As the threat of COVID-19 has subsided, tourism both to and from Japan is gradually recovering. In particular, the number of tourists visiting Japan has been steadily increasing since the start of 2024. According to statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organization, foreign visitor numbers in October 2024 exceeded those from the same month in 2019, and total visitors are estimated to surpass 20 million by the end of 2024. However, attracting overseas tourists remains a challenge due to language and cultural barriers, leaving most visitors concentrated in urban areas. Consequently, tourism industries across various parts of Japan are in need of new developments. Under these circumstances, iKala Japan Inc. (hereinafter referred to as iKala Japan), together with ICHICO Inc. (hereinafter referred to as ICHICO), is proposing solutions by sharing expertise in Asian sales promotion.
Sendai Tourism PR Case Study
Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture commissioned ICHICO, a comprehensive advertising agency, to help increase the number of foreign tourists. They developed a campaign utilizing influencer marketing.
Among the tools used, iKala, which possesses its own influencer marketing platform, was adopted for the campaign targeting Taiwanese travelers. Under the criteria that the candidates had numerous travel-related posts and a Taiwanese follower base of 45% or higher, two KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders)—one Taiwanese person living in Japan and one living in Taiwan—were appointed to develop video content centered on Instagram. The promotion period ran from December 5 to December 8, 2023, and they succeeded in reaching approximately 18,000 people by posting two Instagram Reels and 62 Stories.
The video content introduced food, sightseeing spots, and experiences in Sendai and Matsushima, providing useful information for Taiwanese tourists. As a result, the campaign garnered a total of over 300 saves and shares along with numerous positive comments. This improved the recognition and favorability of Sendai City, promoting increased spending by foreign tourists and encouraging circular tourism in the Sendai and Matsushima areas.
The Influence of Social Media in Taiwan: Used by 98%
Instagram and YouTube are extremely effective for disseminating information to tourists, and many companies are actively utilizing these platforms. Tourism PR for Taiwan is no exception. The influence of social media in Taiwan is very high; compared to Japan, it is characterized by higher click-through rates and longer usage times.
iKala Japan Supports Casting That Fits the Budget
When recruiting overseas influencers, challenges arise not only from language barriers but also from costs due to the influence of the weak yen. However, by selecting mid-sized influencers, brands can see advantages such as improved cost-effectiveness and higher engagement. These influencers produce Instagram Reel videos and utilize social media to reach overseas travel enthusiasts.
KOL Radar Featuring a Massive Influencer Database
iKala is a global company headquartered in Taiwan that provides AI-driven cloud services and marketing technology with a mission of AI Empowerment. In Japan, they are developing services centered on KOL Radar.
KOL Radar is an AI influencer marketing platform and a service that supports the selection of the perfect influencer for each project. It holds an influencer database of over 3 million individuals covering Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Hong Kong, collecting social media information in real-time. By using AI to classify influencers, it guides companies and local governments to creators that match their specific objectives.
Furthermore, it supports project management and the creation of performance reports after influencers have been selected. The strength of KOL Radar is that it allows for easy measurement of marketing effectiveness.
As tourism demand increases, iKala Japan is providing effective sales promotion strategies by overcoming language and cultural barriers. They plan to continue contributing to the development of the tourism industry and strengthening cooperation with various local governments. The Asian sales promotion strategy from iKala Japan is likely to become a valuable resource for many companies.