Aivible - AI Visibility Optimizer for Japan Tourism SMEs
Last Updated: February 22, 2026
- Name: Tanaka Kenji (田中健二)
- Role: 3rd-generation owner, Yunomoto Ryokan, Gero Onsen
- Demographics: 52 years old, runs 12-room traditional ryokan, 4 staff
- Digital literacy: Basic website (Japanese only), manages bookings via phone/email/Rakuten
- Revenue: ¥45M annually, 70% domestic guests, 30% foreign (mostly pre-booked tours)
- Invisible to AI search: Foreign tourists using ChatGPT/Perplexity to plan trips don't find his ryokan
- Language barrier: Website is Japanese-only, no resources to hire translator/web developer
- Low margins: Tour operator commissions (20-30%) eat into already thin margins
- Declining domestic market: Aging Japanese population, fewer domestic travelers
- Competition from major cities: Tourists stick to Tokyo/Kyoto, skip regional gems like Gero
- Increase direct foreign bookings (reduce tour operator dependency)
- Appear in AI-powered travel planning tools
- Communicate ryokan's unique value (200-year history, private onsen, kaiseki) to foreigners
- Understand where he stands vs. competitors
- AI Audit: Reveals current F/25 score, shows he's invisible to ChatGPT/Perplexity
- Storefront Generator: Creates English-language storefront from existing Japanese site
- GEO optimization: Makes ryokan discoverable when AI engines answer "best onsen near Takayama"
- Affordable: $35/month vs. $5,000+ for full website rebuild
1. Discovery (Awareness)
- Attends Gero Tourism Association meeting where Aivible presents GEO concept
- Realizes his website returns 404 when ChatGPT tries to scrape it
- Sees competitor in Kinosaki scored B/73, getting AI-driven bookings
2. Evaluation (Consideration)
- Visits Aivible demo site, sees scorecard with A-F rating
- Enters his website URL, gets instant D/25 score + breakdown
- Reads report: "AI engines cannot find your business hours, room types, or pricing"
3. Trial (Decision)
- Signs up for 30-day trial, enters payment ($35/month)
- Receives AI Audit report within 24 hours
- Sees generated English storefront preview, makes minor edits (adds seasonal kaiseki menu photos)
4. Activation (Onboarding)
- Publishes storefront at yunomoto-ryokan.aivible.jp
- Links storefront from existing Japanese site (single line of code)
- Aivible indexes content, submits structured data to AI engines
5. Value Realization (First Win)
- Week 2: First booking from Australian couple who found ryokan via Perplexity
- Week 4: AI Audit score improves to C+/42 after adding business hours + pricing
- Month 2: 3 direct bookings, saves ¥180,000 in tour operator fees
6. Retention (Advocacy)
- Recommends Aivible to 5 other Gero ryokan owners at monthly meeting
- Upgrades to annual plan for 15% discount
- Provides testimonial: "Finally, foreign travelers can find us without paying Booking.com 18%"
- Name: Emma Richardson
- Role: Independent traveler, UX designer from Melbourne
- Demographics: 29 years old, plans 2-week Japan trip for April 2026
- Travel style: Avoids tourist traps, seeks authentic local experiences
- Tools used: ChatGPT for itinerary, Perplexity for research, Google Maps for navigation
- AI bias toward major cities: ChatGPT recommends Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka, misses regional gems
- Language barrier: Most small ryokan/restaurant sites are Japanese-only, no English info
- Booking friction: Can't book directly, forced to use Booking.com/Agoda (higher prices)
- Lack of context: Hard to understand what makes a place special (history, local specialty)
- Trust issues: Reviews on TripAdvisor/Google often outdated or fake
- Find unique, off-the-beaten-path experiences in Japan
- Book directly with small businesses (better prices, support locals)
- Get reliable, up-to-date information in English
- Understand cultural context (onsen etiquette, seasonal specialties)
- Storefront visibility: Aivible-powered storefronts appear when Emma asks ChatGPT "best onsen near Takayama"
- English content: Clear descriptions, photos, pricing, booking links
- Structured data: AI engines can parse hours, location, amenities, seasonal info
- Direct booking: Links to ryokan's direct booking (no middleman markup)
1. Inspiration (Planning Phase)
- Asks ChatGPT: "Plan a 2-week Japan itinerary avoiding Tokyo/Osaka crowds"
- Gets response: "Day 5-6: Gero Onsen (Gifu Prefecture) - one of Japan's top 3 onsen towns"
- Clicks ChatGPT-provided link to Yunomoto Ryokan Aivible storefront
2. Research (Deep Dive)
- Reads storefront: 200-year history, private onsen, seasonal kaiseki using Hida beef
- Sees clear pricing: ¥28,000/night for 2 people (breakfast + dinner included)
- Checks location on embedded map: 90 min from Takayama, 3.5 hours from Tokyo
3. Comparison (Validation)
- Asks Perplexity: "Compare Yunomoto Ryokan vs. other Gero onsen options"
- Perplexity highlights Yunomoto's private onsen + family-run heritage (data from Aivible)
- Checks TripAdvisor: 4.8/5 stars, recent reviews mention "helpful owners, authentic experience"
4. Booking (Conversion)
- Clicks "Book Direct" button on Aivible storefront
- Redirected to ryokan's booking form (English version auto-generated by Aivible)
- Receives confirmation email in English within 2 hours (Tanaka uses Google Translate)
5. Experience (On-site)
- Arrives at ryokan, Tanaka greets her with printed Aivible guide (onsen etiquette, meal times)
- Mentions she found ryokan via ChatGPT, Tanaka thanks her and explains Aivible setup
- Takes photos of private onsen, kaiseki dinner
6. Advocacy (Post-trip)
- Writes detailed Google review mentioning how she found Yunomoto
- Shares Instagram post: "AI helped me find this hidden gem in Gero - best onsen experience"
- Next trip: Uses same method to find sake brewery in Fushimi, tea house in Kanazawa
- Name: Yamamoto Sachiko (山本幸子)
- Role: Digital Marketing Manager, Nozawa Onsen Tourism Association
- Demographics: 38 years old, former tech company marketer, returned to hometown 2022
- Mandate: Increase foreign visitor spending in Nozawa (pop. 3,500) to ¥2B by 2027
- Budget: ¥15M/year for digital marketing, events, partnerships
- SME digital gap: 60% of local businesses lack English websites, invisible to AI search
- Budget constraints: Can't afford to build/maintain 50+ English websites for members
- Fragmented presence: Each business uses different platforms (Rakuten, Booking.com, own site)
- Measurement gaps: Hard to track where foreign visitors discover Nozawa (Google? AI? Word of mouth?)
- Tokyo/Kyoto shadow: Major cities dominate AI recommendations, regional areas ignored
- Get Nozawa Onsen businesses to appear in AI-powered travel planning
- Provide affordable, scalable solution for 50+ member businesses
- Track foreign visitor sources (which AI engines drive bookings?)
- Position Nozawa as "best ski + onsen town" in AI search results
- Demonstrate ROI to town council for future budget allocation
- Enterprise tier: Bulk licensing for 50 businesses at ¥250,000/year (~$20/business/month)
- Regional dashboard: Aggregates AI visibility scores across all Nozawa businesses
- White-label option: Storefronts branded as "Visit Nozawa" with tourism board logo
- Analytics: Shows which AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) drive traffic
- GEO strategy: Optimizes for queries like "ski onsen town Japan" to surface Nozawa results
1. Problem Recognition (Pain Point)
- Reviews 2025 data: Foreign visitors up 15%, but spending per capita down 8%
- Conducts test: Asks ChatGPT "best ski + onsen town Japan" → Gets Hakone, Kusatsu (not Nozawa)
- Surveys 20 member businesses: Only 3 have English websites, most scored D/F on AI visibility
2. Solution Search (Research)
- Attends Japan Tourism Board webinar on GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
- Speaker mentions Aivible case study: Gero Onsen improved AI visibility 340% in 6 months
- Downloads Aivible white paper: "Regional Tourism in the AI Search Era"
3. Evaluation (Vendor Selection)
- Schedules demo with Aivible team (Cherprang + Ely)
- Sees dashboard showing 15 Nozawa businesses currently at F/D scores
- Compares alternatives: Website agency quotes ¥3M for 50 sites, Aivible offers ¥250K
4. Pilot (Proof of Concept)
- Launches 3-month pilot with 10 businesses (2 ryokans, 3 restaurants, 2 ski rentals, 1 sake bar, 2 cafes)
- Aivible generates storefronts, trains businesses on content updates
- Tracks AI visibility scores weekly: Average rises from D/28 to C+/51
5. Rollout (Full Deployment)
- Presents results to town council: 10 pilot businesses saw 22% increase in foreign inquiries
- Secures ¥500K budget for 2-year Aivible contract (50 businesses)
- Launches "Nozawa AI-Visible" certification program, promotes via social media
6. Optimization (Continuous Improvement)
- Monthly reviews with Aivible: Identifies content gaps (e.g., ski lesson pricing missing)
- Coordinates seasonal campaigns: Winter (ski + onsen), Spring (cherry blossoms + sake)
- Shares data with Japan Tourism Agency: Nozawa model adopted by 5 other regional towns
All three personas face the AI discoverability gap: Small Japanese businesses are invisible to the AI engines that foreign tourists use for planning.
- SME Owner (Tanaka): "Get found by AI, get direct bookings, keep margins"
- Tourist (Emma): "Find authentic experiences AI recommends, book direct"
- Tourism Board (Yamamoto): "Scale regional visibility affordably, measure AI ROI"
- 15 real businesses scored (D/25 to B/73) prove demand exists
- Price point ($30-40/month individual, ~$20/month enterprise) matches SME budgets
- GEO positioning addresses shift from Google SEO to AI search optimization
- Convert 5 of 15 seeded businesses to paying pilots
- Land 1 regional tourism board (Gero or Nozawa) as anchor customer
- Demonstrate 30%+ increase in AI visibility scores within 60 days
- Document foreign booking conversions from Aivible storefronts