JATA (Japan Association of Travel Agents) has appointed singer and actor Gosuke Iwata as an ambassador for its overseas travel expansion project “More! Overseas” and released a web commercial starring Mr. Iwata on May 28 on its special website. On the same day, an announcement was held to announce Mr. Iwata’s appointment as an overseas travel ambassador.
Mr. Hiroyuki Takahashi, Chairman of JATA, also took the stage at the presentation and explained the reason for appointing Ms. Iwata as an overseas travel ambassador. He said that Ms. Iwata’s positive attitude of wanting to be active not only domestically but also globally matched JATA’s desire to encourage Japanese people to travel abroad more.
Mr. Iwata has more than 3 million followers on Instagram and will release a new single “TORICO” on August 6.
This is the first time JATA has appointed an overseas travel ambassador. With the background that Japanese travel abroad has been sluggish at less than 70% compared to pre-Corona 2019, and the passport ownership rate among Japanese has dropped to about 17%, they hope that the younger generation in particular will go on overseas trips through Ms. Iwata.
Mr. Takahashi is enthusiastic, saying, “I want to make a strong appeal to the young people who will be the future of Japan so that they will actively spread their wings overseas and deepen their understanding and experience of the international community.
Mr. Takahashi also believes that the slump in overseas travel among Japanese people is due to economic reasons and the fact that they have lost the desire to go abroad as a result of the Corona disaster that stopped their overseas travel. Mr. Iwata’s appointment as an overseas travel ambassador is an approach to the latter, in particular, and is one of the measures to build momentum for overseas travel.
The web commercial, with Mr. Iwata’s new single “TORICO” playing in the background, was shot in Hawaii. The “Takenori Iwata’s World Travel at His Own Risk in Hawaii,” in which Mr. Iwata explains the charms of overseas travel, is also available on the special website and on the official JATA YouTube channel. This web commercial is the first one, and the company plans to shoot the second and third commercials in other countries in the future.
In Hawaii, the filming took place in the North Shore area, about an hour’s drive from Waikiki, and Ms. Iwata says, “I was able to go to places I normally don’t get to, which was very inspiring. A social networking campaign is also scheduled to start on June 1.
Talent JOY also took the stage as MC for the presentation, and asked Mr. Iwata a world X-Quiz. The quizzes included such questions as, “The pyramids in Egypt are originally white in color,” and “The Eiffel Tower in France is repainted every seven years.
After successfully answering the quiz correctly, the product presented to Mr. Iwata was a “globe. When asked where he would like to visit, Mr. Iwata indicated “Egypt” after much deliberation and said, “I would like to see the pyramids in person. He said that he still feels the value of feeling the local atmosphere and seeing it in person, rather than through photographs.
After going to Hawaii, Mr. Iwata says he once again realized the joy of overseas travel. You only live once. I believe that overseas travel has the great power to take in things that cannot be experienced in Japan and transform them into daily vitality. I will do my best to convey the charm of overseas travel to everyone, even if it is only in a small way,” he concluded.
© Source travel watch
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