OPG announces new brand project “Be. Okinawa”

OPG announces new brand project “Be. Okinawa”

On March 28, at the Naha Terrace Hotel, the OPG announced the new Okinawa tourism brand – “Be. Okinawa.”


March 29, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

The Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) hopes to increase the number of foreign tourists visiting Okinawa from the current level of 380000 per year to about two million by 2021. As a step in that direction, on March 28 at a press conference held at the Naha Terrace Hotel, the OPG unveiled a new promotion campaign entitled “Be. Okinawa.” As its core image, in order to express the gentle nature and passage of time in Okinawa the OPG created a logo featuring the prefecture’s main island in a hibiscus floral motif. They are attempting to sell a new image of Okinawa to customers in overseas markets using media such as websites, posters and flyers.

In his speech, Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima said, “We want tourism to be a major industry and want to attract tourists using a range of methods. With your support, we will let people overseas know about the new Okinawa tourism brand.”
The OPG decided upon the new Okinawa brand for the overseas market after discussion in a review meeting. They looked into tourism trends concerning Okinawa as a travel destination, surveying about 7000 people in 15 countries and 17 regions in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America. The report focused on what attracts tourists in each region to Okinawa. The survey indicates that Europeans are particularly attracted by things such as the prefecture’s “beautiful scenery and peace and quiet,” as well as “the opportunity to meet all sorts of people.”

Okinawa already attracts many foreign tourists from Taiwan, Korea, China and Hong Kong, but relatively few from North America and Europe. The survey results indicated that the OPG should launch a campaign using new branding for its tourism industry.

(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)

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