TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

INDIGO Tourism Development Strategies

Responsible planning for sustainable development of communities through travel and tourism.

Not only do we achieve goals, we strive to fulfill our original vision.
We invest in marketing strategies tailored to each individual destination.

INDIGO excels at developing collaborative strategic plans so that municipalities and communities benefit from sustainable
economic growth while fulfilling the lives of both locals and travelers.

Case study:

Nagano Tourism Organization

Tourism development strategy expert (INDIGO LLC and KODO LLC Project Partners, 2023 – present)

Goal:

Prepare the destination for overseas travel markets in Germany, North America, and Australia by building an effective destination marketing strategy promoting Nagano prefecture as a premium year-round travel destination.

Marketing strategy building:

Analysis of current destination/market situation based on government statistics and local interviews
Expert SWOT analysis, tour product research, and consumer sentiment trends by INDIGO parter professionals in Germany, USA, and Australia
Destination brand and top resource consultation
Product/market matching suggestions
Create a strategy that serves as core marketing guidance for the destination, tourism products, and services
Consult on strategic key elements and methods for identifying target market
Progressive marketing approach to optimize investment
Support thematic partnerships that increase quality and value of tourism products and services
Effective marketing projects for short-term implementation

Tourism destination marketing in overseas travel markets:

Destination representation services by INDIGO partner professionals in Germany, USA, and Australia
Travel trade partnerships built by listing selected tour operators experienced in high-end travel arrangement and adventure travel programs
In order to strengthen Nagano’s reputation for its alpine nature during green season, Connect Sport created multiple-day sport cycling tour itineraries, and has started to organize and operate tours in spring and fall 2025

Case study:

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

“Mountain Style” & “Mountain Ride Hub” international tourism development strategy consulting (2024 – present)

Goal:

Analyze destination/product potential for international travel markets, and develop a business model which contributes to regional co-creative tourism and local sustainability.

Destination research, product evaluation, consulting capability assistance and strategy suggestion:

Destination research trip and expert interviews by INDIGO partner RideJapan (Global Cycling Solutions)
Overseas research based on government reports and feasibility studies, academic papers, and general validated research content
Destination inspections with RideJapan (March), World Trail (June), and KODO (September), testing existing activities and resources in Japan and interviewing local professionals
Assisted in planning a test tour for overseas cyclists, strengthening Yamaha’s regional tourism consulting abilities
Evaluated destination’s current situation and outlook, identifying key issues
Consulted on destination strategy

Next steps:

INDIGO now assists Yamaha Motor’s strategy development process for their activity-based new business model.
INDIGO works with Yamaha Motor to propose the most investment-worthy marketing strategies, striving towards a Yamaha-branded regional tourism-based service model “Mountain Ride Hub” in 2025.

Case study:

ASEAN-Japan Centre and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT), Lao PDR

Community-based tourism workshop for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam in Laos (2022)

Objective:

Understand how to develop and utilize Community-based Tourism (CBT) for local community sustainability.
Share each country’s CBT best practices.
Network with tourism professionals from CLMV countries.

Workshop:

INDIGO led the following sessions with two other invited experts from Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), Thailand, and ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB).
- Basic knowledge and understanding of community-based tourism
- Opportunity for community-based tourism
- Product development and marketing
- Case studies
- Site visit and experience discussion
- Best practice sharing
- Action plan preparation exercise

Outcome:

The workshop project in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR was highly successful. In order to maximize this momentum, the following strategy planning and community-based tourism project ideas were shared based on the key regional issues identified in the project report.

Key issues identified :

Tourism professionals are well educated but more practical experience is recommended.
Strategy, vision, and direction needed
Marketing mind and eyes for different markets
Utilization of expert services and tools
Travel trade partnerships

Tourism development strategy planning:

Vision and goal for a destination as common direction and mutual understanding
Objectives and purposes of investment and partnerships
Coordination and collaboration among stakeholders of different sectors
Product development, improvement, and commercial distribution
Target market and product matching
Publicity and media relations
Consumer communication
Environmental and cultural protection
Education for tourism including guide/interpretation trainings

ASEAN-Japan Centre and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT), Lao PDR Community-based tourism workshop for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam in Laos (2022)

Case study:

Tourism Shizuoka Japan (TSJ Director, 2017- March 2021)

Goal:

Establish DMO infrastructure and capability for international inbound travels in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Strategy-building:

Destination tourism asset analysis
Overseas tour operator product research
One-on-one interviews with governments and stakeholders
Multiple workshops to discuss and identify SWOTs
Various lectures, sessions, panel discussions for governments, regional organizations, local businesses, and others
Effect evaluation committee facilitation to review strategy and set KPIs/ROIs

Outcome:

This four-year destination marketing plan provides the platform for in-state regional municipalities and tourism organizations to work together with TSJ. Based on strategic partnerships, all parties maximize individual efforts into one united investment, namely a Shizuoka DMO model.

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Case study:

RideJapan Cycling Tourism Strategy (TSJ Director, 2017- March 2021)

Goal:

Set standard of cycling tourism at global level for destination and regional partners, and establish a core strategy to optimize destination assets in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan up to International landscape and expectations.

Cycling Tourism Strategy-building:

Initiating initial meeting with RideJapan and planning best study implementation
Government partnership opportunity search
Facilitating of primary meetings and project planning between RideJapan and Japanese municipalities/organizations
On-site study and inspection arrangement with regional governments and industry partners
Business partnership opportunity search
Follow-up meetings and assistance for strategy building

Outcome:

RideJapan developed the Shizuoka Cycling Tourism Strategy, which focuses on regional assets reaching global standards
Through study and inspections, regional government started to garner understanding of International cycling tourism landscape
By jointly working with RideJapan based on the strategy, TSJ educated regional governments and industry partners through cycling tourism seminars
RideJapan produced and developed a variety of new types of cycling travel products in partnerships with regional industries, and contributed to an increase in international cycling tourism demands to the destination

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TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

Responsible planning for sustainable development of communities through travel and tourism.

TOURISM DESTINATION MARKETING

Customising strategic approaches to maximise positive impacts of destination resources and global trends.

TRADE & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Managing B2B strategies that adheres to regional regulations and cultural guidelines.

PR & MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS

Interpreting partner needs with international insights and best matching with unique stories.

CREATIVE PRODUCTION

Engaging core markets with most effective ways for successful B2C communication.

SPECIAL PROJECTS & EVENTS

Strategic thinking from holistic views to achieve innovative synergy and productive outcome.

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

INDIGO Tourism Development Strategies

Case study:

Goal:

Marketing strategy building:

Tourism destination marketing in overseas travel markets:

Case study:

Goal:

Destination research, product evaluation, consulting capability assistance and strategy suggestion:

Next steps:

Case study:

Objective:

Workshop:

Outcome:

Key issues identified :

Tourism development strategy planning:

Case study:

Goal:

Strategy-building:

Outcome:

Case study:

Goal:

Cycling Tourism Strategy-building:

Outcome:

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