The Tokyo 2020 Games were held without spectators in a state of emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although international tourists and even Japanese domestic visitors could not watch the games on-site during an exceptional iteration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Tokyo 2020 Games may have led to unusual human flow. This study clarified the tourist flow of movement due to the Tokyo 2020 Games through time-series analysis of human flow data and analysis of several Tokyo 2020 spots’ combined visit ratio. The analytical results showed no impact on human flow to Tokyo tourist spots such as Shibuya, Shinjuku and Asakusa, mainly during the period of the Tokyo 2020 Games. However, an impact on human flow in the vicinity of Tokyo 2020 sites such as stadiums and public spaces was found due to the hosting of the Tokyo 2020 Games. The impact was the most pronounced at the periphery of New National Stadium and the Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron Monument, and a characteristic impact was observed on the flow between these sites and another site in the Odaiba area.

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Why travelers buy souvenir? Of course, there may be several reasons. When we buy goods, we go through many processes until making decision. Furthermore, we must consider the other facts especially on a trip. In this paper, I surveyed plenty of former researches about Human Behavior in Tourism and Consumer Behavior. I have made it clear that we cannot describe the purchasing behavior during travels by such previous theory or models. In Human Behavior in Tourism, our main purpose is to explain why we go to travel, especially focused to tourists’ motivation for tourism. In Consumer Behavior, our main topic is to reveal the process of purchase in everyday life, fitting several types of shops or stores. So, we need the new model of buying in travel. To fulfil this purpose in the 2 years of COVIT-19, I conducted the hearing survey and the observing survey of customer in the shops or stores. Conclusively, I have reached a strategic model of the Shopping in Tourism. However, I could not verify of validity sufficiently, so the member of Japan Shopping Tourism Organization shall adopt this model and we confirm the accuracy of this model. Eventually, we will refine the model. ※ This paper is courtesy of Japan Shopping Tourism Organization.

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This paper examines screen tourism, the role of films and TV series as drivers for cultural affinity and tourism, from the perspective of public diplomacy, soft power and nation branding, making an investigation into tourism history of 50 years in Britain. A great deal of research has been conducted on screen tourism, and much attention has been paid to local destinations hosted filming or depicted on films and TV series. However, little research has explicitly examined national impact encompassing public diplomacy, soft power and nation branding, although screen tourism is called potential drivers to generate soft power and nation branding by UNWTO. Major findings from archival research are film tourism in Britain has played pivotal roles in strengthening Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding in partnership with private and public sectors. Above all, VisitBritain, Britain’s National Destination Marketing Organization, has spearheaded screen tourism initiative in a strategic manner to effectively communicate with publics around the globe as well as to capture global attention to Britain prior to Royal Events and Ceremonies, Olympic and World Cup. Furthermore, the study revealed that VisitBritain has fulfilled screen tourism to control crisis in an appropriate manner; movie map promotion after BSE, Harry Potter and the Philosopherʼs Stone film tourism campaign after SARS and September 11, and Da Vinci Code film tourism campaign after London Bombings.

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As the number of international tourists increases, treating their complaints by using appropriate language as well as a professional attitude has become crucial. However, there has been a notable lack of research that compares how effectively customer service representatives in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom use language in complaint handling. Therefore, the present study investigates the language use in complaint handling in these three countries by employing internet- based discourse completion tests. These tests are administered to more than 300 customer service representatives from each country and focused on different degrees of business responsibility. The findings reveal that the Japanese participants sincerely apologized（in some cases, at least twice）and promised future improvements, whereas the Americans and Britons attempted to meet the needs of the customers by honoring their coupons or stating that they are focusing on the customer’s benefits. The results apply the linguistic perspective and revise the complaint resolution model elaborated by the author in previous research. This revision shows that Japanese service representatives tend to use psychological recovery through negative politeness, whereas Americans and Britons generally respond with economic service recovery through positive politeness while dealing with complaints.

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The coronavirus （COVID-19）pandemic that began in 2020 resulted in a drastic drop in tourism travel demand. Studies have attributed this decline to the government’s declaration of a state of emergency and voluntary travel restrictions owing to pandemic-related fears, among other factors. Meanwhile, no studies have examined the characteristics of those persons who actually traveled despite these factors. Understanding the differences between those who did and those who did not travel during the pandemic disaster provides important insight into the impact of the coronavirus disaster on travel demand. The present study determines why this demand decreased during the pandemic. Using questionnaire-survey data, our analysis examines actual travel rates by travelers in each market segment. The results reveal that while the pandemic resulted in an overall decrease in travel demand levels, frequent travelers and people who were relatively well-off made fewer behavioral changes. This study demonstrates the role that these segments of the population played in supporting the tourism industry during the coronavirus pandemic. It provides important suggestions for measures to be taken in the event that we are faced with another major crisis in the future.

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This study investigated effective measures that traditional travel agencies can take to encourage customers to visit their real stores. The background of this study is that while real stores are being reevaluated in other industries, they have not been discussed in practical terms or in research. Therefore, it was considered that the lack of online communication directly related to encouraging visits to real stores is hindering the solution of the problem and examined effective measures in online communication for inducing visits to real stores. Based on the quantitative analysis, the conclusion is that “the development of online communication that can be anticipated in advance to create a sense of similarity among consumers with any ʻculture view of self,ʼ with employees who engage in interactions at the travel companyʼs physical stores and other customers inside the store”. Marketers need to communicate through a variety of digital communications that consumers can perceive their own similarities to in-store employees and other customers when they visit a store. Through my research, I want to convey the message that travel agencies should not wait for customers to arrive at the store but should venture out while their bodies are still inside the store. In other words, they need to change the very concept of customer service in real stores.

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Studies have indicated that welcoming people from outside the region is important for destination development. Although Japan used to be collectivistic and closed-minded, tourism destinations do not necessarily have closed-minded characteristics, considering that numerous tourists visit particular destinations. For example, there are certain ski resorts where the number of tourists increases due to a higher influx of foreigners, whereas other resorts are forced to close. The causes of this situation have not yet been fully discussed from a socio-ecological approach. Therefore, we examined the factors that influence relational mobility in Japanese municipalities with internationally-oriented ski resorts. The results revealed that the ratio of the foreign population, the number of local activities, and the birthplace of Hokkaido all impacted relational mobility. However, the number of years of service in the current organization had no significant effect on relational mobility. An important practical contribution is that the current findings can help residents better anticipate the transformation of regional characteristics by internationalization. Given that this type of research is still in its initial stages, further in-depth investigations are required to add to the present study’s findings.

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Ensuring customer satisfaction is an essential element of selling products and services. Research in pursuit of customer experience has been conducted from the 1960s to the present day. Initially focusing only on tangible products, research is now being conducted on services and intangible products as well. With the rise of word-of-mouth, customers are now able to view the satisfaction levels of others. As a result, consumers and service providers have begun to think more deeply about customer satisfaction, and these studies have attracted attention. This study aims to focus on the basic research on customer satisfaction theory and how customer satisfaction research has been conducted. Analysis and discussion of existing research areas show that the development of customer satisfaction research has made it possible to pursue customer satisfaction in various types of industries and fields and to examine customer satisfaction when providing services. However, some issues remain to be addressed, such as clarifying the definition of customer satisfaction and enhancing research on customer dissatisfaction. Based on these issues, we plan to further improve customer satisfaction in various industries and fields and to conduct further research on on-site satisfaction.

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Wellness Tourism（WT）is an active and broad concept that includes various activities, while Retreat Tourism（RT）can be a form of travel encompassed within it. Particularly in the Japanese market, there are vital elements of “recovery,” “resetting,”“healing,” and “relaxation” of personal conditions. Japan offers only a few examples of RT specifically. “Transformation” offered by RT includes restoration, spiritual transformation, spiritual/community change, transcendence, and happiness. RT in Japan seek a more gradual transformation as indicated by the terms “healing” and “resetting,” rather than a more purposeful or transformative spiritual/religious transformation. In other words, the emphasis is not on definitive transformation but on selfrestoration to make up for daily deficits. Since RT in Japan does not have a strong spiritual or religious background, it may lead to a broader acceptance among tourists with such backgrounds. Leveraging this uniqueness, RT can attract travelers seeking self-transformation and restoration, both domestically and internationally, offering opportunities for them to adapt to the complexities of modern society and restore themselves to their natural state. In this respect, RT can expand the role and potential of travel.

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Based on the results of surveys on the actual initiatives of travel agencies, this study explores the possibility of online tours, which were born in the midst of restrictions on the movement of people owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic, traditional Japanese travel agencies were forced to change their business domains amid the rise in online commerce. Online tours are created as an alternative in situations where it is impossible to sell travel products, and they are certainly different from actual travel. However, when we surveyed the actual situation and purpose of online tours conducted by travel agencies, we could identify expectations for future possible use, such as building relationships with customers and cultivating new customer bases, even after the resumption of actual travel.

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The number of Destination Management/Marketing Organizations（ DMOs）, introduced in 2015 to serve as the command center for local tourism destination management, has been increasing every year in Japan. However, as a result of the establishment of guidelines for the DMO registration system in April 2020 and stricter registration requirements, some organizations have begun to have their registrations cancelled due to organizational issues. Therefore, this study focuses on the challenges of sustaining DMOs with a focus on funding and professional human resources management. In order to understand the current situation and challenges, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study conducted an interview survey of 24 major Japanese DMOs, and analyzed and discussed the results. The results of this study revealed that many DMOs have been making various efforts, tailored to the local situation, to secure funding even during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, it was found that a significant number of top executives in operations are secondees from local municipalities, and that the selection of personnel, lack of funds, and improvement of salaries and other benefits remain issues in securing professional human resources.

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Honeymoons and travel photography are wonderful opportunities to document and share special moments, but in reality, despite our best wishes, they are often not feasible. In this study, we assume that financial and time constraints on travel are not the main obstacle factors for honeymoons and travel photos, which are special events, and to test this assumption, we used association analysis proposed by Rakesh Agrawal based on a questionnaire survey to analyze the association of disincentives in the desire to have honeymoons and travel photos. Specifically, married couples’ desire for a honeymoon or travel photo may be influenced by a combination of budget, work constraints, health issues, or other disincentives related to destination choice, none of which have been examined using statistics on these factors. This study is expected to contribute to improved demand forecasting and targeting in the travel industry and services for couples in the future.

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This study elucidates the impact of COVID-19 on factors constraining leisure. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 500 university students concerning factors that restrict leisure （e.g., anxiety about stay, trip planning burden, absence of companions/self, lack of time, and lack of money）. Thereafter, an exploratory factor analysis was performed to see if the factor structure changed before and after the pandemic. A confirmatory factor analysis was also conducted to check the validity of the factor structure. The results showed that the leisure constraints before the COVID-19 outbreak had a three-factor structure comprising “anxiety about stay,” “interpersonal constraints,” and “lack of money,” whereas those hindering tourism after the pandemic had a four-factor structure consisting of “travel anxiety,” “trip planning burden,” “infection anxiety,” and “lack of time.” These findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the structure of the constraint factors. Furthermore, multigroup analyses targeting gender revealed that the factor structure was common between men and women both before and after the pandemic. However, differences were found between men and women in path coefficients between some factors and related questionnaire items, suggesting gender differences in perceptions of some constraint factors.

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In this study, we investigated the sense of presence through text mining and emotional analysis. Our hypothesis is that online tours with high ratings（ many stars and positive feelings）include the word “Rinjou”（ which indicates the sense of presence）. As a result of emotional analysis, the positive rate significantly increased for the reviews that contained a sentence with the word “Rinjou.” The result suggests that the sense of presence correlates with positive feelings toward participating in online tours. It is also inferred that the form of participation is an important factor in enhancing the sense of presence. For instance, having multiple people participate, such as family members, can lead to the sense of presence. The role of online tours is expected to change as real travelers return after the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, online tours will continue to be important in the tourism market, and we need to analyze how to increase their value.

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The Tourism Regional Development Corporation is expected to serve as a command post for tourism regional development from the perspective of regional management that draws out the “earning power” of the region and fosters pride and attachment to the region. Gero City was formed through the merger of four towns and one village in Gifu Prefecture. Therefore, from an early stage, the city recognized the need for consensus-building among residents and has been making efforts to achieve consensus. On the other hand, in Europe and the United States, where DMO activities began earlier than in Japan, the significance of DMO’s existence is changing to “activities to develop tourism as a means to improve the quality of life.” This approach emphasizes the concept of “advocacy,” which involves explaining to local residents, government, businesses, and other stakeholders, building consensus, and reaching out to the media. What measures is the Gero Onsen Tourism Association implementing after being selected by the Japan Tourism Agency as a “pioneering DMO” for 2023.? We would like to clarify what measures are necessary to become a “world-class DMO.”

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