Japan links airlines and railways to spread international tourists beyond Tokyo and Osaka

Japan Airlines and five JR regional railway companies—JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku and JAL—are collaborating on an inbound tourism campaign designed to move international visitors into regional Japan.

The programme promotes three major pilgrimage/cultural areas: Dewa Sanzan, Kumano Kodo and the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It is designed around combined air, rail and local transportation, rather than isolated destination visits.

A multilingual station-stamp app is also planned, with traveller data intended to help understand movement patterns.

B2B angle: This is a model worth watching for India and Southeast Asia: airlines + rail + DMCs + attractions can create multi-stop itineraries instead of concentrating visitors in a handful of gateway cities.