The Brand Comprehensive Research Institute has released the results of the "2023 Regional Brand Survey." The survey posed 89 questions to respondents regarding the awareness, attractiveness, and image of 1000 cities and towns and 47 prefectures in Japan. It investigated the image formation, behavioral intent, and evaluations for each locality.
In the prefectural attractiveness ranking, Hokkaido has maintained its position at the top for 15 consecutive years. However, this score is on the decline, with the percentage of respondents aged 20 and over who answered "very attractive" dropping from 68% in 2021 and 54.6% in 2022 to 49.9% in 2023.
Sapporo City has secured the top spot for the third consecutive year among cities, wards, towns, and villages. Nevertheless, similar to Hokkaido, its score has been decreasing annually.
On the other hand, Kitahiroshima City in Hokkaido has experienced the highest increase in attractiveness scores among cities, wards, towns, and villages. Its score rose from 7.8 points (ranked 474th) last year to 12.9 points (ranked 289th), marking a 5.1-point improvement. Partly due to the opening of the Hokkaido Baseball Stadium F Village, the response regarding the area's characteristics related to "professional sports teams and athletes" increased from 6.4% to 18.3%, gaining 11.9 points. Additionally, the city's tourism willingness increased from 23.3% to 27.4%.
The top 10 prefectures in the attractiveness ranking, along with their rankings from the previous year, are as follows:
- Hokkaido (1)
- Kyoto Prefecture (2)
- Okinawa Prefecture (3)
- Tokyo (4)
- Osaka Prefecture (5)
- Fukuoka Prefecture (7)
- Kanagawa Prefecture (6)
- Nara Prefecture (8)
- Ishikawa Prefecture (10)
- Nagasaki Prefecture (9)
The top 10 cities, wards, towns, and villages in the attractiveness ranking, along with their rankings from the previous year, are as follows:
- Sapporo (1)
- Kyoto (2)
- Hakodate City (3)
- Kanazawa City (8)
- Kamakura City (7)
- Kobe City (6)
- Yokohama City (4)
- Otaru City (5)
- Naha City (9)
- Karuizawa Town (12)
The charm of Osaka, Miyagi, and Aichi Prefectures continues to grow
In terms of overall attractiveness, the average score for prefectures is 27.2 points, a decrease of 0.5 points from the previous year. The average score for cities, wards, towns, and villages is 10.9 points, a decrease of 0.3 points from the previous year. Besides attractiveness, the average scores for the main surveyed items in various cities also show a downward trend from the previous year.
Osaka Prefecture, influenced by the Osaka Expo, has seen an upward trend in scores, maintaining its attractiveness ranking at 5th place, unchanged from the previous year but up from 9th place in 2015.
While not entering the top ten, Miyagi Prefecture has improved its image in cuisine and desire to visit. The tourism willingness of the prefecture has reached its historical highest position at 10th place, and its attractiveness ranking has risen from 15th place in the previous year to the historical highest position of 11th place.
Furthermore, influenced by the opening of Ghibli Park last November and a significant increase in ratings from residents in the Chubu region and the 30s and 40s age groups, Aichi Prefecture's attractiveness ranking has risen from 20th place last year to 16th place.
Tourist demand rankings have risen in seven prefectures
In terms of tourist motivation rankings, Hokkaido holds the top position among all prefectures. Okinawa Prefecture (2nd), Ishikawa Prefecture (9th), Miyagi Prefecture (10th), Kumamoto Prefecture (12th), Nagano Prefecture (14th), Toyama Prefecture (19th), Yamanashi Prefecture (20th), and others have seen an improvement in their rankings compared to the previous year.
The highest-ranked city, ward, town, or village is Sapporo. Among the top 20, four cities in Hokkaido (Sapporo, Hakodate, Otaru, Furano) and four cities in Okinawa (Ishigaki, Naha, Okinawa, Miyako Island) are listed.
The preferred locations for "accommodations I want to stay in" are Hokkaido and Kyoto. Looking at cities, wards, towns, and villages, hot spring resorts that made it to the top 10 include Beppu City (2nd), Atami City (3rd), Yufu City (4th), Kusatsu Town (5th), Shima City (6th), and Hakone Town (8th).
Furthermore, the Brand Comprehensive Research Institute also investigated local resources that strongly influence tourist motivations. The highest-rated answer is "convenient transportation in the area." Other responses include "charming hot springs, recreational facilities, parks, etc.," "charming streets and historical buildings," "abundant natural landscapes like the sea, mountains, rivers, lakes," with "delicious food" ranking sixth.
