In collaboration with JR Shikoku and Iyogin Regional Economy Research Center, Shikoku Tours was selected by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (METI) to receive funds for establishing a network as a core regional business. The name of the project is “Welcome to Shikoku”.
As part of the project, Rod Walters made two circuits of Shikoku in July and August, 2018. The first was to validate a 7-day tour using the All Shikoku Rail Pass. The second was a 6-day trip with photographer Irwin Wong, to research Shikoku’s traditional crafts, agriculture, fisheries and cooking from a foreign viewpoint. A further 2-day trip to plan a tour of sake breweries in Miyoshi, Tokushima, is scheduled for October.
Although various DMOs have sprung up in the Shikoku and Setouchi region, there is no organization other than ShikokuTours.com that promotes Shikoku overall as an inbound destination. Consequently, the newly appointed Chief Inbound Strategy Officer at JR Shikoku decided to use ShikokuTours.com as the platform for an application to METI for a core regional business subsidy, which was subsequently accepted.
The Project
The Welcome to Shikoku project comprises three elements.
Validation of a tour using the All Shikoku Rail Pass
Research for a tour based on traditional arts, crafts and cuisine
Research for a tour of sake breweries
From July 20 to 27, we validated the 7-day tour using the All Shikoku Rail Pass. The point of this tour is to allow foreign visitors to travel around Shikoku by train, hands-free, walking from the station to the various sights (mainly representative temples and castles), by providing a separate vehicle to handle their luggage. This would be accompanied by an English-speaking guide. Various issues became apparent from the trip, and we will resolve these going forward.
From August 1 to 6, we researched a tour based on traditional arts, crafts and cuisine visiting Miyoshi (Tokushima), Hata (Kochi), Ozu and Uchiko (Ehime). Shikoku has a rich variety of touristic content of this sort, and to highlight its appeal, we invited Irwin Wong, a photographer known for his images of Japanese craftsmen, to document the places we visited. We will incorporate some of these places in future tours.
A further 2-day trip to plan a tour of sake breweries in Miyoshi, Tokushima, is planned for October.
Through this project, we are establishing a network of people and organizations throughout Shikoku that can provide inbound tourism services. We plan to expand this network, and enhance the quality of the services it provides.
