Taketomi Town launches AI-powered multilingual tourism guide

The Taketomi Town Tourism Association has launched a new multilingual tourism guidance service in Taketomi Town, Okinawa, utilizing generative AI and chatbot technology. Developed in collaboration with TISI Co., Ltd., the service is designed to address the needs of the increasing number of international tourists, which exceeds 800,000 annually in the region.

The service features a generative AI voice guide supporting 42 languages and a chatbot capable of handling 75 languages. Users can access maps for seven islands—including Taketomi, Kuroshima, Kohama, Hatoma, Iriomote, Yubijima, and Hateruma—and information from 138 local businesses by scanning QR codes. No app installation is required, and users can download information for areas with poor connectivity.

By digitizing guidance, the initiative aims to improve tourist satisfaction and operational efficiency. TISI reports that the implementation is expected to reduce manual inquiry handling time by approximately 30%, allowing staff to focus on more complex tasks and increasing the capacity to handle visitors during peak seasons. Future updates are planned to include disaster prevention information.