Sunday, September 8, 2024 Rakuten Travel, Japan’s leading online travel agency, is leveraging its multilingual website and comprehensive travel guides to attract foreign tourists to lesser-known destinations across Japan. As both central and local governments seek to promote secondary destinations, Rakuten Travel is positioning itself to cater to repeat visitors looking for unique experiences beyond Japan’s famous “Golden Route” of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Mt. Fuji.
Jeremy Bek, Global Head of Rakuten Travel, highlighted the growing demand for exploring Japan’s hidden gems. “There are many more undiscovered treasures, and people will continue coming back to explore the deeper side of Japan,” Bek said in a recent interview. Rakuten Travel’s website, available in nine languages, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Indonesian, offers extensive resources such as car rental guides and customer support services.
The platform also introduces various types of traditional accommodations like “ryokan” inns with multicourse “kaiseki” dinners, “machiya” historic townhouses, and “minshuku” family-run guesthouses, which offer an authentic and affordable lodging experience. Bek shared that about 30% of international bookings on Rakuten Travel are for secondary destinations, with many travelers seeking nature-based experiences such as hiking and mountain climbing. “Immersive experiences like staying in a ryokan or attending a local festival are in high demand,” he said.
Japan’s National Tourism Organization recently conducted a survey, revealing that over 80% of respondents from East and Southeast Asia expressed interest in visiting places outside Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Rakuten Travel’s efforts align with the government’s goal of revitalizing rural areas and reducing the strain on heavily trafficked tourist spots. In line with this strategy, companies like Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel Inc.
are offering tailor-made tours that include options like dog sledding and ice fishing, making rural areas more accessible and appealing to international travelers. By promoting off-the-beaten-path destinations and unique cultural experiences, Rakuten Travel and other tourism operators are helping to diversify Japan’s tourism industry. This initiative not only benefits the country’s rural economies but also enhances the travel experience for foreign visitors, offering them an opportunity to engage with Japan’s rich cultural heritage in a more personal way.
As Japan’s tourism sector continues to evolve, the focus on rural destinations and immersive travel experiences will play a crucial role in shaping the future of inbound tourism..
