Published on
September 9, 2025
Japan’s top travel company, JTB, has kicked off an exciting new plan called Inbound VISION 2030. Revealed on first September, 2025, the goal is to pull millions more visitors to Japan by teaming up with local areas and using smart data to make every trip even better. They’re aiming to boost their bookings by 2.7 times and achieve nearly 3 times more profit by 2030, targets that blow away the usual industry predictions.
JTB’s Chief Executive Officer, Eijiro Yamakita, emphasised that the company’s mission extends beyond merely serving tourists. The company aims to foster sustainable growth within local communities by improving the region’s overall infrastructure and tourism offerings, while simultaneously enhancing Japan’s global tourism presence. Yamakita pointed out the importance of quality tourism over quantity, stressing that this approach will benefit local economies and contribute to a more balanced distribution of tourists across the country.
Building a Sustainable Future for Japan’s Tourism
New Business Fields to Drive Growth
At the core of Inbound VISION 2030 is the creation of a new business field, Plus One, designed to address evolving demands from inbound travellers. This strategic move adds to the existing six core business areas, including BtoC, BtoB, BtoG, and promotion, ensuring a more comprehensive approach to inbound travel.
The Plus One field will focus on developing new services and products tailored to inbound travellers’ needs. JTB’s goal is to capture a 10 percent market share in this space. The company’s expansion plans also involve increasing staffing levels, with approximately 150 additional inbound travel promotion staff members set to be hired across Japan. These staff members will support new inbound travel promotion bases in key cities such as Hokkaido, Sendai, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Okinawa, as well as Tokyo and Osaka.
According to the company, these bases will enable a more targeted approach to domestic sales and facilitate deeper collaboration with local tourism operators and businesses. Furthermore, JTB plans to enhance its partnerships with overseas OTAs (Online Travel Agencies), building on previous collaborations such as the JTB Inbound Trip partnership with Trip.com.
Creating Regional Impact: Decentralising Tourism
A significant part of JTB’s strategy is focused on decentralising inbound tourism, ensuring that visitors explore more than just Tokyo and Kyoto. JTB will collaborate with local governments, tourism operators, and businesses to unlock the potential of Japan’s less-visited areas. The goal is to create new tourism experiences in these regions by introducing unique venues and activities, such as area tours and special visits to temples and shrines.
The company’s efforts to extend the length of stay in regional areas are designed to help activate the local economy and redistribute the benefits of tourism. The decentralisation strategy is aligned with the broader goal of enhancing local culture, history, and natural beauty, offering more authentic travel experiences for visitors and ensuring sustainable growth for local communities.
Harnessing Data to Revolutionise Travel Distribution
In line with its data-driven strategy, JTB is set to launch JTB Tourism HUB, a data platform that will fully operate in 2026. This platform will integrate various tourism-related data, including insights from JAPANiCAN, an existing inbound travel platform, and other open data sources. The Tourism HUB will help visualise and analyse travel trends, providing real-time insights into visitor preferences and behaviours.
The platform’s capabilities will enable JTB to optimise its sales and distribution channels, providing better-targeted travel experiences to inbound tourists. It will also serve as a hub for the company to offer consulting services to local governments and tourism businesses, helping to identify new distribution channels and solutions for suppliers like accommodation providers, restaurants, and transportation services.
In addition, JTB is considering expanding its Land Cruise business, which currently operates in Europe, to Japan. The company plans to launch this shared tour bus service in Hokkaido, with the aim of attracting repeat visitors and diversifying tourism experiences across the country.
Looking Toward a Thriving Tourism Economy
Through this strategic overhaul, JTB is confident that Japan can become the fourth-largest nation globally in terms of international arrivals, with an even stronger ranking in international tourism revenue. As the company moves towards its 2030 goals, it aims to position Japan as a leading destination for sustainable, high-quality tourism experiences that benefit both visitors and local communities.
JTB is using data smarter than ever and boosting its hometown connections to make every trip into Japan unforgettable. More than that, the company wants the perks of every visitor to spread to every nook and cranny of the country. By building a stronger and smarter tourism foundation, JTB is making sure Japan’s tourism stays healthy and profitable for generations to come.
link
