Special Feature

Overview of Tobu Railway Service Efforts
for Inbound Visitors
Tobu Group Inbound Travel Promotion Department

Introduction

Railway lines. As a result, revenues from commuting andThe slowing Japanese economy accompanied by fallingother journeys by Japanese residents seem set to plateau

birth rate and aging society are causing social changes

eventually, making attraction of inbound visitors an importantthat will inevitably impact trackside areas along Tobu

part of future revenue growth.

Figure 1 Major Sightseeing Areas on Tobu Lines
To KitakataAizu(Ouchi-juku, Tsuruga Castle)Hot Springs

Theme Parks(Tobu World Square,
EDO WONDERLAND Nikko Edomura)Oku-Nikko Nature Scenery
Kinugawa
Onsen

Nikko World Heritage Site
Shrines and Temples

Operation of Restored
Steam Locomotives

Tobu-Nikko

Tochigi(Japanese Traditional
Warehouse District)
Ashikaga Flower Park
Ashikaga Gakko
Intangible
Cultural Asset(Ogawa washi)
KawagoeTOKYO SKYTREE TOWN
Little Edo(Traditional
Warehouse District)Tobu Department Store

Downtown
Area
TOKYO SKYTREE

Ikebukuro
Shinjuku
Shibuya

Asakusa
Tokyo

Tokyo International Airport(Haneda)

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 201746

Narita International Airport

Special Feature

Strengths in Inbound Travel on Tobu Lines

many sightseeing areas, such as Tohoku and Hokkaido, notserved by the company’s lines.

At 463.3 km, Tobu Railway boasts the longest total track

Establishment and Role of Group InboundTravel Promotion Department

length of private railways in the Kanto region, and its wide
operations area encompasses many attractive sightseeing
spots for inbound visitors (Fig.1). They include Tobu’s
TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN ® near the famous temple district

To attract Japan’s increasing numbers of inbound visitorsof Asakusa, ‘Little Edo’ in Kawagoe near Tokyo, the shrines

to areas served by Tobu lines, the company created its

and temples at the Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site,Group Inbound Travel Promotion Department in May 2016.

and the Ryomo region famous for its beautiful seasonal

This office is dedicated to attracting inbound visitors andflowers. There are various other Tobu Group facilities inmanages group promotions as well as works to strengthen

Figure 2 Roles of Group Inbound Travel Promotion Department

Tobu Group Companies

Increase
Revenues

Increase
VisitorNumbers

Share Information

Related Ministries
and AgenciesTrackside Local
Governments

Group Inbound Travel
Promotion Department
andTaipei Branch

RelatedOrganizations
RelatedCompanies

Tourism
Associations
Overseas
Locations

Transit
AdvertisingFree Magazines
Tourist Maps

Guidebooks/
Travel Magazine

Web Advertising

SNSMedia Trips/
Familiarization
Trips

Overseas AGT
Business Talks
Sales Calls

Attending Travel
Exhibitions

Disseminating Information to Foreign
Countries using Various Tools

TaiwanThailand

Hong Kong

ASEAN
Countries

China47

USA

Australia

EuropeanCountries

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017

Specific Measures for Disseminating
Informationties with group companies, local governments and relevantcompanies along Tobu lines. By collecting information froma broad range of sources and combining that information, itseeks to make information more beneficial in order to enable

The Tobu Group operations area is home to many attractions

unified dissemination of information to potential customers(tourism resources) that the company can target at different

overseas (Fig. 2).

countries and age groups. However, inbound visitors’ tastes

In October 2016, Tobu established its Taipei branch invary greatly due to cultural and religious differences, soTaiwan where the group has good relations with groups suchdissemination of information focussed on specific targets

as the Taiwan Railways Administration, and Taipei 101. This

helps spread the word more effectively.

branch has created a venue for actively promoting Tobu

Keeping in mind the behaviour forms of inbound visitors

Group products and tourism information to local agents,

at the time of reception of information (before visit, during

media, and others.

visit, after visit), Tobu focuses on providing information
before and during the visit. Furthermore, key performanceindicators (KPI) for each promotion are constantly monitored
while remembering cost-effectiveness and the PDCA cycle.
Specific measures are described below.

Before Visit
Marketing to Overseas Travel Agents

Agent sales at overseas travel exhibitions Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017

(Tobu Railway)48

Special FeaturePartnership with Taiwan Railways Administration

Trains operating in Japan and Taiwan using each other’s livery (Tobu Railway)

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017

Making Offers toChinese Influencers
Placement oninfluencer blogs Advertising Booths and Materials at Overseas Travel Exhibitions(Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, etc.)

Booth placement at Taiwan Travel Exhibition Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017

(Tobu Railway)

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Special FeatureSpreading Company Information using Tobu’s Social Media Accounts(Facebook, Weibo, WeChat)

Tobu Group Weibo account 51Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017

Advertising inFamous Guidebook

lonely planet guidebook Spreading Information at Overseas Companies

Use of Tobu Top Tours Bangkok local company Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017

(Tobu Railway)

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Special Feature

During Visit
Map Produced in Cooperation
with TimeOut TOKYOGroup Joint Campaigns for
Inbound Visitors

TimeOut TOKYO Asakusa Sumida map 

Inbound visitor autumn campaign poster Specific Measures to Host InboundVisitors

and SKYTREE districts with many international visitors,
where multilingual tourism-support measures have been
implemented, centring on major stations.

Tobu Group is a key player in locations along its lines

To further attract visitors, more investments in multilingual

visited by many inbound visitors. T hese locations

services will be made focused on key areas. Moreover,include the Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site anddiversification to manage cultural and religious differencesinternational summer resort, and Tokyo’s popular Asakusa

will be important too.

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017

Physical Infrastructures
Free Wi-Fi in 122 Stations andon Limited Express Trains

Use of Tablet Computers at Major Station for Multi-language Guidance

TOBU Free Wi-Fi logo 

Tobu staff using tablet computer at station Prayer Room for Muslims
Tobu World Square Prayer Facility(exterior and interior)
(Tobu World Square)Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 201754

(Tobu Railway)

Special Feature

Customer Assistance
Proving Test for Luggagefree Sightseeing at Stations
Serving Tourist Locations
Luggage-free travel service counterat Tobu Nikko Station  (Tobu Railway)

Cooperation in Acquiring
English Customer ServiceCertification
English conversation for allemployees (Tobu Railway)

English customer service certification
website (Tobu Railway)

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017

Fostering Business Opportunities for Tobu Group Companies

Operating restored steam locomotives in Nikko and Kinugawa (Tobu Railway)

Nikko Kanaya Hotel, new Tobu group member (Kanaya Hotel)

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 201756

Special Feature

Renewal of Inbound Visitor Tickets

Holder for discount pass (Tobu Railway)

Conclusion
Tobu Group is made up of 90 companies (as of September2016), and it conducts business for inbound visitors in
the Kanto region as well as Hokkaido and Tohoku.
As previously mentioned, Tobu established in 2016 adepartment that specializes in attracting inbound visitors
and a branch in Taipei by which it is disseminating
information in a strategic manner.
C o o p e rat i o n w i t h af f ili ate d o rg a n iz at i o n s a n dneighbouring areas is more important for attracting inboundvisitors than for stimulating domestic demand. The Tobu
Group plans to form partnerships with tourist sources andincrease competitiveness, thereby attracting more visitors to
its business area and help invigorate local communities.
The company hopes that by continuously disseminating
information on the attractions of diverse sightseeing areas,
visitors from abroad will see Japan as a place to visit again
and again, helping achieve the goal of reaching 60 million

Acknowledgment

visitors a year by 2030 as an internationally acclaimed tourist

This article was contributed by Tobu Group Inbound Travel Promotion
Department

destination.

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017