2 Years to Go: Beppu Opens English Website on “Onsen” Hot Springs

July 26, 2018

Beppu, Oita Pref.- The southwestern Japan city of Beppu has launched an English website on local "onsen" hot springs ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, hoping to attract foreign visitors.

An increased number of visitors from abroad are expected to visit not just Tokyo but many other cities during and around the games period. Oita Prefecture, which includes Beppu, has the highest number of hot springs and produces the largest amount of hot spring water among all prefectures in the country.

The annual number of foreign guests at accommodation in the prefecture rose 2.4-fold to some 820,000 over the four years through 2017.

With many foreign guests to Oita coming from other parts of Asia, the Oita prefectural government believes it needs to lure more visitors from Europe, North America and Australia to promote local tourism further.

"Asians prefer group package tours, while Westerners tend to come individually and decide where to go after their arrivals," said Kyoko Inazumi, 53, head of Beppu International Plaza, which runs the tourist information office at Beppu Station of Kyushu Railway Co. <9142>, or JR Kyushu.

Targeting such individual visitors, the Beppu city government launched the "Enjoy Onsen" website featuring blog posts on hot spring facilities in the city and how to enjoy an onsen.

Viewers can get recommendations on which onsens will suit them best by answering questions including on their Japan visit histories and what they value in their trip.

The Oita government is also considering issuing meal tickets that can be purchased mainly at tourist information offices and hotels and used at multiple restaurants to buy recommended dishes at prefixed prices.

Such tickets would help reduce visitor concerns about payments and language problems and encourage more visitors to eat out.

According to Inazumi, individual travelers prefer onsens and restaurants recommended as favorites of locals.

"Foreign visitors may need some courage to enter locals' favorites, but if they break this barrier, they will be repeat visitors," Inazumi said. Guides to local places are needed, and the website and meal tickets can help with this.

"Visitors who have fallen in love with Beppu will relate their experiences to the people around them after returning home," Inazumi said.

"Word of mouth is powerful," she said. "The important thing is to offer every visitor a warm welcome." Jiji Press