Creating an itinerary for the February tour - learning from current employees of Hankyu Travel International

Students receiving advice from Section Chief Takahashi (left)

Students discussing the tour

Based on a comprehensive partnership agreement between our university and Hankyu Travel International Co., Ltd. (Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; President and CEO: Jun Sakai), we will be offering a new course, "Tourism Project A (Tour Development/Hankyu Travel International Class)," from April 2025, with the aim of cultivating tourism talent.

This course is being taken by 66 second to fourth year students from Faculty of Tourism, who are divided into 12 groups and working on planning tour products for touring Akita Prefecture. The tours they have created are scheduled to take place in early February next year for a four-day, three-night trip.

In the past classes, students have learned about Akita Prefecture's attractive tourist resources and the practical aspects of the travel industry. Currently, students are selecting destinations and itineraries for their tours.

For the class on June 17th, we invited Mr. Narumi Takahashi, a section manager at the East Japan Sales Headquarters in charge of the Tohoku region at Hankyu Travel International, to hold a workshop. In addition to tips on adjusting schedules and selecting facilities, Mr. Takahashi gave advice such as "When traveling by bus, please be careful when selecting a route, as some sections are closed in winter."

Based on what they learned in class, the students will be divided into groups to create a plan for conducting the tour, and will present the results on July 15, the last day of classes.