TOKYO, November 16, 2022 – ANA NEO, a metaverse travel service provider and platform, announced a collaborative effort with Hokkaido for the promotion of the island in the new travel metaverse ANA GranWhale.

As part of the ANA GranWhale experience and collaboration, certain areas of Hokkaido – from Wakkanai to Shiretoko and Nemuro – will be digitally constructed to showcase its nature, food, and culture. This effort will focus on promoting tourism in Hokkaido and will benefit the revitalization of various regions in the Prefecture by allowing first time visitors to experience online the benefits and beauty.

In addition, the collaboration will contribute to attracting real travelers to the entire Hokkaido region through a fusion of the real and virtual worlds by providing seasonal tourism information from each region. One of the benefits of digitally mapping this area will be to verify landscapes, cultures and experiences that can be studied by future generations.

Services within the ANA GranWhale allow users the opportunity to see and study cities and regions in Japan as well as make online purchases from the localities they explore. The digitalization of Hokkaido is ANA NEO’s second region after Kyoto.

Supporting the construction of the virtual space, Hokkaido Broadcasting Co.,Ltd. (HBC) will film select locations and contribute images and video materials from their archives to be used in the ANA GranWhale.

ANA NEO will develop local tourist attractions such as Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu, operated by Hoshino Resorts Also, local Hokkaido companies will cooperate in other developments.

[Images are for illustrative purpose only]

[ANA NEO, Inc.]

President and CEO:	Mitsuo Tomita
Founded:	August 7, 2020
Headquarters:	Front Place Nihonbashi, 2-14-1, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan
Capital stock:	87.35 million JPY (as of March 31, 2022)

<Company introduction and message>
Created by ANA NEO, ANA GranWhale is an unrivaled lifestyle experience in the metaverse that offers virtual travel, shopping, events, and entertainment. Atop these extraordinary services, users can even purchase NFTs within the experience. In partnership, ANA NEO will also allow users to visit and explore Kyoto, Hokkaido and other cities around the world. With connections to real destinations, ANA GranWhale will link users to real travel plans personalized to their online activity.

[Hokkaido Broadcasting Co.,Ltd.]

President:	Naoki Katsuta
Founded:	November 30, 1951
Headquarters:	Sapporo, Hokkaido
Capital stock:	495 million JPY (as of October 31, 2022)

<Company introduction and message>
As a media company rooted in the tourist city of Hokkaido, HBC promotes the attractiveness of Hokkaido's food, nature, and sightseeing globally. We believe that the Metaverse business in collaboration with ANA NEO is a new style to establish our vision, and we aim to return profits to the local community through this activity.

[Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu]

General Manager:	Iwao Watanabe
Date of opening:	October 2005 (date of commencement of management by Hoshino Resort)
Head Office Location：	Shimukappu-mura, Yufutsu-gun, Hokkaido
Number of rooms:	735 rooms (including Tomamu The Tower in the same area)
Business:	Hotels, ski resorts, farms, restaurants, bridal services

<Company introduction and message>
RISONARE Tomamu is one of the largest resorts in Hokkaido and is located on a vast site of approximately 1,000 hectares.
The brand concept is to provide visitors with a memorable trip through a stay beyond their imagination.
The resort offers many seasonal programs such as "Unkai Terrace," "Farm Area," and "Ice Village," a village made of ice for guests to enjoy their stay.
We hope that this initiative will help many people discover the scenery and experiences that can only be found in Hokkaido.

Contact: ANA NEO, Inc.
Email: info@ana-neo.com
https://www.ana-neo.com/en