Sojitz Tourist Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hiroyuki Nakamura; “Sojitz Tourist”), a fully-owned subsidiary of Sojitz Corporation (“Sojitz”), has been selected as a business partner on the FY2017 “New Tohoku” Interaction Model Project led by Japan’s Reconstruction Agency.

The project aims to bring the Reconstruction Agency together with private companies to construct new, highly sustainable business models which can accelerate recovery of the Tohoku Region. Furthermore, it aims to expand the number of visitors to the six prefectures which make up the Tohoku Region by encouraging foreign visitors to share information about Tohoku based on their own sightseeing experiences and interactions with members of the local community, as well as utilize the increased tourism to revitalize the local economy.

Sojitz Tourist’s role in the project will be to offer travel packages to foreign tourists which promote Tohoku’s abundant nature, under a concept of “creating opportunities for foreign tourists to interact with local industry through Tohoku’s aquatic tourist attractions.” Collaborating with Sojitz Group companies and others, Sojitz Tourist aims to create sustainable tourism by providing a tour package which allows visitors to experience Tohoku’s foods and industries firsthand, coming face-to-face with the highlights of “New Tohoku.” It will also encourage tourists to visit again in the future and buy Tohoku products even after they return home, creating a model for continued business.

Sojitz Group has already been working to support recovery under the Sojitz Group Statement. Now, Sojitz Group, with the cooperation of both business partners in the Tohoku region and the local community, will utilize its functions as a general trading company to contribute to the region’s recovery. In particular, Sojitz hopes to utilize the functions provided by Sojitz Tourist in this way,  combining inbound tourism with outbound Japanese exports to connect Tohoku’s tourist attractions with local industry.

Sojitz Tourist Corporation – Company Overview

Head Office	1-1, Uchisaiwaicho 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Iino Building 18F
Established	August 1983
Ownership	Sojitz: 100%
Main Business	Travel business, general insurance agent

＜Related Information＞

【Recovery Agency’s press release】
http://www.reconstruction.go.jp/topics/m17/04/170412_koryukakudai_kekka.pdf

【Sojitz Tourist’s Proposal】

■Title
”Creating opportunities for foreign tourists to interact with local industry
through Tohoku’s tourist attractions”

■Description
Designs and sells travel packages which provide the kind of experiences foreign tourists are seeking

〉Increase visitors’ familiarity with Tohoku’s natural environment—the ocean, lakes and rivers—and the fish used in Tohoku cooking by having them try fishing for themselves. This leads to greater understanding of the Tohoku Region’s food culture.
〉Have tourists experience the local food industry firsthand and create opportunities for interaction between the local food industry and foreign tourists.
〉Integrated promotion of both tourism and food industries, designed to expand the number of foreign visitors to the region and increase exports of regional products.

■Prefectures targeted by the project
The six prefectures of the Tohoku Region

■Countries targeted for promotion
Vietnam, Indonesia, China

■Project period
April 2017 – March 2018

■Companies involved

Lead organizer	Sojitz Tourist Corporation
Cooperating companies	Sojitz Corporation Sojitz Group companies （Akita New Urban-Center Building Co., Ltd., Tri-Stage inc., Sojitz Foods Corporation, Sojitz Logistics Corporation, Yamagata Newcity Development Co., Ltd.）