JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.

What JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. does

JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. (株式会社JTB総合研究所, JTB Sōgō Kenkyūjo) is a Tokyo-based private research and consulting firm operating as the dedicated research arm of the JTB Group. Incorporated in 2005 (originally as ツーリズム・マーケティング研究所 / Tourism Marketing Research Institute; renamed circa 2010) and headquartered in Shiodome City Center, Minato-ku, the firm produces proprietary tourism intelligence — including the annual JTB海外旅行レポート (JTB Outbound Report), inbound/outbound trend reports, themed studies like "Tourism 2035: 55 Perspectives," and COVID-19 impact surveys — published via its tourism.jp platform and online store. Its offering spans three pillars: research and reports, advisory consulting across ten specialized domains (regional activation, inbound, MICE, accommodation, consumer behavior, digital marketing/tourism DX, universal tourism, crisis management, tourism education, wellness), and tourism education (textbooks, distance learning, the 旅行地理検定 / Travel Geography Examination with 240,000+ cumulative examinees, and university partnerships).

The company monetizes through three primary streams: (1) one-time sales of published reports (e.g., JTB海外旅行レポート2025 at ¥13,200 tax-included) and textbooks, supplemented by free whitepaper downloads used as top-of-funnel lead generation; (2) professional-services consulting engagements sold direct to enterprise and government buyers; and (3) transaction fees from the Travel Geography certification exam — which the company has announced it will discontinue in March 2026. Distribution is overwhelmingly digital-direct through tourism.jp, with a monthly email newsletter, an online store, and participation in international tourism bodies such as PATA. Customers span Japanese local governments and DMOs, inbound-focused tourism operators, tourism education institutions, JTB Group affiliates, and individual consumers, with the firm explicitly serving as a data and research backbone for Japan's national tourism strategy under the Tourism Agency.

Name

JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.

Legal name

株式会社JTB総合研究所

Website

https://tourism.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. is the dedicated research and consulting arm of Japan's JTB Group, producing tourism market reports, whitepapers, advisory services across ten tourism domains, and the Travel Geography certification for government, industry, and education clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Reports and Whitepapers Sales: Sale of published reports including JTB海外旅行レポート (JTB Outbound Report) priced at ¥13,200, market trend analyses, and research publications. Some reports available as free downloads.
2. Consulting Services: Consulting and survey services provided across various tourism sectors including regional activation, inbound tourism, MICE, facilities, consumer behavior, digital marketing, universal design, crisis management, education, and wellness tourism.
3. Tourism Education Materials and Textbooks: Sale of educational textbooks for travel industry certification exam preparation (旅行業務取扱管理者国家試験), tourism studies, travel operations and hospitality, geography, and travel English.
4. Certification Exams: Travel geography certification exam (旅行地理検定) - over 240,000 cumulative examinees. Note: Exam was announced to end in March 2026.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. is the research and consulting arm of the JTB Group, providing tourism market research, industry reports, and professional consulting services across ten specialized domains including regional activation, inbound tourism, MICE, and digital marketing. The company also operates tourism education programs, publishes whitepapers and reports (such as the JTB Outbound Report priced at ¥13,200), and administers the Travel Geography Examination certification with over 240,000 cumulative examinees.

Product overview

JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. (JTB総合研究所) operates as a tourism research and consulting organization offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. Its core offerings span three pillars: (1) Research & Reports — producing and publishing whitepapers, market trend reports, and themed studies on Japanese and global tourism; (2) Consulting & Survey Services — providing advisory across ten specialized domains including inbound tourism, regional activation, MICE, digital marketing/tourism DX, wellness/health tourism, and crisis management; and (3) Tourism Education — delivering distance learning courses, textbook materials, the Travel Geography Examination certification (旅行地理検定, with over 240,000 examinees), training programs, and university partnerships. Supporting these are the Tourism Database (観光データベース), which aggregates inbound/outbound statistics and economic indicators; the monthly email newsletter; the x Tourism (クロス・ツーリズム) themed research initiative; and the Thinking Projects (考えるプロジェクト) internal Labo. All offerings are delivered through its primary web platform at tourism.jp, which also hosts an online store for publications and educational materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 旅行地理検定: A certification exam testing knowledge and proficiency in travel geography, operated by JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. As of March 2026, JTB総研 announced the conclusion of the 旅行地理検定 program.

Products and services

• Research & Reports (研究・レポート) Tourism research and analysis covering social trends, consumer behavior, and lifestyle patterns. Produces reports such as the JTB Outbound Report series, inbound market trend data, and thematic studies. Targets tourism industry professionals, businesses, and government organizations.
• Consulting & Survey Services (コンサルティング・調査)
• Tourism Education (観光教育)
• Whitepapers & Publications (白書・刊行物)
• Travel Geography Examination (旅行地理検定)
• Tourism Database (観光データベース)
• Monthly Email Magazine (月刊メールマガジン)
• Tourism Educational Materials & Books (旅游教材・書籍)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 240,000 cumulative examinees for 旅行地理検定 certification
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered joint research, core and regulatory.

• Navitime Japan Co., Ltd. (ナビタイムジャパン)joint researchStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Joint research partnership with Navitime Japan on sustainable tourism using regional manufacturing resources, using Niigata Prefecture Sanjo City as a model case study.
• Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational tourism organization where JTB総合研究所's Chief Researcher Shuichi Kameyama serves as Executive Board Member, contributing to Asia-Pacific tourism development initiatives.
• Tourism Agency of Japan (観光庁)regulatoryOthersGovernment agency overseeing tourism policy; JTB総合研究所 conducts research and provides data supporting national tourism strategies and the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan.

Scale indicators5 records

Direct peers

• Euromonitor International: Global market research firm with a substantial travel and tourism practice offering country reports, consumer surveys, and B2B research. Closely parallels JTB総合研究所's syndicated research and tourism database products.
• Skift: Travel industry media and research platform covering consumer behavior, market trends, and tourism strategy. Overlaps directly with JTB総合研究所's whitepaper, column, and consumer-research offerings.
• Tourism Economics: Tourism forecasting and economic impact analysis firm serving destinations and tourism organizations. Highly comparable to JTB総合研究所's tourism outlook reports and consulting for regional activation.
• Phocuswright: Global travel industry research and intelligence firm producing syndicated reports, custom research, and conferences. Most directly comparable to JTB総合研究所's research-and-consulting model, though focused globally rather than Japan-only.
• STR (CoStar Group): Hospitality and tourism data analytics provider offering benchmarking, demand data, and market intelligence. Comparable to the data and benchmarking function of JTB総合研究所's Tourism Database and MICE evaluation work.

Broad incumbents

• Mintel: Global market research firm covering consumer trends including travel. Comparable in methodology (consumer surveys, trend reports) but broader in scope than JTB総合研究所's tourism-only focus.
• JTB Corporation: Parent-affiliated travel conglomerate offering tour operations, MICE, and destination services. JTB総合研究所 operates within the JTB Group ecosystem and shares brand, data, and likely customer overlap with JTB Corp's broader portfolio.
• Kantar: Global market research and consumer insights firm with significant Asia-Pacific presence. Overlaps with JTB総合研究所's consumer behavior research and consulting methodology though it spans categories beyond tourism.
• Recruit Holdings: Japanese information services and marketing group with travel, lifestyle, and consumer data assets. Comparable as a Japan-based consumer-intelligence and marketing data provider serving overlapping enterprise customers.

Others

• Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO): Government-affiliated body promoting inbound tourism to Japan. JTB総合研究所 references alignment with the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan and supplies JNTO-adjacent data; comparable as a tourism information provider rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/japan-tourism-marketing-co.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.