Zenbird Editorial TeamRestaurant search and reservation service Tabelog is expanding its offerings to cater more effectively to international tourists visiting Japan. As part of its 20th anniversary initiatives, the platform aims to resolve common challenges faced by foreign travellers, such as difficulty in finding suitable restaurants and navigating reservation systems.
With Japan setting a target of 60 million inbound tourists by 2030, and the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo expected to boost visitor numbers, Tabelog is strengthening its inbound service capabilities. In June 2024, it launched a multilingual reservation system, supporting English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and Korean. This allows overseas users to seamlessly search for restaurants and make reservations with ease and confidence.
To further enhance convenience, Tabelog has partnered with major overseas services including Dianping (China), OpenRice (Hong Kong), and KKday (Taiwan). These partnerships enable foreign visitors to make reservations via platforms they are already familiar with, integrating their travel and dining experiences.
By December 2024, Tabelog saw 5,000 inbound bookings per day, demonstrating the growing demand for accessible dining options among tourists. The platform continues to expand its international reach, planning additional collaborations with overseas services and content creators.
Promotional efforts include video collaborations with popular YouTubers to showcase the variety and quality of Japanese dining experiences to a global audience. Additionally, Tabelog is supporting restaurants in offering multilingual menus and is distributing promotional materials in hotel spaces where tourists are likely to spend time, making it easier for them to discover and engage with local dining options.
[Reference] PR Times (Japanese)
