Japan targets high-net-worth travellers keen to go beyond Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka for ‘things they can’t usually see’, as it eyes regional revival

Japan is looking to harness the spending power of rich visitors who want to go off the beaten track as a way to help its less visited regions recover post-Covid

An Uber-like helicopter service and eased rules for superyachts are among initiatives to draw high-net-worth visitors and surpass pre-pandemic tourist spending

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A tourist at the Chureito Pagoda near Japan’s Mount Fuji. New services have been launched and regulations eased to encourage wealthy visitors to the country to go off the beaten track as regions look to recover following the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 5:15pm, 11 Oct 2023

From on-demand helicopters to private superyachts, the spending power of ultra-rich travellers could be the key to revitalising Japan’s regions and boosting its post-pandemic economic recovery.

Luxury travellers looking to explore areas beyond the classic destinations such as tourist-friendly Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka offer an opportunity for lesser-known places to showcase their unique culture, according to those in the tourism industry.

“The most crucial aspect of regional revitalisation is figuring out how to effectively encourage [the wealthy] to spend money, and there are only two ways to do that. One is through tourism, and the other is by leveraging each prefecture’s strengths,” says Shintaro Masuda, founder and chief executive of Blank Marketing & Management.

The Mie prefecture-based venture company is the developer of an app called Airc, which enables on-demand helicopter flights between various locations in Japan, almost like booking an Uber.

A helicopter flying near Mount Fuji. Blank Marketing & Management’s Airc app enables on-demand helicopter flights between various locations in Japan. Photo: Shutterstock

Those wanting to skip the Tokyo traffic and get to Mount Fuji in 30 minutes, for example, could book a private helicopter from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko, near the foot of the mountain. The app takes care of all the arrangements, including transfer from the customer’s current location to the heliport.