JTB launched a new inbound travel strategy ‘Inbound VISION 2030’ on September 1 2025, placing ‘cooperation with local regions’ and ‘data strategy’ as pillars of the business development. Under the strategy, JTB aims to increase transactions by 2.7 times and gross profit by 2.9 times by 2030 compared to 2025, and the goals are higher than the market forecasts.
“For a world-class tourism-oriented nation, we will not only provide services for tourists, but also create a trend to improve the entire region by utilizing the networks and data we have accumulated over many years,” Eijiro Yamakita, JTB CEO said at a news conference. “We are focusing on quality and sustainability rather than quantity in order to enrich local communities and increase Japan's international presence, including through two-way exchange.”
‘Plus One’ as a new business field
To optimize the inbound travel strategy crossing the entire JTB group, JTB creates a new business field called ‘Plus One’ in addition to the exiting six business fields of ‘BtoC,’ ‘agent function,’ ‘travel company and land operator, ‘ ‘BtoB,’ ‘BtoG’ and ‘promotion.’ For ‘Plus One,’ JTB will invest to and develop new services and contents to meet inbound travelers’ needs, in which JTB aims to take a 10% market share.
In terms of organizational structure, JTB will establish inbound travel promotion bases in Hokkaido, Sendai, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Okinawa as well as Tokyo and Osaka to enhance domestic sales capabilities, in addition to its overseas offices and group companies such as JTB Global Marketing & Travel (GMT). They plan to add about 150 inbound travel promotion staff nationwide.
Also, JTB is further enhancing collaboration with overseas OTAs, like ‘JTB Inbound Trip’ jointly formed by trip.comin 2023.
Creation of new inbound travel flows in local regions
For cooperation with local regions, JTB will refine regional resources and create new tourism content, including unique venues such as area tours and special visits to temples and shrines through collaborations with local governments, tourism operators, and local businesses.
For development of new services and contents in the ‘Plus One’ field, JTB is making efforts for activation of local economy, extension of staying in local regions and decentralization of tourists.
JTB Tourism HUB is formed as a data platform
As the data strategy, JTB will fully operate ‘JTB Tourism HUB,’ an inbound data platform, in 2026. The HUB comprises ‘JAPANiCAN,’ an the existing inbound travel platform, and other tourism-related data and open data to analyze and visualize update travel trends, which is expected to make sales and distribution seamless.
As a new service under "JTB Tourism HUB," JTB is considering expanding Land Cruise, its overseas shared tour bus business currently operated in Europe, to Japan, starting with Hokkaido, with the aim of attracting repeat visitors to Japan and diversifying the region.
Furthermore, JTB will provide consulting services to local governments and tourism businesses, and propose new distribution channels and solutions to suppliers such as accommodation facilities, restaurants, and transportation providers.
JTB expects that Japan can be the fourth nation in the number of international arrivals and the second nation in international tourism revenue.
