke about tourism trends and strategies in Okayama Prefecture.

For example, data can be presented in pie charts regarding "where the travelers are from," whether they came from "areas that require overnight stays" or "areas that can be visited in a day," as shown below.

The amount spent during trips varies between overnight stays and day trips, and the schedules at the travel destinations also differ.

Okayama Prefecture seems to focus on promotions targeting large metropolitan areas such as the Kinki region.

However, since the content of travel changes depending on where visitors come from, it may be better to implement promotions suited to each region.

In conclusion, the following points were mentioned.

"Due to the impact of COVID-19, micro-tourism and other short-distance travel have increased.

Higher satisfaction among local and nearby residents leads to greater attractiveness of tourism, and now is a chance to prepare for attracting visitors from outside the prefecture and abroad.

Currently, if we can make local people enjoy themselves and convey the charm of tourism, making them realize that their hometown is a great place, the satisfaction of visitors from outside the prefecture will also increase," they said.

Local residents are more likely to become repeat visitors because of their proximity.

Moreover, the shops and places recommended by local residents are often truly attractive and wonderful.

In this era where anyone can share and introduce the places they visit through social media, I have reaffirmed my desire to continue introducing my favorite shops and places.

In Conclusion

The "RESAS Workshop: Tourism Edition" provided an opportunity to learn and think about tourism trends based on tourism data and how to attract future travelers from various perspectives.

Since spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted the movement of people not only in Japan but around the world.

I have come to recognize that the ability to travel was precious, especially during this pandemic.

During this pandemic, various stakeholders in tourism are implementing various measures to recover.

I felt very encouraged by the positive proposals and suggestions made by the speakers, considering the impact of COVID-19.

Data from the RESAS Workshop: Tourism Edition

Name	RESAS Workshop: Tourism Edition
Date	August 8, 2020 (Saturday) 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Location	545 Shirakumacho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School
Participation Fee (Tax Included)	Free

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