The Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB) and Osaka
Convention & Tourism Bureau (OCTB) signed a comprehensive
partnership agreement to grow Japan’s tourism industry, which has taken a
hit from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under
the agreement, both cities will lead tourism development and attraction
with a focus on the following areas, including free exchange of
information, joint research and development of tourism attractions,
marketing methods, sustainable tourism, mutual promotion and content
development.
TCVB President Shingo Kaneko and OCTB President Hiroshi Mizohata
signed the agreement at a ceremony held on 13 December 2021. Also
present were two professional baseball players from each city’s team,
Yasutaka Shiomi of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Sachiya Yamasaki of the
Orix Buffaloes.
Osaka as top destination: Ushering in a new era of tourism in the Kansai city
In addition, OCTB is collaborating with Original Inc, the operator of
online publication Time Out Tokyo, to transform Osaka into an
international destination for tourism and culture in Asia, including a
concept of “24-hour tourism city rooted in diversity”.
This involves growing the Osaka brand, creating an urban development
framework to drive sustainable tourism and attract travellers through
domestic and foreign visitors.
The agreement comes as the country prepares for Expo 2025, which will be held in Osaka.
It focuses on the following nine areas:
Luxury tourism
Gastronomy tourism
Heritage tourism
Universal tourism
Green tourism
LGBTQ tourism
Resilient tourism
Promotion of meta-tourism
Promotion of tourism-related digital transformation