Tobu Top Tours Collaborates with Future Society Design Organization to Host 'Tourism DX Hackathon'

Tobu Top Tours Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sumida-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Koji Momokida) announces that it has held a 'Tourism DX Hackathon (*)' for university students and above, in collaboration with the General Incorporated Association Future Society Design Organization (Secretariat: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Katsuya Wakisaka).

This event was planned and implemented with the aim of deepening understanding of DX (Digital Transformation) and Web3.0 businesses in the travel industry, as well as introducing the company's diverse business operations.

This is a new initiative in collaboration with the General Incorporated Association Future Society Design Organization, established on February 1st of this year. The goal is for the company and students to come together and share a concrete vision of the 'Regional Revitalization Business' that the company is promoting. At the same time, it served as an opportunity to broadly communicate the company's advanced initiatives, which go beyond the traditional framework of the travel industry, to the students who will lead the next generation.

On the day, participating students were divided into several groups. With support from company employees assigned to each group, they used worksheets to deeply consider the ideal state of tourism DX. After practicing workflows to develop a wide variety of tourism DX apps—such as digital maps, AI tour guides, and digital point cards—in just a few hours using AI, a rigorous screening by company employees and executives led to the selection of a winning project that combined originality and practicality. Many positive comments were received from participating students, such as 'It was a valuable experience I couldn't have had at other companies' and 'I learned that there are opportunities for me to get involved through the use of AI.'

The company will continue to strengthen collaboration with the General Incorporated Association Future Society Design Organization, as well as many other companies, local governments, and students. It will actively promote sustainable regional revitalization projects that combine digital technology with local issues, and the development of digital human resources both inside and outside the company through DX and Web3.0 businesses.

(*) 'Hackathon' is a portmanteau of 'Hack' and 'Marathon,' referring to an event where engineers and designers form teams to develop applications and compete for results within a set time limit.