Atami's tourism bureau (in Shizuoka, Japan), which started with just 3 staff, used generative AI to cut tourism data collection from about 4 hours to around 30 minutes.
https://www.jnto.go.jp/projects/regional-support/casestudy/3946.html
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The Atami Tourism Bureau, a destination management organization in Atami, Shizuoka (it started with only 3 staff), built a system that uses generative AI to collect and analyze tourism data and share it with the community.
Challenge: Unorganized data, too few people and limited know-how, while aiming to even out demand across off-peak seasons and weekdays.
AI's role: Paid versions of ChatGPT and Claude automatically gather public statistics, search data and reviews. An AI dashboard and a monthly AI-written report keep partners and local businesses informed.
Results: Data collection: approx. 4 hours → around 30 minutes. Tourist-office tallying and reporting: 2+ hours → about 20 minutes. Visits to the Visit Atami site: approx. 37x the previous year (Aug 2025–Jul 2026).
What made it stick: Using existing AI and tools, a clear division of roles among the city, the bureau and Jalan Research Center, and careful choice of which data to collect.
People lead; AI walks alongside. AI does the gathering and summarizing, so staff can focus on planning initiatives and working with the community.
Source: https://www.jnto.go.jp/projects/regional-support/casestudy/3946.html (Aug 31, 2026, JNTO case study)
