“GOO Chatan” Tourism Initiative: A Chatan-Based Tourism Model for Sustainable Okinawa Travel
Our Role
- Handled all aspects of the subsidy application for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Co-Creation & MaaS Demonstration Project (Co-Creation Model Demonstration Operation Program)," from document preparation and submission through to the final report
- Served as the single point of contact for overall project management, stakeholder coordination, and on-site liaison, ensuring smooth project execution
- Developed the front-end of the official "GOO Chatan" website to handle direct bus reservations, and designed and built a dedicated booking system
Project Overview
Two direct bus routes were operated under the "Chatan Direct Express" brand: the Airport Line connecting Naha Airport and Chatan Town, and the Churaumi Line connecting Chatan Town and Motobu Town. The pilot operation ran for approximately three months, from November 2024 to January 2025.
In Chatan Town, high-demand hotels were designated as stops, reducing the burden on tourists who would otherwise have to travel to bus stops with heavy luggage. By establishing a high-accessibility public transportation option, the project aimed to help alleviate traffic congestion in the region and address the growing challenge of overtourism.
Background
In Okinawa, the surge in tourist arrivals has led to increasingly severe traffic congestion around Naha Airport. Over-reliance on rental cars has caused long wait times and worsening traffic jams. In the popular tourist destination of Chatan Town and the Mihama area in particular, chronic parking shortages compound these issues, with overtourism increasingly impacting the quality of life for local residents and the satisfaction of tourists.
Against this backdrop, the project introduced two new "Chatan Direct Express" bus routes to offer an alternative means of travel from the airport, with the goals of distributing traffic within the region and improving overall convenience. The Airport Line between Naha Airport and Chatan Town, and the Churaumi Line between Chatan Town and Motobu Town, were designed to support comfortable tourist travel while reducing the burden on local communities and promoting wider regional tourism.
Effectiveness
Over the three-month pilot operation, the service welcomed more than 350 passengers in total. While ridership did not reach initial projections—partly due to limited time for promotional activities—we received a large number of positive responses from passengers, including expressions of gratitude from those who had no other means of transportation and comments such as, "It was such a relief to be able to travel long distances without having to transfer."
With an eye toward future self-sustainability, the project deliberately avoided relying on heavy discounts, instead setting fare levels that could stand on their own commercially. This also allowed us to conduct real-world validation of pricing viability.
