Promotes capital and business alliances with new strategic investors and regional banks in response to the full-scale recovery(*1) of overseas tourists visiting Japan

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WAmazing Inc., a startup company developing a tourism platform service for overseas tourists to Japan (CEO: Fumiko Kato, Head office: Tokyo, hereinafter "WAmazing"), announced today that it has raised a total of JPY 1.4 billion through a private placement of new shares to several strategic investors and regional banks. WAmazing has raised a cumulative total of JPY 2.01 billion in the Series C funding, bringing the total amount raised since its establishment in July 2016 to JPY 4.53 billion.

*1) According to Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the fact that the number of overseas visitors to Japan reaching 2.51 million in October 2023 exceeded the figure in the same month in 2019 is described as “the full-scale recovery”.

Investors in additional Series C funding (in no particular order)

• Hyogo Chiiki Kasseika Fund Investment LPS (The Minato Bank, Ltd.)
• Chugin infinity fund NO.2 investment limited partnership (The Chugoku Bank, LTD.)
• ACT, INC. (https://act1.co.jp/)
• SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS INC.
• YAMASHITA, LTD.
• SAGIN Venture Capital Investment Business Limited Liability Partnership Number 5 (The Bank of Saga Ltd.)
• Emergence For The Future fund 1.0, L.P. (Kamakura Investment Management Co.,Ltd.)
• SuMi TRUST innovation investment limited partnership (Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited)
• Iwate new business creation fund No. 3 investment limited partnership (The Bank of Iwate, Ltd.)
• eole Inc.
• POCKRT CULTURE CO.,LTD
• QR NO.2 fund investment limited partnership (The Hokkoku Bank, Ltd.)
• Japan Post Capital Co.,Ltd.
• Several individual investors
• Japan Finance Corporation

Purpose of additional Series C funding

Since the resumption of individual travel to Japan and the beginning of visa waivers from October 2022, the inbound market has been recovering quickly, with the number of overseas visitors to Japan reaching 2.51 million in October 2023 (100.8% of the figure in the same month in 2019). In response to the market full-scale recovery, our overall sales and OTA transaction volume (GMV) in the latest FY 2023 was 5.5 times and 3.8 times respectively higher than in FY 2020 before the pandemic, and the number of our registered members exceeded 520,000 at the end of October 2023. After coping with the pandemic over the course of two-and-a-half years, our growth is accelerating significantly, outpacing the recovery in the overall market.

In addition to the re-expansion of the OTA business launched at WAmazing's establishment, the Regional Tourism DX business, which was launched in April 2020 in response to the pandemic as our second business line, we saw the number of orders in FY 2023 increase 1.5 times over the previous year and the cumulative sales during past four fiscal years reached approximately JPY 1.8 billion. Moreover, our Inbound Marketing Consulting business was launched in November 2022 as our third business line in response to the full-scale recovery of overseas tourists visiting Japan. As a result, it has become an urgent need to recruit human resources and secure capital for growth.

In addition to growth capital, we will accelerate growth by promoting capital and business alliances with new strategic investors that wish to strengthen their inbound business, and by collaborating with regional banks that are seeking to revitalize their local communities through inbound business.

About WAmazing

WAmazing is a startup company founded in July 2016 that provides a tourism platform service for overseas visitors to Japan. WAmazing provides online (Web, App, WeChat) centralized travel reservation arrangements (OTA business) for the five major consumption categories (accommodation, sightseeing, shopping, transportation, and food & beverage) of inbound tourism to Japan. Free SIM distribution machines have been set up at 25 airports in Japan with regular international flights, and free SIM cards are being offered to increase our registered membership. The main service regions are Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Southeast Asian countries, and Australia. WAmazing has built a business model in which growth is accelerated by synergy effects among the three business lines of OTA, Regional Tourism DX, and Inbound Marketing Consulting, and has increased sales and growth for eight consecutive fiscal years since its establishment.

Services provided by WAmazing

(1) OTA business (Online Travel Agent)

*The following are examples of traditional Chinese character versions of services

WAmazing Discover (multilingual sightseeing guide for visitors to Japan) https://www.wamazing.com/media/
WAmazing Stay (reservation service specializing in natural hot spring accommodations for visitors to Japan) https://www.wamazing.com/yado/onsen
WAmazing Shopping (tax-free online shopping service for inbound travelers) https://www.wamazing.com/kaimono/
WAmazing Transport (transportation ticket purchase service for visitors to Japan) https://www.wamazing.com/ticket/
WAmazing Play (activity reservation service for tourists visiting Japan) https://www.wamazing.com/activity/
WAmazing Snow (snow activity reservation service for inbound travelers to Japan) https://www.wamazing.com/snow/

(2) Regional Tourism DX business (support projects for local governments, DMOs, DMC organizations, etc.) https://corp.wamazing.com/local-cooperation/

(3) Inbound Marketing Consulting business (inbound promotion support for Japanese companies) https://www.atpress.ne.jp/news/337474

WAmazing Recruitment Guide

In order to grow our business, we urgently need to secure human resources as well as capital for growth.

Openings: More than 50 positions in marketing, engineering, travel product planning, translation, planning and delivery, etc.

WAmazing Recruiting Information

https://hrmos.co/pages/wamazing/jobs

Company Profile

Name: WAmazing Inc.

Representative: Kato Fumiko, CEO

Established: July 2016

Address: 201 Naganuma Building, 1-17-12 Misuji, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Paid-in Capital: JPY 3,968 million (including capital surplus)

Contacts

For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact: Yokoyama, WAmazing Public Relations [email protected]
Representative phone: +81-50-3649-9420 / Representative fax: +81-50-3588-4432