Tourism Government Initiatives

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has been working to make it easier for foreign tourists visiting Japan to obtain information about the country.By providing information on visas and other requirements for visiting Japan, promptly disseminating information in times of disasters, strengthening digital marketing, improving data analysis, and utilizing data for promotion, they are trying to provide accurate information and conduct effective promotion based on the attributes and interests of the customers.

The government is aiming to advertise Japan to the world, and is targeting Western countries, large emerging markets, the young, and the wealthy to cultivate a Japanophile segment. To achieve this, overseas Japanese government establishments disseminate content on Japan (tourism, culture, history, trends, etc.) provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JNTO, local public organizations, local media, etc. via social media. The branches of Japan House located in Sao Paulo, London, and Los Angeles promote Japanese culture, traditions, science, and technology, along with local presentations and workshops by experts who embody the "Japanese brand". The use of social media is an upgrade from the old PR tools for tourism (mainly paper-based and recorded media). Publishing information on the internet that can be accessed by anyone also enhances the transparency of the information.

With the increasing number of foreign tourists visiting Japan, it is important to provide multilingual support to enhance the satisfaction level of the travel experience. In order to create a more comfortable and stress-free travel environment at airports, harbours, public transportation, and tourist attractions, the government and local authorities are working to establish a comprehensive multilingual information sharing system through tourist information centres, digital signage, smartphones, and so on. In addition, the Council for Multilingual Measures, established in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, has set up a portal site with reference materials on multilingual support measures and examples of advanced initiatives of local governments and private organizations to promote multilingual support throughout the country. It also actively introduces venture companies that provide multilingual services.

To give an example of multilingual support, Hotel Mystays has introduced Pepper, a humanoid robot developed by Softbank, as a remote concierge. Pepper works in cooperation with the call centre of Hotel Mystays to provide language support in Japanese, English, and Chinese. This is the first such trial in the Japanese hotel industry, and is being promoted not only as a means of multilingual support but also a way to solve the shortage of human resources.

In another case, Kamakura city in Kanagawa prefecture has signed an agreement with ORIX Corporation to introduce an information service for foreign tourists visiting Japan. By scanning NFC (Near Field Communication) equipped plates or 2D barcodes with a mobile device such as a smartphone, it is possible to obtain tourist information translated into the language corresponding to the device's language setting (Japanese, English, Chinese, or Korean). Moreover, there are plans to develop a service that uses AR (Augmented Reality) technology to translate information written in Japanese into multiple languages in real-time.

Apart from this, the interpreter guide system was changed significantly in 2018 to meet the rapidly increasing demand for inbound travel. The occupational monopoly regulation of licensed tour-guide interpreters has been abolished, and from now on, even people who do not hold a formal qualification can provide tour-guide interpreter services for a fee. This amendment aims to secure a good quantity of tour-guide interpreters while also ensuring a certain standard of quality. As a result, it is expected that the number of people who can work on private tours for foreign tourists will increase.