Best Practices for Sustainability and Resilience in DMOs in Kyoto city, Japan
Note:
This article was prepared as one of the assignments for Principles of Destination Marketing & Management, University of Central Florida, Rosen College of Hospitality Management.
1. My favorite DMO and destination with the best practice of sustainability and/or resilience
This article highlights the efforts of the Kyoto City Tourism Association (DMO Kyoto) in Kyoto, Japan, as a best practice for sustainability and resilience.
The city of Kyoto was one of the cities heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the city is showing resilience to attract tourists again through DMO Kyoto's efforts: implementing three measures: ensuring safety through infection control, visualizing visitor demand forecast data, and counteracting overtourism. DMO Kyoto implemented these measures using ICT during the pandemic period when the number of tourists is limited.
1-1. What is sustainability for the tourism industry?
There are three aspects of sustainability: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and socio-cultural sustainability (United Nations, n.d.).
Prior to the pandemic, the number of international tourists was on the rise, and concerns about tourism's environmental and social impacts continued to grow (Southgate & Sharpley, 2015). The concentration of tourists in popular tourist destinations has resulted in traffic congestion, environmental problems such as noise and garbage, and rising prices and real estate rents, putting pressure on the local environment and the lives of residents. This problematic situation is known as "overtourism." In destinations where overtourism occurs, the quality of the residents' lives and the tourist's experience is also reduced (Morrison, 2018).
Therefore, overtourism reduces the attractiveness and competitiveness of the destination in the medium to long term and hampers the industry's sustainability. At the same time, it puts a strain on local infrastructures such as water supply and waste disposal, damaging local environmental resources. Furthermore, in areas where prices and rents have risen due to overtourism, residents are forced to move out of their familiar surroundings, leading to a loss of socio-cultural sustainability of the area. Therefore, overtourism is one of the biggest problems that need to be solved to realize the sustainability of tourist destinations.
1-2. What is the resilience of tourism?
Tourism is an industry that is highly vulnerable to many environmental, political, and socio-economic risks. However, tourism has recovered from various crises (terrorism, earthquakes, Ebola, SARS, Zika fever, e.g.). The COVID-19 pandemic brought global travel to a halt, but tourism is expected to show its resilience again (Novelli et al., 2018, as cited in Sigala, 2020).
On the other hand, the pandemic period can be seen as an opportunity to address and remedy the problems occurring. Therefore, destinations need to respond to the pandemic crisis, not simply return to their previous state after the pandemic period is over (Gössling et al., 2020).
2. Best practices for sustainability and/or resilience
2-1. Kyoto's tourism industry before the pandemic
Kyoto is one of the oldest cities in Japan and one of the most popular tourist destinations globally. However, the COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on Kyoto's tourism industry, and as of January 2021, the number of foreign guests in Kyoto had remained near zero for ten consecutive months.
In addition, due to the problem of overtourism, residents' sentiment toward tourism has been gradually deteriorating from 2016 to 2019.
At the same time, the frequency of repeat visits by domestic tourists has also been declining. According to the survey, the most common reason given by domestic travelers for reducing the frequency of their visits was that they could not feel relaxed and enjoy sightseeing due to a large number of foreign tourists and the crowds (Kyoto City, 2021).
Kyoto City needed to solve these problems when tourism was suspended to prepare for the return of tourists.
2-2. Infection control via User feedback
DMO Kyoto has developed a system to check infection control measures at tourist attractions, restaurants, commercial facilities, cabs, etc., by using 2D codes.
For COVID-19 infection control, Kyoto established uniform guidelines for 23 industries and distributed stickers to shops and restaurants that follow the guidelines. The stickers were displayed in over 10,000 facilities.
The problem was establishing a system to check whether the places displaying the stickers were implementing infection control measures correctly. In Tokyo, the capital of Japan, several hundred people visited restaurants to check the sanitary conditions of the shops and restaurants displaying the stickers. In Kyoto, however, it was not easy to secure enough staff to check all facilities. Therefore, a system to collect user feedback was established using ICT (Japan Tourism Agency, 2021).
Customers who use the store read the QR code and answer a questionnaire about the infection control status of the store. The results of this questionnaire are fed back to the store and DMO Kyoto. DMO Kyoto will be able to check if there are any stores with inadequate infection control measures. This will also ensure the credibility of the tourist businesses displaying the stickers (Kyoto City Tourism Association, 2020).
2-3. Visualization of demand forecast data
DMO Kyoto has developed an index, "Kyoto Tourism Intention Index (KTII)," to visualize the demand of people who want to visit Kyoto and forecast future demand. The index will be used for the marketing activities of DMO Kyoto itself and will also support the operations of tourism enterprises (Kyoto City Tourism Association, 2021).
Small and medium-sized enterprises have limited management resources, and it is difficult for them to forecast demand on their own. These companies can use demand forecasting data to procure food and supplies and allocate workforce according to demand, allowing them to focus their management resources on revenue-generating activities.
KTII is a composite index obtained by weighing five indices that seem to reflect the intention of domestic tourists to visit Kyoto, based on surveys. The base value for each index was the average of 2019 when the impact of COVID-19 and disasters was limited. If the index exceeds 100, the intention to visit is higher than in 2019 (Kyoto City Tourism Association, 2021). In the graph, the broken red line indicates the KTII and the vertical bar indicates the Japanese Overnight Visitors Index (JOVI).
For example, we can see that in October 2020, people are expressing their intention to visit Kyoto to see the autumn leaves. It can also be seen that from January 2021 onward, people are less motivated to travel to Kyoto due to the emergency declaration announced by the Japanese government. In Japan, a state of emergency was declared multiple times in April and May of 2020 and from January to the end of September of 2021, restricting the people's economic activities (Keyword Marketing, Inc., 2021). In addition to restrictions on business hours and requests for closure of restaurants and large commercial complexes, limits were set on the number of spectators at large-scale events, and people were asked to refrain from going out. Many Japanese citizens went about their lives in compliance with the declaration, and domestic tourism from outside Kyoto dropped during the emergency declaration period.
Reflecting this fact, we can see that the KTII significantly diverges from 100, the average for 2019, when the state of emergency declaration was issued. Furthermore, comparing the KTII with the JOVI, there is a specific divergence: in 2020, the KTII exceeded the JOVI, indicating that there were people who wanted to travel to Kyoto but were unable to do(Japan Tourism Agency, 2021).
DMO Kyoto also collected booking data from accommodation reservation websites to visualize the prices of accommodations when people try to book three months in advance of the visit. This made it possible to recognize that prices were on the rise again after the drop caused by the pandemic and made it easier to forecast demand three months in the future. These data were also provided by the DMO to local tourism companies.
2-4. Countermeasures against overtourism
As a countermeasure against overtourism, DMO Kyoto has created a website that displays predictions of congestion levels at popular tourist spots. People planning a trip to Kyoto can use this website to check the congestion level at their destination on the day they plan to travel. Those who want to avoid the crowds can now consider shifting their trip's date, time, or destination.
DMO Kyoto also revamped its Kyoto round-the-city trail and Bicycle Tour Guide websites to provide recommendations for less crowded attractions and encourage open-air outdoor activities. As a result, the page views of these websites increased significantly compared to 2019.
In addition, DMO Kyoto introduced a reservation system for visits to temples and shrines, the most popular tourist activity in Kyoto. By using the reservation system, temples and shrines could limit the number of visitors during the previously crowded hours and direct visitors to the early morning hours when there is less congestion. Information on guests using this reservation system will be stored in a customer management database. In the future, DMO Kyoto is planning to link the information for effective customer promotion (Japan Tourism Agency, 2021).
These efforts by DMO Kyoto have contributed to counteracting overtourism and preventing the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
3. Why this is the best practice
These efforts by DMO Kyoto are a great example of how ICT can address and solve the problems of human resource shortages and overtourism. DMO Kyoto’s challenges have been featured as best practices at Japan Destination Management Organization Symposiums in 2021.
Many DMOs suffer from a shortage of management resources such as human resources, goods, money, and information. The use of ICT can help improve the competitiveness of destinations while saving management resources.
However, ICT is not yet fully utilized in the tourism industry. In particular, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often have inadequate ICT infrastructure compared to large enterprises due to a lack of funds and human resources.
More than 40% of large enterprises use customer data in Japan, while less than 30% of SMEs use it. In addition, a survey found that while SMEs can view and aggregate data, only 30.1% can conduct statistical analysis, and 3.9% can conduct forecasting (White Paper on Information and Communication, 2020).
ICTs effectively expand the competitiveness of tourism organizations and destinations (WTO, 2001, as cited in Buhalis, 2011). Therefore, DMOs need to use ICTs to promote tourism policies and to manage and coordinate them. Such efforts effectively increase tourist spending and stimulate the local economy (Buhalis and Spada, 2000, as cited in Buhalis, 2011).
DMOs need to collect data on visitors' purchasing behavior, but challenges remain in understanding and outputting them as meaningful analysis. Currently, only 50-70% of DMOs have implemented the functions to retain consumer data in their marketing databases (Wang, 2011). DMO Kyoto's efforts are among the most advanced among city-level DMOs globally in terms of ICT use.
4. Benefits and consequences for consumers
For consumers, these efforts by DMO Kyoto provide benefits in terms of safety and security during travel and infection prevention.
Visitors will be able to shift their travel schedule or choose a less crowded place to visit by knowing the congestion status of their destination. Furthermore, for repeat visitors, Kyoto has become a more attractive destination. They can now visit their temples and shrines more relaxed and have more opportunities to participate in new activities such as outdoor activities.
5. Benefits and consequences for the destination, tourism industry and the local residents
For the destination and the tourism industry in the region, DMO Kyoto will help build a safe and secure brand image by infection control measures. Furthermore, the elimination of overtourism will also benefit the residents and the tourism industry. It will decrease the pressure on the local infrastructure as tourists visit the destination in a dispersed manner.
Residents' support of the tourism industry is fundamental to the sustainability of tourism in a destination, and community relations and involvement are an essential part of destination management (Morrison, 2018). Therefore, improving the residents' sentiments towards the tourism industry will positively affect the sustainability of the tourism industry.
ICT readiness and environmental sustainability have become key indicators in assessing a destination's international competitiveness (World Economic Forum, 2019). Furthermore, suppose the livelihoods of residents and the tourism industry can more easily coexist by using ICT and eliminating overtourism. In that case, the local tourism economy and socio-cultural sustainability are enhanced (World Economic Forum, 2019).
6. How can this best practice be encouraged for other DMOs
In Japan, Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) encourages DMOs to share this best practice through symposiums and YouTube. DMO Kyoto's scheme can be a valuable reference for DMOs aiming to capture revenge tourism demand in the post-pandemic era and for DMOs enacting revenue diversification.
DMO Kyoto will earn more membership fees collected from member companies through this data project. The increased revenue will be invested in supporting the management of tourism enterprises, further improving the destination's attractiveness. This investment will further enhance the attractiveness of the destination. As the destination's attractiveness as a tourist destination increases, new companies will enter the market. As a result, DMO members will increase, creating a virtuous cycle of increased membership fee income.
7. The organization that should be in charge of encouraging more sustainable and/or resilient practices by DMOs
The Japan Tourism Agency oversees destination management at the national level, and Kyoto Prefecture has a Tourism Federation separate from DMO Kyoto. These organizations will need to lead efforts higher than Kyoto City, including projects that span multiple regions.
In fact, JTA is contributing to enlightenment by organizing a symposium with DMO representatives from all over Japan to introduce Kyoto's case to other DMOs.
8. If I were in charge of this organization, strategies, tactics, and actions that I would use to encourage more sustainability and/or resilience
If I can work on a project to increase the effectiveness of this best practice within this organization, I will communicate with stakeholders, including residents, about what tourism should look like in the post-pandemic era.
As exemplified by the case of overtourism, residents may resent the impact that visitors have on their way of life. Therefore, the involvement of residents in visitor management programs and their participation in decision-making is essential for a harmonious relationship between residents and tourists. In addition, education and information sharing about tourism can help residents better understand tourists and their behavior (Morrison, 2018).
For a destination to grow sustainably, it is key to collaborate with the tourism industry and involve residents in the communication process.
9. My role in supporting and improving sustainability and/or resilience of tourism destinations as a consumer and/or industry practitioner
As a practitioner in the tourism industry, if I am to support the sustainability and resilience of tourism destinations, I will use my knowledge of industrial engineering in theme parks to implement visitor management.
Visitor management manages visitor flows, impacts, and behaviors to protect resources and enhance visitor safety and security, experience, and satisfaction (Morrison, 2018).
In overtourism measures, the knowledge of visitor management in commercial and theme parks that attract large numbers of visitors can be applied to crowded attractions. By sharing methods to measure and control visitor volume and flow to an ideal level, I hope to help destinations solve the overtourism problem.
Reference list
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