MATCHA Co., Ltd. Event Report First event held in Ehime Prefecture! Prefectural governors and key regional p layers gather at “Inbound Summit in Setouchi” sponsored by MATCHA Co., Ltd.

[MATCHA Co., Ltd.] [Event Report] First event held in Ehime
Prefecture! Prefectural governors and key players from the region gather at the “Inbound Summit in Setouchi” sponsored by MATCHA Co., Ltd. ​
MATCHA Co., Ltd. Press release: November 15, 2024 [Event Report] First event held in Ehime Prefecture! Prefectural governors and key regional players gather at “Inbound Summit in Setouchi” sponsored by MATCHA Co., Ltd. Second inbound summit held in the Setouchi area on November 7th and 8th
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47971/279/47971-279-39df38657926fa58249bd79b213e88db-3900×2600.jpg MATCHA Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Yu Aoki), which operates the inbound media “MATCHA”, will hold the “Inbound Summit in “Setouchi”. Approximately 130 people attended the event, and more than 550 people registered online. This event featured a variety of players involved in inbound travel in the Setouchi region, including Governor Nakamura of Ehime Prefecture. A talk session was held on the theme of the expectations of foreign visitors to the region and ways to improve the reception system. Furthermore, an after-party was held where participants could deepen their relationships with each other, and a study tour was held in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, which is attracting attention as a sustainable tourist destination worldwide. The two-day event served as an opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of the inbound market and take concrete action. [About Inbound Summit in Setouchi] The number of visitors to Japan is at a record high, and consumption is expected to reach 8 trillion yen annually. This can be said to be a ray of hope for Japan, which continues to experience population decline and economic instability. However, in local governments, although the significance of inbound tourism is understood, 60% of the people find it “difficult” to actually accept inbound tourists (JTB Communication Survey, “Inbound tourism in local governments nationwide Current status and challenges of measures: Expectations and worries of local government officials regarding foreign tourists” ). In order to attract visitors to Japan, it is essential to understand the local community and develop a system to accept them. The “Inbound Summit in Setouchi” held this time was held as part of the “Triangle Ehime” project implemented by Ehime Prefecture. On the day, inbound players active in the Setouchi region gathered together, with 130 participants on DAY1 and over 40 participants on DAY2. Talk sessions provided opportunities for participants to learn about what visitors to Japan are looking for in local communities, and to deepen interactions among participants through after-parties, field tours, and workshops. Participants came from both inside and outside Ehime Prefecture, and there were many people involved in regional tourism and people who were motivated to work on strengthening inbound tourism. I was especially impressed by the enthusiasm with which they sought hints to further develop their businesses. We will continue to aim to play a role in connecting visitors to Japan with the charm of Japan from various perspectives. *About the inbound summit The Inbound Summit started in 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic, and the 5th edition was held in Tokyo in September 2024. This is the second time the event has been held in the region. Through the Inbound Summit, we aim to build momentum in the industry and strengthen ties between regions. Details of each content on the day ■Greetings from Ehime Prefecture Governor Tokihiro Nakamura
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47971/279/47971-279-2067fcc57bf64317659d6876e6ffdee8-3900×2600.jpg The Inbound Summit in Setouchi opened with an address by Governor Nakamura of Ehime Prefecture. In his speech, he introduced specific examples of tourism projects undertaken by Ehime Prefecture and talked about his proactive approach to top sales. Many participants were deeply impressed by this message, and it seems that it served as an opportunity to reconsider their own efforts in the tourism business. ■Talk session
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47971/279/47971-279-e02fc0a83449c4711c445c9525807648-3900×2600.jpg Each speaker held a talk session on the themes of “Why are people fascinated by the Setouchi Inland Sea?” “The form of tourism that aims to connect with local residents and the world” and “What kind of local travel are currently sought by visitors to Japan?” Ta. Speakers (in no particular order, title omitted): ・AirbnbJapan Co., Ltd. Representative Director Yasuyuki Tanabe ・Setouchi Retreat Aonagi by Onkochishin General Manager Hitomi Shimokubo ・Shikoku Tours Co., Ltd. Regional Coordinator / Regional Solution Partners Co., Ltd. Tokushima Branch Advisor Koji Deo ・MATCHA Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President Yu Aoki ・Walk Japan / CEO, The Japan Travel Company / Chairman of the Board Paul Christie ・Kita Management General Incorporated Association CMO Yosuke Inoue – Setouchi Triennale Executive Committee Secretariat (Kagawa Prefecture Setouchi Triennale Promotion Division) Tetsuyuki Imataki ・MATCHA Co., Ltd. Director COO Shinnosuke Saito ・Interlocal Partners Co., Ltd. Representative Director Keiji Yamamoto ・avex management Singer-songwriter Miyuu ・Inbound consultant SNS creator Christina Minami ・entohouse
BAR&GUESTHOUSE Owner Seaverse Reina ・Freelance announcer / Iyokan Ambassador Sueko Takeuchi ■In-venue exhibition “SETOUCHI: SEEN THROUGH GLOBAL EYES – Another Seto Inland Sea captured by the eyes of a traveler fascinated by Japan”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47971/279/47971-279-cae27a090e84ce526258a4acc9e9e994-3900×2600.jpg Five creators from overseas who live in Japan and share the charms of various parts of Japan participated in this special exhibition, and exhibited photos of moments that captivated their hearts in Setouchi. Participating creators: Christina Minami – Inbound consultant and SNS creator Donny Kimball – American digital marketing consultant and travel information provider Ariel Lee – Taiwanese-American travel content creator Mr. Maigo Mika – Youtuber and content creator living in Kochi Chris Mollison – Photographer and filmmaker ■Field tour in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47971/279/47971-279-a47027fe94e9620398c5128114d4c83b-3900×2600.jpg Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture is the first city in Japan to be ranked first in the world in the “Culture and Tradition Preservation” category of the “World’s Sustainable Tourism Destinations” selected by “Green Destinations,” an international certification organization for sustainable tourism destinations. This is the region where the During the field tour, participants learned about Ozu City’s efforts under the guidance of a local guide, and during the workshop, participants exchanged opinions on how they could apply the examples to their own businesses. Voices from participants ・The Inbound Summit in Tokyo was also effective for thinking about inbound tourism from a multifaceted perspective, but this time’s “Inbound Summit in Setouchi” allowed me to hear more specific stories, which was very helpful. I think it would be good if you could continue to choose a region and proceed on both sides like this. ・In particular, many of the participants worked very hard, and I felt that the event itself was a very good one due to their enthusiasm. It was also a great learning experience for me to see how each of you was working in cooperation with the local community in various ways and angles. ・I was very happy to be able to gather people from various fields and hear multifaceted opinions. I was glad that it didn’t just end with a talk, but by doing fieldwork the next day, I was able to actually experience the site of urban development. ■“Inbound Summit in Setouchi” event overview Date and time: November 7th (Thursday) and November 8th (Friday), 2024 Venue: Ehime Prefectural Cultural Center, Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture Participants: 130 offline, over 550 online Official website: https://inbound-summit.com/setouchi Media coverage:
https://company.matcha-jp.com/other/6118/ ■What is MATCHA Co., Ltd. “MATCHA” is a media that gathers information about Japan, with over 20,000 articles in 10 languages, aimed at foreigners visiting and living in Japan. It receives 6.63 million PVs and 3.33 million UUs per month from 227 countries and regions around the world, and has 1.04 million followers on Facebook worldwide. Rather than disseminating information one-sidedly, it is characterized by the creation of valuable content that incorporates information that users really need and that will be read for a long time. Utilizing the knowledge of one of Japan’s largest media operations, we provide inbound marketing support that handles everything from promotions on MATCHA media, the multilingual information dissemination tool “MATCHA Contents Manager (MCM)” that anyone can use, and research to formulating strategies for visitors to Japan. Also operates three businesses. To date, we have supported a total of over 360 inbound issues for clients. In addition, for three years starting in 2020, we are planning and operating the “Inbound Summit”, which brings together inbound business operators from all over Japan. In 2024, approximately 4,000 people applied. Company name: MATCHA Co., Ltd. Representative Director: Yu Aoki Head office location: LIT HIGASHI-NIHOMBASHI 1F, 2-24-9 Higashi Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0004 Date of establishment: December 3, 2013 MATCHA： https://matcha-jp.com HP: https://company.matcha-jp.com/ MATCHA (Japanese): https://matcha-jp.com/jp MATCHA (English): https://matcha-jp.com/en MATCHA (Traditional Chinese):
https://matcha-jp.com/tw