TLDR

• Hyogo Prefecture Tourism Bureau needed to boost inbound travel from high-value international markets and reach travelers ready to book, not just browse
• They partnered with Agoda Media solutions over several campaigns utilizing display banners, Meta audience extensions, a branded landing page, and Agoda Travel Guide features
• All creative and landing pages were localized by language and market to maximize relevance and conversion

Reaching high-intent travelers at every stage of the booking journey

As one of Japan’s most diverse and culturally significant regions, Hyogo Prefecture stands out not only for its world-renowned attractions like the UNESCO-listed Himeji Castle and the historic Arima Onsen, but also impressive scale, with a population of over 5.5 million and attracting over 1.4 million overnight guests per month in 2024. To convert this global interest into real travel demand, the Hyogo Prefecture Tourism Bureau set out to boost global visibility and attract inbound travelers actively planning their trips. The goal: connect with the right audience at the right time, while offering them relevant and inspiring reasons to visit.

Rather than relying on broad, non-targeted outreach, the Hyogo Prefecture Tourism Bureau needed a strategy that delivered precision targeting and personalized messaging to travelers with strong booking intent. Agoda Media Solutions (AMS) was selected for its unique ability to reach high-intent travel audiences through proprietary data, advanced targeting, and seamless integration of media and booking experiences. AMS stood out among other partners for its highly customized, localized solutions including:

• Display banner ads on high-visibility Agoda pages (including city search) to reach and convert high-intent travelers
• Audience extensions on social platforms, especially effective in Southeast Asia and APAC where social media usage for commerce is high
• AMS Branded Landing Page, offering exceptional flexibility and allowing Hyogo to showcase rich, local content and curated hotel lists tailored to specific chains or areas

These rich content experiences and level of customization ensured every campaign element resonated with the right audience, and showcased Hyogo’s unique and compelling offerings, maximizing both engagement and conversion.

Multi-wave campaigns with localized, full-funnel media strategy

Over several campaigns, the Hyogo Prefecture Tourism Bureau executed a comprehensive marketing strategy with Agoda, leveraging multiple touchpoints to guide travelers from awareness to consideration and action. AMS worked closely with them to develop solutions that reflected both the local context and Hyogo's objectives. The aim was not only to drive booking conversions but also to highlight the region’s unique cuisine and attractions. To achieve this, the AMS business development team recommended a multi-pronged strategy of running banner ads, a Branded Landing Page, Audience Extensions, and Travel Guide campaigns. This allowed the Hyogo Prefecture Tourism Bureau to build greater awareness by showcasing key local content and must-visit experiences for travelers to Japan, while also driving direct bookings.
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A key strength of the campaign was its localized approach. All creative assets – including banners and interactive formats – were customized by market, using native languages for each country of origin. Landing pages were also localized, offering a seamless, end-to-end user experience that aligned with travelers’ expectations and booking behavior in their own language.

Importantly, AMS’s dedicated business development team brought deep understanding of Japanese market nuances and client needs. This local expertise ensured that campaign recommendations and execution were not only strategic but also culturally resonant, further enhancing campaign effectiveness.

By tapping into AMS’s exclusive travel audience and leveraging market-specific creative, the Hyogo Prefecture Tourism Bureau was able to deliver relevant, inspiring content to travelers at every stage of their journey. Additionally, they were able to expand their reach to a diverse international audience by delivering localized, accessible, and relevant content tailored to each market.

Results: strong performance and measurable returns

"By leveraging Agoda Media Solutions' data-driven targeting and full-funnel media suite, Hyogo Prefecture Tourism Bureau not only captured global attention but also achieved industry-leading returns, demonstrating the power of precision travel marketing" - Prashant Kala, Director, Agoda Media Solutions

The multi-wave campaign delivered clear, high-impact results:

• 11x return on ad spend
• 148,000 clicks
• ~2% CTR

By combining Agoda’s deep travel insights with market-specific creative execution, Hyogo Prefecture succeeded in significantly increasing its visibility and attracting high-intent travelers, driving both engagement and conversion across key source markets. Hyogo Prefecture’s success demonstrates the impact of partnering with Agoda Media Solutions for data-driven, localized, and full-funnel travel marketing.