To Realize "Universal Tourism"
With collaborating members from MUIC and Sumitomo Electric (Shigeyuki Kurihara, CEO of Tokyo Travel Partners, is in the center front)
Virtual Travel Service Tabisuke TV™ and Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan
Remote tourism streaming service through collaboration between three companies
Currently, the development of a new service through co-creation is underway. It is a remote tourism streaming service provided by Tokyo Travel Partners Co., Ltd., Kansai Innovation Center, and Sumitomo Electric. Tokyo Travel Partners was established in 2016 with the aim of creating a society where people who use wheelchairs can enjoy traveling easily. Since then, it has been providing travel services for care facilities. In addition, for those who are unable to actually travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 it launched Tabisuke Channel, an audience-participation remote streaming service for nursing care, medical, and welfare facilities.
The background to this is the existence of MUIC Kansai (hereinafter, MUIC), an innovation hub run by the Kansai Innovation Center. The first business venture to be launched was the Remote Tourism Platform project, with member companies Sumitomo Electric and Tokyo Travel Partners teaming up to develop the project. MUIC has provided various forms of support to the services planned and operated by Tokyo Travel Partners from various perspectives, including their utilization at the Expo. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Electric is responsible for developing an Android TV™ app that can be enjoyed at home, as well as the web app and system. Tabisuke Channel was renamed Tabisuke TV™, which was launched in May 2024 with the aim of becoming a service that can be enjoyed by a general audience as well.
LET’S EXPO project launched
In preparation for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, the Universal Tourism project LET’S EXPO has been launched, aiming to make travel safe and enjoyable for everyone. The project provides support for people who “want to visit but can’t” in both real and virtual ways. Tokyo Travel Partners will stream live audience-participation online tours from the venue. Viewers can experience the tour by operating their TV remote control. The collaboration with Tokyo Travel Partners is an attempt to add new value to the hardware, which will lead to increased value for users and the resolution of social issues.Shigeyuki Kurihara, CEO of Tokyo Travel Partners, has great expectations for LET’S EXPO.
“I believe that LET’S EXPO can have a major social impact. We hope that this opportunity will encourage many people to use Tabisuke TV™ and explore new possibilities for remote tourism. In Japan, an extremely aging society, we will work with Sumitomo Electric and MUIC to create new business possibilities using the TV platform,” said Kurihara.
LET’S EXPO is of great significance at the Expo. A project that allows people to experience the Expo from the comfort of their own home or their care facility will be a major force in promoting Universal Tourism, and Sumitomo Electric is playing a part in this project. The new experiences brought about by broadband networks will enrich people, society, and the world.
Tabisuke, Tabisuke Channel, and Tabisuke TV are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tokyo Travel Partners Co., Ltd.
