Tourism base revitalization projects “Sea and Sauna” and “Jobus!!”

The Nokogiriyama area in Chiba Prefecture, known as a scenic tourist destination since the Edo period and selected as a candidate area for Japan Heritage, faces challenges such as a decrease in overnight and sightseeing tours (and an increase in day trips by private car) following the opening of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line and Tateyama Expressway, as well as the revitalization of tourist bases that were hit hard by Typhoons 15 and 19 in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite facing challenging circumstances, five businesses, including Kiinokuniya Co., Ltd., created a plan to revitalize tourism in the Nokogiriyama area and submitted it to the Japan Tourism Agency's 2021 "Project to Promote the Revitalization and High Value-Added Development of Existing Tourist Bases." As part of this project, we conducted two demonstration experiments.

1. Beach sauna event "The Sea and Sauna"
This is a pilot project for a beach sauna event, aimed at revitalizing a former tourist hub—a beach resort—by making effective use of the area during the winter months when tourism is typically low.
Our company was entrusted with the administrative work for the application to the Japan Tourism Agency, and we spearheaded a series of initiatives, from overall and individual plan development to promoting the beach sauna event as a pilot project (planning, concept design, setup, operation, and promotion), effectiveness evaluation, and reporting.

2. A journey overflowing with things I love: "Jobus!!"
This event was a trial run of a sightseeing bus (secondary transportation) that would connect various tourist spots across city boundaries, a long-standing issue under consideration.
Our company was entrusted with the administrative work for the application to the Japan Tourism Agency, and we promoted a series of initiatives, from overall and individual plan development to preparation for the trial operation, effectiveness evaluation, and reporting.


1. Beach sauna event "The Sea and Sauna"
[Social Issues / Customer Issues / Requests]
The diversification of the social leisure industry and the shift towards day-trip tourism by private car in the Nokogiriyama area have not only led to a decline in beachgoers, who have been the driving force behind the region's economy, but have also resulted in a decrease in related tourism businesses and a decline in the area's visual and experiential vitality.
Despite the ongoing challenges posed by the devastating typhoon and the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was designed to effectively convey the charm of the Nokogiriyama area. Furthermore, it was hoped that the event would serve as an experiment to explore the potential of "sauna users," a new customer target group being considered by Kiinokuniya, and to cultivate knowledge for conducting more effective and efficient beach sauna events in the future.

[Solution]
This was an experiment to revitalize both the local community and businesses through a sauna event, and we conducted it at the same level as a full-scale launch.
We organized the event as a single project, incorporating a multifaceted media plan including naming and artwork based on brand strategy, press releases, social media, and influencer marketing, measures based on the response, the introduction of web and electronic tickets, an operational manual that included COVID-19 countermeasures, a food market and sauna that conveyed the charm of the region, environmental design using local artists, and phased surveys that anticipated reservation cancellations due to COVID-19.

2. A journey overflowing with things I love: "Jobus!!"
[Social Issues / Customer Issues / Requests]
With day trips by private car becoming the norm, we've seen a decline in the tourism economy due to factors such as shorter stays, limited travel destinations, and a decrease in tourism among non-car users. However, we lacked the resources to quantitatively understand and analyze these trends.
Similarly, securing resources and establishing procedures for demonstration were difficult when it came to demonstrating methods for promoting tourism in the Tokyo metropolitan area and exploring the possibilities and ideas of sightseeing routes. In response to these requests, the challenge for this project became how to solidify the foundation for transitioning the trial operation into full-scale operation while giving shape to the ideas envisioned by our customers.

[Solution]
Although this was a trial run, it was conducted using procedures that were intended for full-scale operation. The trial run was structured as a single event project, incorporating elements such as naming and artwork based on the brand strategy, the development of a media plan and analysis of responses starting about a month before the 36-day operation period from January 4th to February 8th, 2022, the experimental introduction of web and electronic tickets and the preparation of response manuals for crew members, the introduction of a digital stamp rally to promote sightseeing and understand behavioral patterns, and phased surveys that anticipated reservation cancellations due to COVID-19.

We have compiled the results of the "Sea and Sauna" and "Jobasu!!" field trials so that the reports themselves can serve as guidelines and be utilized in future discussions with relevant parties.


<Our project members>
1. Beach sauna event "The Sea and Sauna"
[Development] Akihiko Nishimura
[Sales & Project Management] Kenji Nakano
[design, layout] Hirofumi Inoue, Akane Yamaguchi
[Production/ construction] Noriyuki Takahashi
[Research and Planning] Takatoshi Takahashi, Kahoko Koike, Kazuhiro Suzuki

2. A journey overflowing with things I love: "Jobus!!"
[Development and Project Management] Akihiko Nishimura
[Sales] Kenji Nakano
[Research and Planning] Takatoshi Takahashi, Kahoko Koike, Kazuhiro Suzuki


~Related Links~
[nomlog]
・Bringing local aspirations to life: A revitalization project for Kyonan Town, Chiba Prefecture