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00:00We will find companies that are growing in their hometowns around the country and support those who are working hard.
00:10The future of hometowns
00:30Let's take a look at it for the first time. How far can we go?
00:37It doesn't matter if it's a mess.
00:41My everything
00:54Good evening. The future of hometowns has started again tonight.
00:57This week, we will be covering the future of hometowns.
01:03This time, we will introduce you to the Big Holiday Co., Ltd., which taught us the reality of the travel industry in the middle of COVID-19.
01:13Thank you very much.
01:14I introduced it quite early on.
01:16I have the impression that I made everyone have a great time on a ski trip.
01:21I only remember the president.
01:24I'm sorry.
01:25Thanks to this program, I became friends with the president of the Big Holiday Co., Ltd.
01:33When did that happen?
01:34That's not fair.
01:36Now, let's take a look at how the travel industry and the Big Holiday Co. Ltd. have changed since COVID-19.
01:452020, when the novel coronavirus spread around the world.
01:52For the first time in our country, an emergency declaration was issued.
01:56When the stay-at-home order was called, people in the city disappeared.
02:02JTB, the largest travel agency, also announced a reduction in employees.
02:08The tourism industry was severely hit.
02:14The Big Holiday Co., Ltd. was the one who taught us the reality of a tough travel agency at that time.
02:22The Big Holiday Co., Ltd. has celebrated its 60th anniversary as a comprehensive travel agency that focuses on planning and sales of travel products mainly in Japan and abroad.
02:37Now, it has grown so much that it has four group companies, mainly Big Holiday Co. Ltd.
02:45Yasutoshi Iwasaki, who is the president of the company, is the one who has created all the history.
02:53What I've been drawing all this time is to imagine the good.
03:01I want to do everything I can to give people fun, joy, inspiration, and courage.
03:12I want to do everything I can to give people fun, joy, inspiration, and courage.
03:21Mr. Iwasaki is also the one who has created a series of classes that overturn the common sense of the travel industry in order to realize his thoughts.
03:33The Osaka Banpaku, which was held in 1970, was a big turning point.
03:40In a time when the average salary of a salaryman was less than 100,000 yen, the Banpaku tour, which is said to have cost less than 40,000 yen, was a big hit with a budget of 13,500 yen.
03:55In addition, the wall was broken in an era when only so-called big travel companies could handle air tickets.
04:06He won a contract with Zennikku to make it possible for small and medium-sized travel companies in the city to handle air tickets, etc.
04:14It was decided to build the foundation of the current business model.
04:19In addition, he expanded his career by developing travel products with JR.
04:25He is now building a sales network of more than 6,000 stores.
04:33However, the influence of the novel coronavirus has also affected companies that have revolved so far.
04:41When he appeared last time, President Iwasaki told us about the real situation.
04:47In April, the total sales were 97%.
04:5497%?
04:55It was a 3% sale.
04:57It was no exaggeration to say that there were no numbers for C, 5, and 6.
05:05On the other hand,
05:08the fact that we've been doing this for 57 years
05:13means that we're like a family, including the employees and me.
05:23That's why I don't think of it as a restaurant.
05:28I'm going to do my best here.
05:31There will always be a good time.
05:34I want you to do your best until then.
05:37I want to say that to myself and to other people.
05:43I have no choice but to do my best.
05:47His passion for his colleagues and his smile were impressive.
05:52It's been about four years since then.
05:56The tourism industry has grown dramatically due to the increase in foreign tourists.
06:03In 2024, more than 36.8 million Japanese foreigners visited Japan.
06:10The number of foreigners visiting Japan has surpassed that of 2019,
06:13and the number of foreigners visiting Japan has increased.
06:16The momentum of the number of foreigners visiting Japan has not yet subsided.
06:21I asked him about the changes since the 5th wave of COVID-19.
06:30In the worst case, it was 95%.
06:33In the last two years, it was about 80%.
06:40When the 5th wave of COVID-19 came, the number of foreigners visited Japan rose dramatically.
06:48The number of foreigners visiting Japan has increased by about 150% in 2019.
07:01I'm so grateful.
07:04As an example, the sales have increased at once.
07:10That's not the only change since the 5th wave of COVID-19.
07:13There was also a big change in business.
07:17Before the 5th wave of COVID-19, we used to recruit general customers through B2C.
07:28We have 12,000 travel agencies and 6,000 contracts.
07:43They usually go on overnight trips.
07:54When they go to Hokkaido, Kyushu, Okinawa, or overseas,
07:59they send their products to us.
08:05We have a good reputation, so we can cut costs to some extent.
08:13We are not competitors.
08:20We are all friends.
08:22We all work hard together.
08:25That's why I said there are always good things.
08:31Currently, they are focusing on B2B business, starting with travel agencies.
08:38Instead of competing with peers,
08:41they are offering a better trip while compensating for the shortcomings.
08:46This has greatly improved sales.
08:52Speaking of big holiday business,
08:55let's talk about ski and snowboard bus tours.
09:00In 2020, the program covered a close-up coverage of trips during the COVID-19 pandemic.
09:09Not to mention the introduction of the latest thermometer and the disposal of pencils.
09:16As you can see, the bus has a panel to prevent fire.
09:24While opening the window about 2 cm,
09:28there is also a sterilizing tower for UV rays.
09:35There are many measures to eliminate anxiety,
09:40such as visualizing the ventilation condition of the bus with a carbon monitor.
09:48A few days ago,
09:52we went on a bus tour again.
09:57There was no thermometer at the reception,
10:01and the panel to prevent fire was removed from the bus.
10:05It was just like our daily lives.
10:11At Yunomaru Ski Resort in Nagano Prefecture,
10:16a thermometer was installed at the time.
10:19At the rental counter,
10:21the staff wore masks and face shields thoroughly.
10:27Even in the dining room, a panel to prevent fire was installed.
10:34This year, only the disinfectant liquid is active,
10:37and there is no thermometer.
10:40I felt the arrival of the ski season, which is no different from before the COVID-19 pandemic.
10:47The COVID-19 pandemic was full of unknown things.
10:52We had to welcome customers,
10:55and we wanted them to enjoy the bus tour.
10:58So we had to do everything by hand.
11:01The sales of the bus tour declined,
11:04but I think the number of customers for the Big Holiday bus tour didn't decrease.
11:09I was grateful for the fact that the bus would leave Tokyo every day.
11:17After the COVID-19 pandemic,
11:20I could feel that the business of Daikokubashira came back to Big Holiday.
11:27There are 12,000 ski companies in Japan.
11:30The companies that make skis are really individual companies.
11:36I'm grateful that I was able to do business in that area.
11:43What is the new form of travel that Big Holiday Co., Ltd. proposes?
11:51Big Holiday Co., Ltd. is celebrating its 60th anniversary as a travel company,
11:57and there is a new business that is drawing a lot of attention.
12:02It is a travel proposal using a nursing taxi.
12:07Until now, travel was only for active people.
12:15When I think about it,
12:17my wife's mother couldn't speak for two and a half years,
12:27and then she passed away.
12:31If I could take her on a trip with my wife,
12:41I wonder how happy she would be.
12:47I think it's a shame that I couldn't do that.
12:52So I'm going to take a trip using a nursing taxi.
12:58I'm going to do something that can contribute to society.
13:04That's my big goal.
13:09I'm thinking of it as a collective.
13:13Inside the nursing taxi, which will actually be used,
13:17not only medical beds and wheelchairs,
13:20but also equipment can be arranged according to the user's situation.
13:27Mr. Kazuhira Mori, CEO of Region Co., Ltd.,
13:31who is involved in the nursing taxi business
13:35and has teamed up with this business.
13:37There are about 30 companies and 110 employees.
13:41By expanding the number of employees,
13:44we can collaborate with Big Holiday Co., Ltd.
13:48and create a new infrastructure with Big Holiday Co., Ltd.
13:53I asked Mr. Mori because I wanted to work with him.
13:59The number of nursing taxis will be the key to Japanese society.
14:07The number of nursing taxis is expected to increase.
14:16The number of nursing taxis will be widely used
14:21for travel and other purposes.
14:27We are planning to work together in Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Okinawa.
14:33We are going to increase the number of partners
14:36and recognize the importance of travel.
14:41It is said that there are few companies
14:45that have proposed to travel by nursing taxi.
14:48It may be a new market for Japan,
14:51which is aging.
14:56If we don't make customers happy,
15:00we will lose the population
15:05and become diversified.
15:09We want to create a company
15:14that can meet the needs of the population
15:19and sell to each other.
15:22We want to make a company
15:25that can make small and medium-sized agents profit.
15:32We look forward to the future of Big Holiday and Mr. Iwasaki.
15:38We look forward to the future of the travel industry and the company.
15:46Mr. Yasutoshi Iwasaki,
15:50CEO of Big Holiday,
15:53is here.
15:55Welcome, Mr. Iwasaki.
15:57I'm Iwasaki.
15:59Nice to meet you.
16:01You have become friends with Mr. Komada.
16:04Fate is strange.
16:07I've become friends with him.
16:10You are friends with him today.
16:12Don't be rude.
16:14That's my line.
16:16I'd like to hear a deep story.
16:19When you first appeared on this program,
16:23it was during the pandemic.
16:25It was a difficult time.
16:27It was a difficult time.
16:29But you said you wouldn't restructure.
16:32Didn't you?
16:34No, I didn't.
16:36When the pandemic was over,
16:38I thought I wouldn't be able to quit.
16:41But I thought there was no future for the travel industry.
16:46That's why I decided to quit.
16:51But during the pandemic,
16:54people who wanted to work in the travel industry
16:57went to different industries.
17:00Those people came back.
17:05It's time for many people to think about many things.
17:09But some people still come back.
17:13Without those people,
17:15the tourism industry, including the current inbound,
17:18is not exciting enough.
17:20President, how much money did you make
17:23in the three years you lost
17:25and the two years after that?
17:28It's still not enough.
17:30It's not enough.
17:32But I'm grateful that I made a profit.
17:38What has changed a lot during the pandemic?
17:43The price of the airline has changed every day.
17:49I used to make pamphlets
17:52and put them on the counter next to the station.
17:56But I don't do that anymore.
17:59Why?
18:01Because I can't make pamphlets.
18:04If you write the price once,
18:06you can't shift it.
18:08That's right.
18:10As a result, the travel agency
18:12closed the counter more and more.
18:15In short, the business method has changed.
18:20That's why the conversation started.
18:22That's right.
18:24As a business, I'm thinking of
18:27stabilizing such a thing.
18:30If you have physical strength, you can move by yourself.
18:33Having someone's support,
18:35you can see the scenery you haven't seen yet.
18:37It's a great memory.
18:39I wonder why I've been doing it
18:41only for those who are healthy.
18:45I have a lot of feedback.
18:49What kind of places are popular now?
18:53There are still many places to go back to.
18:56I want to go to my hometown.
18:59There are a lot of places like that.
19:03You may be able to walk next time
19:05because you get better after traveling.
19:08As a company of 6,000 stores,
19:12we think that it is our job
19:16to use the network of the company
19:19and not to entertain people
19:21who are physically weak.
19:24The president is not only good for us,
19:27but also finds a partner
19:30who can support us.
19:32That's right.
19:34It means that there are more people
19:36who can support us.
19:38I think it's amazing that
19:40we are still standing
19:42in the first place.
19:45Please continue to invite us
19:47to various exciting places.
19:49Thank you very much.
19:51I'm really looking forward to it.
19:55In this program,
19:56we are looking for information
19:58about companies that are growing
20:00in their hometowns all over Japan.
20:02If you are challenging a new business
20:04in your hometown,
20:05please contact us
20:06at the homepage of the program.
20:34New episodes are available on TVER.
20:46Please watch it!