Analyzing the Reality of Hokuriku Tourism Through Location Data—Part 2 [NewsPicks × Dentsu Inc. News]

I'm Akimoto, a researcher at Dentsu Inc.'s "Human Flow Lab." This is the second installment of our series exploring how the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen has changed tourism flows in the Hokuriku region using location-based big data.

In Part 1, we examined changes in total overnight stays and visitor demographics for Ishikawa (terminal station), Toyama (intermediate station), and Nagano (intermediate station) – areas likely to be significantly impacted by the improved transportation convenience brought by the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
Examining the Reality of Hokuriku Tourism Through Location Data - Part 1

Starting with Part 2, we focus on Toyama Prefecture, which saw growth in total overnight stays within the Hokuriku region. We will examine the reality of tourism, the tangible changes felt on the ground, and future challenges, incorporating location data and incorporating insights from local tourism industry stakeholders. Below is a summary of the first article.

Visitor growth radiating out from station-front urban areas

As introduced in Part 1, Toyama Prefecture's total overnight stays surged significantly: 120% year-on-year growth in April-June 2015 (Q2) immediately after the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened, and 125% growth in July-September (Q3). Examining visitors to Toyama by prefecture shows increases from Tokyo and Aichi, while Osaka saw a slight decrease.

This is thought to be partly due to the Thunderbird train terminating at Kanazawa after the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened, requiring transfers in Kanazawa to reach Toyama Prefecture. A tourism industry professional based in Toyama Prefecture commented, "Tourist numbers increased, and inquiries surged dramatically. The slower growth in visitors from the Osaka area was within expectations. We hope to attract visitors from the Osaka area by revitalizing bus tours."

 

According to Toyama Prefecture tourism industry representatives, "Ishikawa Prefecture, centered on Kanazawa City, has spent a long time building a strong brand image appealing to people of all ages. They've also carefully developed strategies targeting younger visitors, such as art-focused initiatives and nighttime city tours via light-up buses. This isn't something we can catch up to overnight; we need to steadily promote Toyama Prefecture's strengths. Because Kanazawa is so popular, securing lodging during major holidays is difficult, and accommodation costs tend to be high. We continue promoting Toyama's appeal by introducing group customers like students, young working professionals, and sports teams on training camps to facilities with excellent training environments and large-capacity accommodations. Thanks to these efforts, such customers are becoming repeat visitors."

Next, for "visitors from the Tokyo metropolitan area," we created a "map aggregated by 500-meter grid squares" showing the distribution of people staying near Toyama Station during the daytime on May 4th. Red indicates grid squares with visitors only in 2015, green indicates grid squares with visitors only in 2014, and white indicates grid squares with visitors in both years.

Compared to 2014, in 2015 after the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened, red grid squares are scattered even in areas farther from the downtown zone around Toyama Station. This suggests progress in directing visitors to various tourist spots beyond the city center.

When asked about Toyama's appeal, a local tourism professional stated: "Toyama's charm lies in its attractions being scattered throughout the prefecture, not just confined to the station area. Enhancing circulation as 'All Toyama' is a major challenge, so we aim to deepen collaboration with transportation providers and tourism associations."

The closest international airport to Nagano Prefecture is in Toyama Prefecture. We want to increase visitors through promotion.

Here, let's examine the level of exchange between Toyama Prefecture and its neighbor, Nagano Prefecture. Year-on-year, the number of people traveling from Toyama to Nagano is increasing.

We also heard this perspective from a Toyama tourism professional:

"I think the 2015 opening of Zenkoji Temple played a role, but it seems people from Toyama started heading to large commercial facilities like the shopping mall in Karuizawa. Even though we're neighbors, people used to drive nearly four hours to get to Karuizawa. Now, they can easily get there in about an hour and a half."

Meanwhile, Nagano Prefecture has launched promotions to attract more visitors from Toyama.

"Nagano Prefecture is rich in 'mountain delicacies,' but since it doesn't border the sea, it's promoting 'Toyama, the land of seafood.' With the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, Toyama Kikito Airport became the closest international airport for many Nagano residents, leading to newspaper ads being placed within Nagano Prefecture. Activities to deepen exchanges between the two prefectures are being carried out from various angles."

Newspaper advertisement for "Toyama Kikokito Airport" distributed within Nagano Prefecture

What we want to know is the dynamics of foreign visitors

After reviewing the analysis results utilizing open data and big data introduced in this article, we asked whether there is data necessary for Toyama's tourism industry.

"We have accumulated past experience regarding Japanese visitors, making it easier to grasp their actual situation. However, we struggle to gather information about foreign visitors. Due to direct flights, many visitors from Taiwan have come to Toyama for some time. After the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened, we've seen a significant increase in visitors from Europe and America. We check lodging statistics, but we still feel the information is insufficient. If big data could help us understand the stay patterns of foreign visitors, we would definitely want to know."

From the opinions of Toyama's tourism industry stakeholders, we confirmed the need to "gain a better understanding of the actual situation regarding foreign visitors." They seem to have a palpable sense that "the profile of foreign tourists has changed significantly compared to before," driven by recent government-led inbound tourism initiatives and the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

Looking at open data (*) on foreign visitor arrivals to Toyama Prefecture, the quarterly numbers show steady growth. The second quarter (Q2) of April to June 2015, immediately after the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened, saw particularly strong growth.

※RESAS: Foreign Visitor Analysis, Japan Tourism Agency: Survey on Consumption Trends of Foreign Visitors to Japan, JNTO: Number of Inbound Visitors

 

Focusing on the first quarter (Q1) from January to March 2015 and the second quarter (Q2) from April to June 2015, let's examine visitors to Toyama Prefecture by country. While visitors from Taiwan remain the largest group, Q2 also saw a notable increase in visitors from countries other than Taiwan.

Therefore, next time, we will utilize the Mobile Spatial Statistics data on foreign visitors to Japan to examine in detail the characteristics of visitors to Toyama Prefecture from overseas.