Making this and that a trip Tips for “creating” a trip 2025
In the first part , we saw that the actions that make up our daily lives (eating, seeing, riding, etc.) are in fact also components of travel. Tourism and travel are a collection of such mundane actions that are linked to “travel to a destination” and ” packaged ” together (Kadota 2021).
These packages have often been prepared by travel agencies and the tourism industry. They have commercialized this “packaging” efficiently and attractively. Package tours, that is, group tours with guides and tour conductors, are a typical example. A series of actions such as riding, eating, seeing, and taking photos are carried out according to the instructions of the guide or tour itinerary.
Tourism Packaging
In this article, “tourism packaging” has another implication in addition to the package tour mentioned above. It means a pre -prepared “tourism image package” that revolves around “what constitutes tourism . ” If group tours are a “package of activities and itineraries,” the latter could be called a “package of images . ”
That looks like a tourist spot. This doesn’t look like a tourist spot. Wow, this place looks like a great tourist spot… We must be making these kinds of evaluations without even thinking about it.
Tourist Spot
In this way, “what is (is not) tourist-like, as generally understood,” is the “packaged tourism image.” In this article, we’ll refer to tourism and travel that is planned and enjoyed based on this image as “packaged tourism.” Therefore, not only guided group trips (package tours), but also individual trips and solo wandering trips can fall within the “packaged tourism” category.
In most cases, tourism and travel may be conducted as a re-enactment of something that someone has already enjoyed . In the past, group tours were packaged according to tour itineraries prepared by travel agencies and the tourism industry, but the entity that creates these packages may have simply shifted from travel agencies to Instagrammers.
The imagination needed for each individual to “create their own journey”
What constitutes tourism? What makes something “travel-like”? What is fun? We repeat these things within an already existing framework = package . Instead of these existing ways of travel and tourism, let’s think about ways for each individual to “create their own trip” more freely and creatively.
Of course, by talking about “packages,” I do not mean to say that tourists and travelers are being manipulated, or that they are just following someone else and have no autonomy. I also do not think that traditional travel and tourism are bad at all.
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However, if one aspect of traditional tourism and travel has existed as a way of calling for a new, sustainable way of travel and tourism, I think we need to explore different ways of travel and tourism and cultivate the imagination to do so.
Having sorted out what I’ve discussed up to this point, including the first part, I’d like to point out two things.
First, it seems that there is no crucial difference between tourism and the various activities in our daily lives
Of course, “traveling to the destination” is a big factor. There is a big difference between sleeping at home and sleeping at an inn. In this way, it is possible to explore the decisive difference between travel and everyday life. However, in recent years, with the emergence of microtourism and “local tourism,” the “destination” does not necessarily have to be a distant, foreign, or unfamiliar place to you.
In other words, the possibility of enjoying tourist-like activities can be hidden anywhere . Some people describe this fact as the omnipresence of “tourism” (Kadota 2021). Ultimately, all that separates the repetition of boring activities from touristic activities may be the level of one’s imagination .
When you think about it that way, don’t you feel that the potential of tourism depends more on you than anything else?
This is my second point. In other words, it is not impossible to make any action “tourist-like” or “travel-like .” “Tourist-like” things are ubiquitous, and the problem is how to find “tourist-like” things that are all around us .
This is the meaning of the phrase “dismantling the package” that I have been talking about since the first part. Rather than being bound by the existing form of tourism (= package), each individual person will “create” a form of tourism and travel that is just for the number of people. If this becomes the norm, I think it will be possible to develop more sustainable and “fun” ways of traveling that are different from the traditional tourism that has included environmental burdens.
What do you want to do on your trip?
If you think about it, in recent years, new types of tourism have emerged that specialize in a single activity, such as “eating” or “taking photos.”
For example, as part of recent infectious disease countermeasures, the government has proposed the “Go to Eat Project,” a campaign led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to stimulate demand for food and drink, the “Go To Event Project,” a campaign led by the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry to stimulate demand for entertainment, and the “Go To Shopping District Project,” a campaign to promote shopping districts.
The “Go To Travel Project” was promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan Tourism Agency), and while other Go To projects are also closely related to tourism, they have been implemented in a way that focuses on a single action, place, or purpose (eating, participating in an event, going to a shopping district, etc.) .
In this way, ” focusing on one thing ” can be seen as one direction of “de-packaging travel and tourism.”
When you have a vague desire to travel or sightsee, try to think a little deeper about “what it is that you want to do .” This will help you clarify the purpose of your trip or sightseeing (of course, you don’t have to narrow it down to “only” one thing).
Two benefits: more sustainable travel
Clarify what you want to do within the broad category of travel and tourism. What will happen when you do this? There are two benefits to doing so that are related to the realization of sustainable travel and a sustainable society.
First, there is the possibility that travel and tourism itself will change from a purpose to a means .
If you clarify the purpose of travel and tourism, the purpose will shift from “traveling and sightseeing” to something more specific, such as “eating XX” or “staying at XX and taking a bath in a hot spring.” Travel and tourism will not be the purpose in themselves, but will become a “means .” In other words, the possibility of travel and tourism as a means to realize, fulfill, and achieve something will emerge.
Sustainable Society
Tourism and travel are a means to an end. This idea provides an important hint when considering the role of travel and tourism in realizing a sustainable society. This is because travel and tourism are nothing but a means to create a sustainable society .
When each of us thinks about sustainable travel and society, and about realizing a sustainable society, the idea of ​​thinking of travel and tourism as a means rather than an end is central, and the attempt to “focus” is likely to be good training in this regard.
Travel and Tourism
The second benefit is a more direct benefit in aiming for sustainable travel and society. Once you have a clear purpose for your trip or tourism and what you want to do, you will plan your trip or tourism with the achievement of that purpose as the axis.
This trip will surely be more compact than a vague trip or tourism that is self-serving . Being compact also means that the scale will be smaller and various burdens will be reduced. It can be said to be the optimization of travel.
Trip or Tourism
This will also lead to a more refined travel experience. If you have a clear purpose, such as “I want to stay at a certain lodging” or “I want to try certain cuisine,” you will be able to gather more focused information on that purpose.
You will be able to discover much more niche and “deeper” information and travel spots than if you were just casually browsing guidebooks or pages such as “8 recommended spots in ____.” By conducting a focused search in this way, you will also be able to more easily discover lodgings, restaurants, places, and initiatives that are committed to sustainability.
