During the three-day holiday, the tourist destination "Atami" was bustling with many people. The number of tourists, which had temporarily dropped sharply due to the effects of COVID-19, has made a V-shaped recovery. There is also a construction boom! We will take a closer look at Atami, a tourist destination that has made a complete comeback. ■ Effective use of abandoned hotel and resort sites Caster Ogasawara Wataru: Atami has now been revived as a popular tourist destination flocking to young people, and the number of luxury hotels that are like high-end resorts is increasing. After all, it is located just 40 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen. To introduce some specific luxury hotels, the first one is the "Atami Pearl Star Hotel", which opened in 2022. Prices start from 76,250 yen per room per night (for 1-2 people), and the rooms have an ocean view of Sagami Bay, and fireworks are said to be set off periodically. You can enjoy Japanese kaiseki, sushi, Chinese, and even French cuisine at five restaurants, as well as a high-end bar, and there is also a gym and spa. Karaku, which opened in Izuyama in 2023, has an open-air bath in every room, and all rooms are over 50 square meters, making them very spacious. Prices start from 58,300 yen for one night with two meals. In addition to the open-air baths in the rooms, there is an infinity bath on the 7th floor as a large public bath. The view is so clear that it's hard to tell if it's the sea or the bath. They also serve Japanese kaiseki meals using local fish. Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, Atami has seen a boom in the opening and construction of hotels. In addition to the two hotels introduced above, Hotel New Akao will be renovated in 2023, and La Vista Atami Terrace (tentative name) is scheduled to open in the spring of 2026. Sumitomo Realty & Development is also planning to open a hotel around the summer of 2026. In addition, Kasumigaseki Capital is also planning to acquire land for building a hotel and start construction. Kyoko Kitade, a hot spring expert who visits 300 hot springs a year, said, "Large companies are buying the sites of large hotels and resorts that went bankrupt after the collapse of the bubble economy and have begun building hotels aimed at inbound tourists." Caster Takahiro Inoue: Atami has good access and fewer foreign tourists than Hakone, so there is room for growth. I feel there is potential for investment, but if we misjudge the demand forecast a little, it will turn out like it did when it was abandoned during the bubble economy. I feel there is a difficulty in matching it up so that doesn't happen. Former Japanese national swimming team member Takeshi Matsuda: It is already clear that Japan's population will decrease, so building now is a way to create a place that can accommodate wealthy foreigners. I think that having many of these people come and spend money outside of hotels will lead to the excitement of Atami as a whole. Caster Chiaki Horan: I think there are other hot spring resorts that have ended up in a similar situation to Atami. Of course, there may be some places that cannot be imitated geographically, but Atami is a great example as a model case for places that want to regenerate in the same way. ■ Trend in hotel selection is "all-inclusive" Ogasawara Caster: In October 2024, Yahoo! Search showed that the number of people who combined the keywords "○○ hot spring" + "all-inclusive" had more than tripled compared to January 2023 (Source: Yahoo Data Solutions). All-inclusive is a rate plan that includes everything in the accommodation fee. All-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink, and all-you-can-play at the facilities means you don't have to be nervous when paying the bill at the end. Aviation and travel analyst Toriumi Kotaro says, "Hotels in hot spring areas are also changing their business model to all-inclusive one after another." Anda Resort Izukogen in Ito City, Shizuoka, offers all-you-can-drink drinks and breakfast and dinner for 19,800 yen per night. You can also experience bouldering and lantern making, and there is also a kids' park and karaoke. The facility is operated by the Karaoke Pasela group, and has a variety of facilities on its vast grounds, making it an all-inclusive experience. Former Japanese national swimming team member Matsuda Takeshi: From a parent's perspective, all-inclusive is reassuring. Children can get sleepy surprisingly quickly and sometimes can't go outside, so it's great. == ...