[Special Contribution] “Tourism × Children’s Development and Travel Education” — Cultivating Non-Cognitive Skills Through Travel: The Significance of Travel Education in a Society That Supports Parents for the Sake of Children’s Future

1. Why Travel Education Now? Timing Is Key to Children’s Learning

Watching my own child’s eyes light up with curiosity and interest in the world around them, I discovered the potential of “fostering children’s growth through travel—Travel Education.” Through my own experiences, I have shared the significance and know-how of family travel as a “place to deepen parent-child bonds” and “a place to nurture children’s growth.” Recently, I have been collaborating with local governments and companies to develop an environment for Travel Education aimed at the next generation.

Through my work supporting families, I feel that now, as we look toward the post-pandemic era, travel-based learning is essential for children, and this is a chance to raise awareness of travel as an educational tool (Travel Education).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children were forced to live under restrictions; events and field trips were postponed or canceled, causing them to lose opportunities to have their efforts recognized, as well as chances to encounter new things and take on challenges. In a survey (*1) of parents at elementary schools and kindergartens where I gave a lecture on "Travel Education," 82.4% answered "YES (it will have an impact)" to the question, "Will life during the COVID-19 pandemic affect their future?"(See Graph 1). Reasons cited included “We couldn’t provide them with necessary experiences at the right time” and “With reduced social interaction and the continued use of masks, I’m worried about whether their communication skills are developing.” These responses reveal a sense of concern that, for children who are growing every day, the timing of experiences and learning is crucial, and that things will not simply return to normal once the pandemic subsides.There were also many comments such as, “If circumstances allow, I want to let them take on new challenges and have many experiences.” Furthermore, there is a growing sense of momentum—even among those who are not parents—to ask, “Is there something we can do for the future of children who have lived through the pandemic?”

When promoting “travel education,” it is essential to empathize with parents’ feelings and concerns. Taking into account the social environment surrounding the parenting generation and the sentiments of parents who have weathered the pandemic, we will introduce the social significance and benefits of travel education for the tourism industry, along with concrete tips.

2. Travel is an Opportunity to Recognize the Breadth and Diversity of Society

While globalization and diversity are often emphasized, children’s connections with society have become more tenuous than one might imagine. Changes in lifestyle—such as the shift toward nuclear families, the increase in dual-income households, and the evolution of IT technology—are the main factors, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further widened the gap between children and society.

In the aforementioned parent survey, 76.5% of respondents indicated that the number of adults (including parents) their children interact with on a daily basis is “five or fewer” (see Graph 2).Parents, school and preschool teachers, instructors for extracurricular activities, and the mothers of friends… that’s about it. Previous surveys have shown the same trend, indicating that children are spending their daily lives within a narrow and biased set of values. From a safety perspective, the rule “don’t talk to strangers” has become firmly established in households, leaving children’s opportunities to learn about society dependent on just a few people, including their parents.

In the past, grandparents often lived under the same roof, and with vibrant community events fostering deep neighborhood ties, children had opportunities to experience intergenerational interaction and diversity without even trying. As society played a deeper role in child-rearing, it helped recognize strengths and talents that parents or the children themselves might not have noticed, fostering self-esteem and helping them discover life goals.

Children tend to believe that their immediate surroundings represent the entirety of society, which can make it difficult for them to navigate life within such a narrow worldview, or cause them to worry deeply over trivial matters. Realizing that “my daily life is just a small part of a much larger society” helps them develop resilience and live authentically. In today’s world, where it is difficult to recognize the breadth and diversity of society in everyday life, it is necessary to consciously create opportunities for this, and travel offers the perfect chance to do so.Many parents are unaware of how narrow their children’s worldviews can be. I believe that if we in the tourism industry recognize the importance of travel for children, communicate this from a broader perspective, and actively work toward it, we can create a movement that impacts society—one that will become a pillar supporting Japan’s future.

3. Travel Nurtures “Non-Cognitive Skills,” Which Are Gaining Increasing Attention

The primary concern of parents today lies in “education”—specifically, “How should we raise our children so they can lead happy lives true to themselves?” As we enter an era of rapid and unpredictable change, the skills required by society and the nature of education (such as school curricula and university entrance systems) are also evolving. Replacing traditional knowledge and academic ability, so-called “non-cognitive skills” (social-emotional skills)—such as “self-esteem” and “communication skills,” which form the foundation of one’s activities—are gaining attention.

Many of these non-cognitive skills can be nurtured through travel, and while the goals of modern education align closely with the benefits of travel, most people do not think of travel as an educational tool (see Graph 3). Even when parents understand the importance of “non-cognitive skills,” the reality is that they often struggle to know exactly how to apply this knowledge, resorting to trial and error, or continue to devote time and money to exam preparation as they always have.

Travel to environments different from daily life is full of opportunities to build self-esteem—such as taking on new challenges and accumulating successful experiences, or discovering new interests and passions. By interacting with many people and encountering diverse values, children learn to embrace diversity and hone their communication skills. The “joy of knowing and learning”—essential in an era of rapid change that demands continuous learning—can also be cultivated through the extraordinary experiences of travel.

By carefully and specifically explaining questions such as “Why travel now?”, “How does travel contribute to a child’s growth?”, and “What should we keep in mind?”, while empathizing with parents’ concerns and proactively providing services and environments that anticipate their needs, we can help children lead better lives.

For the tourism industry as well, linking “education”—parents’ top concern—with “travel” offers significant benefits. For example, if the perception that family travel is “education, not leisure” becomes widespread, parents will be more motivated to take time off, leading to longer stays and increased business on weekdays. If travel expenses are viewed as part of educational costs, they become less susceptible to economic fluctuations, and budget increases can be anticipated.

Furthermore, in travel education, “what you do” is more important than “where you go,” and the presence of famous tourist spots or facilities is irrelevant. With a little creativity, many regions can implement these initiatives, which can also contribute to regional revitalization.

4. Tips for Travel Education Initiatives—Based on the “Travel Education Method”

While travel itself is a treasure trove of learning, to maximize educational benefits, we have compiled and propose communication tips as the “Travel Education Method?” (see below). This is intended for children aged 3 to 9. Parents who learn about travel education through lectures and other events show a high level of enthusiasm for putting it into practice, reaffirming the potential of travel as an educational tool (see Graph 4).

To foster genuine growth during short trips, support from those around the child—not just parents—and a supportive environment are essential. Below, based on the “Travel Education Method,” we introduce initiatives and tips that tourism businesses can consider.

• Plan and Prepare Together with Your Child

  The success of Travel Education hinges on the pre-trip phase. Rather than parents planning everything alone, planning together as a family boosts children’s motivation for the trip, encourages them to actively enjoy the experience, and enhances their learning.

  Supporting pre-trip planning can also create a virtuous cycle for tourism businesses: “Deepening understanding of the region and facilities ⇒ Children enjoy themselves and grow ⇒ Satisfaction increases ⇒ Repeat visits (or word-of-mouth promotion, etc.).”

  While IT tools like websites, email, social media, and virtual tours come to mind for pre-trip planning, direct mail (hereinafter DM) is also effective. In 2021, Spa Resort Hawaiians in Fukushima Prefecture created a DM for children featuring a passport-style cover—a design true to the resort’s Hawaiian theme. When the folded insert is opened, it unfolds to reveal a large, full-page map of the resort, allowing families to write down their travel plans.One can easily picture a family gathered around the DM, excitedly asking, “What should we do?” This DM won the “Silver Prize” at the 36th All-Japan DM Awards, sponsored by the Japan Post.
   

  

   

• Creating Time for Each Family Member to Spend Alone

  When children spend time away from their parents with people they’ve never met before, their horizons expand and their expressive abilities are honed, leading to significant personal growth. For parents, this provides an opportunity to recharge both mentally and physically. When the family reunites, they can share their experiences, fostering more active family communication.

  Currently, the environment for programs and places where children—especially preschoolers—can spend time on their own is not yet sufficient. From the perspective of workation initiatives, we anticipate growing interest in safe places for children while their parents work, and we feel it is necessary to develop these facilities. It is also important to provide and propose options for busy parents to refresh themselves.

• Set roles and goals, and praise to create a sense of achievement

  By setting small goals, children take initiative on their own, and praising them when they succeed creates a sense of accomplishment. We should strive to “watch over rather than instruct,” “respect children as travel companions,” and “praise their efforts.”

  That said, parents have their own strengths and weaknesses, and as children enter the upper elementary grades and the “rebellious phase” begins, there are increasingly more things parents simply cannot do. Staff at tourist facilities and accommodations are in a unique position to interact directly with children. Since parents are often feeling their way through parenting, actively engaging—whether by supporting the children’s learning during the trip or acknowledging their strengths from a perspective different from the parents’—can enhance the effectiveness of “travel education.”
   

While there are various other measures for travel-based education, such as enriching experiential programs, here are two common pitfalls to avoid.

(1) Don’t start with your region or company’s resources

It is essential to first visualize the child’s growth through travel by asking questions such as, “What challenges do we aim to address?” and “How do we want the child to grow?” From there, by considering “What resources from the region or our company can be useful?” and “What new elements are needed?”, you can create an appealing initiative that resonates with parents.

(2) Draw out children’s “I want to do this” and “This looks fun”

The term “travel education” often leads to an overemphasis on “making them learn something” or “teaching them,” resulting in services or products that are too knowledge-focused and lack excitement from the children’s perspective. What’s important is that children think for themselves and make their own decisions—that this becomes a successful experience for them. Valuing children’s feelings of “I want to do this” and “This looks fun,” or devising ways to elicit those feelings, is the key to success.
 

5. As a Tourism-Oriented Nation and for Sowing the Seeds of the Future

As mentioned at the beginning, with the restricted lifestyles brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are concerns about a decline in children’s non-cognitive skills, such as “self-esteem” and “communication skills.”

We cannot change the past, but we can change the future. To reiterate, travel provides an opportunity to discover a child’s talents and interests; successful experiences during travel lead to self-esteem, and it is not uncommon for a single experience on a trip to become the foundation for a child’s future goals and dreams.

The bonds deepened through family travel provide emotional stability, and the pride and confidence gained from overcoming challenges are stored in memory alongside pleasant memories of the trip, serving as a source of emotional support for the child well into the future.

Eventually, children grow up, and the day will come when they become parents themselves and take their own children on trips.

The fact that children nurtured through travel go on to live happily as their true selves and become individuals capable of thriving on the global stage brings benefits in various ways to Japan, a nation built on tourism. As a way of sowing seeds for the future, I strongly feel the social significance and necessity of engaging in “travel education” right now.

*1) Parent Survey: Conducted before and after a lecture on travel education held in July 2022, with the cooperation of Seito Gakuen Elementary School and Seito Kindergarten (n=34 before the lecture, n=36 after the lecture)

*2) Reference: The 36th All-Japan DM Awards