What is "Team-Building Tourism," which has created new possibilities for regional revitalization? Tourism initiatives that promote internal communication within communities (Part 2)

Team Building Tourism, a collaborative initiative between Dentsu Ad-Gear Inc. and local governments, is a business providing corporate training programs with an eye toward regional revitalization and expanding local consumption. Minamiaizu Town in Fukushima Prefecture, where the program is actively implemented, has conducted two monitor tours so far and reports significant positive results.

Transformation SHOWCASE interviewed Mr. Masaomi Akutsu from Minamiaizu Town Hall, which hosts participating companies, and Mr. Takamitsu Kimura from Dentsu Ad-Gear Inc., who supports the project, about the potential of Team Building Tourism. In Part 2, we will delve deeper into the discussion, focusing on creating sustainable Team Building Tourism.

How to discover sustainable business models without exploiting rural areas

Q. Minamiaizu Town has conducted two monitor tours so far. The first involved two companies: an IT firm from Tokyo and a construction company from Kagoshima Prefecture. The second included three companies: an IT firm, a video production company, and an event planning company, all from Tokyo. How did the actual implementation go?

Kimura: I see two key aspects to these corporate training programs. First, were the companies that visited Minamiaizu and participated in the training satisfied? Since this isn't mere tourism, it's crucial to assess whether we genuinely addressed their challenges and helped them find potential solutions. On this point, both tours received extremely high praise. We take pride in the fact that, as intended, the tours provided valuable feedback for the companies.

The other aspect is the change among Minamiaizu's 11 participating businesses. This project isn't run by Dentsu Ad-Gear Inc.; instead, a promotion council composed of these 11 businesses plans and delivers the tours themselves. After running it twice, the Minamiaizu businesses started getting the hang of it and actively exchanging ideas like, "Wouldn't it be better to do it this way?" They became very proactive, and I felt the mindset of the townspeople changed significantly.

Akutsu: When we first launched the Promotion Council, even the council members were somewhat skeptical about whether this approach could truly work as corporate training. However, after completing the first monitor tour, they seemed to feel a sense of accomplishment. For the second tour, everyone eagerly took the lead in planning it.

Q. What kind of feedback have you received from the Promotion Council members?

Akutsu: We've received feedback saying, "We really want this project to continue." One person from the construction industry mentioned they hadn't previously interacted with businesses from other sectors within Minamiaizu, and they were very pleased that this created cross-sector collaboration within the region. Also, some business owners who were hosting the corporate training felt anxious about what they could contribute, but through the two monitor tours, they reportedly reaffirmed their company's role. Hearing these stories makes me determined to continue this project no matter what.

Q. Many municipalities seem to approach regional revitalization from the perspective of attracting people from outside. However, both Mr. Akutsu and Mr. Kimura are focusing on the inside, the community itself. I find this perspective interesting – first deepening collaboration among townspeople to revitalize the region. Did you gain this perspective through your work on team-building tourism?

Kimura: In a word, I think it boils down to sustainability. Unfortunately, there are cases where companies move into rural areas under the banner of regional revitalization, primarily seeking subsidies, only to leave nothing behind when they depart. Furthermore, it might create disparities and friction between those who prospered and those who didn't within a community that was originally close-knit. While such approaches might provide a short-term boost, like a stimulant, that effect won't last indefinitely. The question is how to sustain resources like money, people, and networks within that town. Thinking from that perspective, my conclusion is that the only way forward is to strengthen the local community.

To that end, we might be able to help create opportunities and spaces for local residents to connect. I felt anew that this is the duty of a company whose work is communication.

Valuing horizontal connections among local businesses

Q. This project was initially planned as part of "MICE," but it seems to have borne fruit in a completely different form. Mr. Kimura, did your perspective change after going through this project?

Kimura: In our line of work, we rarely get the chance to hear directly from end users. But as we engaged with the people of Minamiaizu Town, we gradually began to understand their way of life and what they truly care about. Through this, I realized we mustn't fall into the trap of thinking we've "moved this town" based solely on our own convenience. We only visit Minamiaizu Town once a month, but the people who live there, naturally, live there all the time. Their lives continue whether we are there or not. I realized that for a passing company to act like we did something grand is nothing but ego.

Q. What about you, Mr. Akutsu?

Akutsu: When starting this project, we interviewed nine businesses. During those talks, they mentioned, "We actually plan various tours ourselves, but they only end at our own locations. If we could collaborate with other businesses here, we could create overnight tours and offer guests a different perspective. But we can't do it because we lack connections." Hearing that, I thought, "For team-building tourism to succeed, isn't collaboration within the region the most essential thing?" I also thought that by deepening these connections, Minamiaizu Town—formed by the merger of one town and three villages—could function more smoothly.

However, when actually advancing the project, there was a period when that idea gradually slipped from my mind. My focus shifted to what was needed to run corporate training programs and how to establish a promotion council. But in fiscal year 2021, monitor tours were canceled due to the pandemic, giving us more time. Mr. Kimura suggested, "To strengthen horizontal connections between businesses, shouldn't we start by holding an internal town inspection tour?" Since members of the promotion council also requested it, we decided to proceed.

Then, things I hadn't seen before became clear: "I knew this person, but I didn't realize they were working on this," or "They put in this much effort to make this product." That's when I truly recognized again that, ultimately, no matter what you do, horizontal connections are crucial. I came to believe that unless you first get to know and grow fond of this town and the people involved in its work, you won't be able to make visitors from outside grow fond of it either.

Q. "First, become a fan yourself" is the very foundation of fan marketing. How do you envision developing team-building tourism going forward?

Kimura: Through this project, we've created a model for ourselves, realizing, "Ah, this is one way to do it." What's interesting is that this same model wouldn't necessarily work in the neighboring town of Minamiaizu. With 1,700 municipalities, I believe 1,700 different approaches are needed.

That said, I do feel there's potential for universality in the process of uniting the townspeople's sentiments and achieving a shared goal. We've gained that know-how, so we want to leverage it for future developments and in other regions.

Q. How will you engage with Minamiaizu Town going forward?

Kimura: This is where the real challenge begins. Mr. Akutsu and I often discuss this: we can't have the Promotion Council members thinking, "Oh, that's right, Dentsu Ad-Gear Inc. came and did that thing for a while. How nostalgic." To make Team Building Tourism a living, breathing endeavor, the real battle starts now. We're still feeling our way, but we aim to cultivate this into a program that will remain in Minamiaizu Town for 10, 20 years.

Q. Mr. Akutsu, could you also share your outlook for the future?

Akutsu: As the Promotion Council members deepen their understanding of team-building tourism, we intend to continue this initiative. It's an unprecedented, pioneering effort, and since human connections are crucial, it won't happen overnight. But since the townspeople are all aiming in the same direction and the momentum is building with a "Let's do this!" spirit, we want to build on the monitor tours and move towards full-scale implementation.

Team-building tourism in Minamiaizu Town is fostering deeper horizontal collaboration among local businesses while also creating a fruitful win-win relationship with the companies visiting for training. Dentsu Ad-Gear Inc. plans to apply this framework to other regions, while Minamiaizu Town aims to expand its initiatives with an eye toward commercialization. Significant growth potential is anticipated. Local governments seeking regional revitalization and population growth may wish to consider team-building tourism as a new tourism venture and a tool for regional revitalization.