Background and Objectives

Lifestyle changes and refraining from extraordinary experiences due to COVID-19 have taken a heavy toll on the travel industry and local economies.
Therefore, as part of their seminar activities, five students from the Faculty of Economics worked on the creation and practice of "daily life extension trip," a new form of travel in coexistence with COVID-19 era, in which the attractions of Setouchi area are sustainably connected with travelers' daily lives, and spiritual health and a more comfortable lifestyle are realized. By embodying the drafted trips under a system of co-creation with local actors, the goal is to ensure that the charms of the Setouchi area continue to enrich travelers' lives even after their trip is over, and to revitalize sustainable local industry and regional tourism.

Overview of Activities

We have been exploring the potential of trip in the Setouchi area, starting from the needs of women who yearn for a "careful life" discovered through SNS observation and interview surveys, and have been developing a new trip service that will be a part of the Setouchi area's travel experience.
We proposed a two-day-and-one-night "enjoyable trip as an extension of daily life," which would utilize the attractive tourist resources of Okayama City and Naoshima Island, and we also established a co-creation system to realize the plan by ourselves by approaching various local actors including the government. PEACS Inc. and the students will collaborate on a series of travel articles for PEACS' web media "Kurashi-jozu" and "YOLO" and distribute a newsletter to approximately 2 million readers in order to communicate the attractiveness of the Setouchi area to their target customers through trip.

Expected Effects

・Contribution to travelers' wellbeing by providing a new concept of "daily life extension trip" (#3)
・Revitalization of local tourism and local industry under coexistence with COVID-19 (#9)
・Creation of a sustainable way for keeping the local economy going (#11)
・Building a psychological connection between travelers and local industry makers that lasts after the trip (#12)

◎This initiative received the Encouragement Award of the FY2021 Okayama University SDGs Promotion Award (President Award). Please watch the video below to see the presentation of the activity.

Presentation of the FY2021 Okayama University SDGs Promotion Award (President Award) activity
New Setouchi Area Trip in Coexistence with COVID-19 Era: Creation and Practice of "Daily Life Extension Trip" ーEstablishment of a Co-creation System with Local Actors, Government, and Web Media "Kurashi-Jozu" for "Careful Living"ー