ANTB in Fukuoka 2026 featured in the Kanko Keizai Shimbun — on a turning point for Kyushu tourism
We are pleased to announce that Asia New Travel Bootcamp (ANTB) in Fukuoka 2026, co-hosted by yugyo and WithBlue DMC Inc., was featured in the Kanko Keizai Shimbun (Travel Journal of Japan) on October 13, 2026.
The article, "Inbound travel shifts from 'where to go' to 'what to experience' — a turning point for Kyushu tourism, as ANTB comes to Fukuoka," reports on the event held in Fukuoka City on October 6. Launched in Okinawa in 2024 to connect Asian travel startups with Japan's tourism industry, ANTB was held outside Okinawa for the first time this year. The article also notes that, alongside Colive Fukuoka and RAMEN TECH running in the same period, overseas visitors could build multiple connections in a single trip.
The coverage highlights the keynote "Understanding Today's Traveler" by Aleix Rodríguez Brunsoms, a travel industry strategist formerly with Skift and TUI, as well as a panel on wellbeing tourism and the "FROM THE LOCAL" session, where local practitioners discussed the challenges facing Kyushu tourism. The article concludes that the key for Kyushu lies in re-editing the nature, history, food, culture, and everyday life the region already has — from the traveler's point of view — and delivering them as experiences.
Read the full article here (in Japanese):