4th "JATA SDGs Award" Winners Announced, Grand Prize Goes to Okinawa Tourist Co., Ltd.

The Japan Association of Travel Agents (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Yuji Hara; hereinafter referred to as JATA) has decided the winners of the 4th "JATA SDGs Award" as follows.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Okinawa Tourist Co., Ltd. for their project, "Japan National Federation of UNESCO Associations 'Okinawa Experience Trip': Providing experiential support to over 50 children from various parts of Japan facing difficult circumstances."

The total number of applications increased from 57 cases/25 companies last year to 58 cases/21 companies, indicating steady progress in initiatives. This year, the final screening committee was held on June 22 (Mon), and as a result of rigorous evaluation, 22 projects, including the Grand Prize, will be honored. Please refer to 3. Screening Results for details on each award.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on July 9 (Thu).

1. Purpose of the Awards

(1) To promote initiatives within the travel industry by recognizing excellent efforts by member companies towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

(2) To support proactive initiatives by each member company by widely publicizing and sharing examples of efforts by member companies in response to questions such as "How should we work towards SDGs?" and "Where should we start?"

(3) To foster innovation in each company by providing opportunities for them to voluntarily consider the ideal future society and their own company's vision through exposure to practical examples.

2. Number of Applications: 58 cases (21 companies)

(1) Management Division: 11 cases

Content related to strategic planning for sustainable tourism, load reduction, collaboration with residents and travelers, etc. (Mainly related to SDGs Goals 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17)

(2) Socio-economic Division: 24 cases

Content related to fair employment and trade, support for regions and communities, respect for human rights, diversity, etc. (Mainly related to SDGs Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 16)

(3) Culture Division: 9 cases

Content related to the protection of cultural heritage, sustainable utilization of local performing arts, and promotion as tourism resources, etc. (Mainly related to SDGs Goals 4, 9, 11, 12, 16)

(4) Environment Division: 14 cases

Content related to the protection of natural heritage, climate change countermeasures, reduction of environmental impact, etc. (Mainly related to SDGs Goals 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)

3. Screening Results

(1) Grand Prize

Okinawa Tourist Co., Ltd.

"Japan National Federation of UNESCO Associations 'Okinawa Experience Trip': Providing experiential support to over 50 children from various parts of Japan facing difficult circumstances."

(2) Management Division

<Excellence Award> JTB Corp. "MY LIV PROJECT ~A Journey to Encounter My and Our Well-being~"

<Special Award> Okinawa Tourist Co., Ltd. "Practical Tourism Education: Inviting over 100 single-parent families to Jungleia Okinawa"

<Encouragement Award> (3 cases) JTB Corp. "Advancement of Sustainability and Human Rights Management in the Tourism Supply Chain through Sustainable Procurement Policy and External Stakeholder Hotline - Building a Mechanism for Prevention + Remedy -"

JTB Business Travel Solutions Inc.

"Support for Corporate Sustainable Management by Providing ESG-Oriented Business Travel Management Service 'ESG-BTM'"

JTB Corp. "Sustainable Tourism Feature Renewal Project ~From Interest to Action! Building a Website that Can Be Made 'Personal'~"

(3) Socio-economic Division

<Excellence Award> H.I.S. Co., Ltd. "Wheeled Wheelchairs to the World by Travelers! Sustainable Journeys Woven by 'Flying Wheelchairs' ~Experiential Tours that Transform Travel into a Solution for Social Issues, Starting with the Regeneration of Things~"

<Special Award> JTB Corp. "Regional Future Vibrancy Studio - Starting from Underutilized Assets,

A Co-creation Model for Related Population and Economic Circulation"

<Encouragement Award> (3 cases) Club Tourism Co., Ltd. "Revitalizing the Economy of Remote Islands in Amami with 'Professional Side Job Talent'! Creating a New Type of Community Contribution Related Population: 'Second Hometown Side Job Discovery Tour'"

Club Tourism Co., Ltd. "The Era is Shifting from 'Things/Concepts' to 'People'! Special Journeys Starting from Connecting with Local People - Matching Service for Travelers and Regions 'Travel is Left to Others'"

JTB Global Marketing & Travel Inc.

"Creating New Exchange by Utilizing the 'Rice Owner System' in Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture"

(4) Culture Division

<Excellence Award> Yomiuri Travel Co., Ltd. "Expanding Sales of Kintsugi Experience for Inbound Tourists ~To the World with a Spirit of Cherishing Things~"

<Special Award> JTB Corp. "First Implementation of Initiatives on 'Cultural Sustainability' at the Historic Kyoto Music Expo!"

<Encouragement Award> (2 cases) KNT-CT Holdings Co., Ltd. "JAPAN Michi Wellness ~Making Japan's 'Michi' (Paths/Ways) Experiences a Habit as Modern Wellness~"

JTB Corp. "Exchange Creation Canvas"

(5) Environment Division

<Excellence Award> JTB Corp., T-LIFE HOLDINGS INC., Tobu Top Tours Co., Ltd.

Nippon Travel Agency Co., Ltd., Meitetsu Kanko Service Co., Ltd. (Implemented by 5 companies, listed in Japanese syllabary order)

"Decarbonization School Trip Model Where Actions Change with CO2 Visualization"

<Special Award> H.I.S. Co., Ltd. "Connecting Hawaii's Oceans and Future, Eco-Action on the Go!

Fusion of Tourism and Regional Environmental Conservation through the '10th LeaLea Charity Run 5K'"

<Encouragement Award> (5 cases) Hankyu Travel International Co., Ltd. "~To Inherit the Environment of Mt. Fuji, a World Cultural Heritage Site, for the Future~

Nature Conservation Activities, Circumnavigating Mt. Fuji, to the Summit"

Nippon Travel Agency Co., Ltd. "Journey to Learn Sustainable Agriculture in Shibata, Niigata

~Green Journey for School~"

JALPACK Co., Ltd. "Amami Oshima Ukendo Village Mangrove Planting and Nature Culture Experience Tour"

JTB Corp. "Expanding SDGs Through Gifts ~A Circular Model of Decarbonization and Co-creation Integrated into Corporate Activities~"

Okinawa JTB Corp. "Sustainable Secondary Transportation Business Realizing Reduced Environmental Impact in Okinawa Tourism Circuits"

Overview

1. Target: Excellent initiatives by JATA Regular Members towards achieving SDGs

2. Target Period: Activities and businesses conducted from April 2025 to March 2026, or activities and businesses that have been continuously implemented in recent years and showed results within the above period.

3. Award Content

Grand Prize: The most excellent activity and business, serving as a model (1 case in total) Excellence Award: Excellent activities and businesses that can be recommended to other companies (1 case per division) Special Award: Initiatives showing creativity and ingenuity, with expectations for future development (1 case per division) Encouragement Award: Initiatives contributing to SDG achievement, serving as a reference for other companies (no limit on the number of cases per division)

[Award Divisions] 1 Management Division 2 Socio-economic Division 3 Culture Division 4 Environment Division

4. Final Screening Method

Applications will be evaluated from the perspectives of the following screening items (1) to (8).

1 Contribution: Is the activity/business contributing to goal achievement? 2 Sustainability: Is the activity/business sustainable and can it continue in the future? 3 Versatility: Can the activity/business be undertaken by other companies? 4 Creativity: Does the activity/business lead to the creation of new value? 5 Inclusivity: Does the initiative adhere to the principle of "leaving no one behind"? 6 Participation: Is the activity/business being undertaken proactively? 7 Transparency: Are the status and results of the initiative being publicly disclosed? 8 Co-creation: Does the activity/business involve collaboration with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds?

5. Final Screening Committee Members (※Titles are as of the screening committee)

Chairperson: Yuji Mikamo (President & CEO, FIN CORPORATION), Chairperson of JATA Social Contribution Committee

Committee Member: Yoshikazu Higashi (Chairman & CEO, Okinawa Tourist Co., Ltd.), Chairperson of JATA Travel Agency Management Committee

Committee Member: Motofumi Yada (Chairman & CEO, H.I.S. Co., Ltd.), Vice Chairperson of JATA Social Contribution Committee

Committee Member: Soo Hyun Kwon, Japan Director, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)

Committee Member: Shuichi Kameyama, Senior Managing Director & Secretary General, Japan Sustainable Tourism Initiative

Committee Member: Kyoko Negoro, Councilor, Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Committee Member: Kuniharu Ebiha, Chairman, Japan Association of Travel Agents

6. Awards Ceremony: Scheduled to be held on July 9, 2026 (Thu)