Eijiro Yamakita, Representative Director and President of JTB Corporation

2024.07.05

People learn through travel. We will continue to be close to those "moving moments."

■ Profile

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1963. After graduating from Waseda University in 1987, he joined Japan Travel Bureau. After working in the Corporate Planning Department at the head office, he has held various positions, including General Manager of Global Strategy at the Travel Business Division, Representative for JTB Europe, and Managing Executive Officer. He has also held top management positions, including President of Tsumurare Corporation, President of Travel Plaza Europe, and Chairman of Kuoni Travel Investment, where he was involved in promoting overseas strategies. He has held his current position since June 2020.

JTB Corporation is a leading company in the tourism industry, focusing on "interaction creation projects" centered on travel, and also working to develop local tourist destinations and resolve corporate communication issues. Yamakita Eijiro took over as president in 2020, when the pandemic hit the industry hard. What was Yamakita thinking during the COVID-19 pandemic, when "90% of the company's business disappeared," and how did he overcome the crisis? We also spoke about the initiatives that supported the company and the type of talent they seek.

*At the JTB Group, we use the term "jinzai" to express our intention that "human resources" are "valuable resources that serve as assets that support the growth of companies and organizations."

Ever since I was little, I have had a desire to go abroad. Perhaps it was largely due to the influence of my father, who had been surrounded by classical music and overseas records from an early age. My father told me at the time, "The coming era will be borderless. It will be an era without borders," and these words still remain strongly in my memory.

In college, I became interested in international exchange and joined an English debate club. It was a strict club, so I was busy staying up all night researching and interacting with international students. During my job search, I interviewed at a wide range of companies, with the goal of "making a difference on the world through international exchange." Among them, I found Japan Travel Bureau Corporation (now JTB) to be my favorite. I still remember the shock I felt when I walked into the office for my first job interview. It was a time when international phone calls were still expensive and email had yet to be heard. I could hear Telex (※1) typing on a typewriter and English conversations. I had a strong desire to work in such an environment, and I decided to join the company. Fortunately, after joining the company, I was able to work in the department closest to international exchange. I subsequently gained experience in a variety of roles, including corporate sales, overseas travel marketing, human resources, and corporate planning. I also spent long periods stationed in European countries, including Hungary, the Netherlands, and Denmark, truly embracing a global career.

■Becoming a CEO during the COVID-19 pandemic! What is the origin of travel that I came to after thinking about it?

I became president in June 2020. The world was hit by the COVID-6 pandemic, which brought almost complete halt to human movement and caused great damage to the tourism industry. We were faced with the unfortunate reality that 9% of our business had disappeared. I remember very clearly thinking about how we could overcome this crisis every day at that time.

After much deliberation, we came to the conclusion that we should "go back to basics." Recently, there were voices saying, "Travel will disappear," and "Google Maps is enough for travel," and the very value of travel was being lost. In this climate, we returned to the basics: "Why do people travel in the first place?" Looking back at history, humanity has evolved by moving around and immersing itself in different environments. While there have been pandemics in the past, humanity has overcome them, continued traveling, and grown. The desire to travel is a human instinct, and demand will surely return to normal someday. We decided to do what we can now to prepare for that time.

■Even if people's movements stop, the exchange of hearts will not stop.

In order to evolve amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reexamined the power of "exchange." Our management philosophy is to "create exchanges between people on a global stage and contribute to the realization of a peaceful and spiritually enriched society," and "exchange" is our starting point. An important aspect of travel is the sense of excitement, but this emotion cannot be achieved without the power of "people." Even if the flow of people stops, the exchange of hearts does not stop. In fact, it amplifies. Therefore, we thought that what is needed is to create a system that connects people with something through exchange, and focused on highlighting the outline of our "exchange creation business."

In our exchange creation business, we are working on various initiatives based on our customers and their objectives within the three pillars of "Tourism," "Area Solutions," and "Business Solutions." In "Tourism," we are promoting initiatives that utilize digital technology in addition to the hospitality provided by our staff, so that both individual and corporate travelers can be satisfied in all aspects of their trip, from before, during, and after their trip. In "Area Solutions," we are focusing on initiatives that hone local treasures and connect them to the strengths of the region through co-creation with various businesses, such as digital transformation of tourist destinations and tourist destination development. In "Business Solutions," we accompany our customers to solve the management challenges they face through communication such as meetings and events.

We believe that the major factor in overcoming the pandemic was that we were able to put in place a system for "people, things, and interactions" and propose solutions from the perspective of creating interactions.

■ Cherishing the connections woven over 112 years of history

JTB's strength lies in the connections it has made with many people over its 112-year history. These strong connections allow it to adapt flexibly to changes in the way travel is conducted. And it is our employees who support these connections.

There are two characteristics of people who work at JTB. The first is that they can feel the joy of others as their own. As our brand slogan states, "Always by your side, for the emotions," if you are someone who can empathize with emotions and joy and take them personally, you will surely thrive at our company. The other characteristic is "seriousness." I believe that we can think together about the challenges at hand and see them through to the end. Going forward, all of our employees will continue to work together to take on new challenges so that our customers can experience the value of interactions that originate from travel.

■Message to students

I would like you to look at the world. The passport ownership rate in Japan is about 17%, which is very low compared to other countries. When you compare it to the 60% ownership rate in Taiwan, it becomes clear just how low this rate is. In order to be successful globally, it is important to first understand the world yourself. A global perspective is definitely necessary to survive in the future. Traveling is a great opportunity to learn. Absorb as many different things as you can through your travels.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on April 10, 2024 by Rikkyo University fourth-year student Narina Ogata