Importance of Affluent Luxury Tourism to Local Economies
The importance of luxury tourism for the wealthy to local economies is generally considered to be fivefold
1. increased economic impact: The wealthy have high spending power. Affluent people have high spending power, and when they visit a region, they bring significant economic benefits to businesses such as accommodations, restaurants, and tourist attractions.
2. increase the brand value of the region: They seek quality services and unique experiences. They demand high quality service and unique experiences, and their reputation enhances the brand value of the region.
3. Preservation and promotion of culture and traditions. Traditional crafts, cuisine, festivals, etc. are preserved and promoted as visitors come to the region.
4. Development of local infrastructure. High-quality accommodations and transportation infrastructure will be developed to accommodate luxury tourism for the wealthy.
5. Sustainable tourism: The tourism industry is committed to sustainable tourism. They respect the natural environment and seek ecological experiences.
In other words, luxury tourism for the wealthy will eliminate the problem of overtourism, It is an essential element for the growth and sustainable development of local economies.
However, the current situation is that it is very difficult to attract wealthy people to the various regions of Japan, as is the case in Niseko. First, there is the language problem of not being able to speak English or Chinese; second, there is the cultural problem of exclusion of outsiders; and third, there is the problem of a lack of accommodations and other receiving infrastructure that can satisfy the wealthy.
These problems will take time and money to solve, and it is not easy to solve them in rural areas where there is a shortage of human and financial resources. Under the circumstances where it is difficult to create job opportunities by building Showa-style factories, the government is required to take a major step forward to realize luxury tourism for the wealthy in terms of education and policies in order to acquire job opportunities.