Beppu, Yufuin Team Up to Create World’s Top Onsen Area; Rival Cities Will Cooperate to Boost Guest Spending, Increase Kyushu Tourism

By Satoshi Yamaguchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

7:00 JST, December 18, 2025

OITA – Two cities in Oita Prefecture known for their onsen hot spring resorts have agreed to form a partnership aiming to develop the region into the world’s top area for onsen tourism. Beppu City, home to Beppu Onsen, and Yufu City, home to Yufuin Onsen, have apparently overcome their longstanding rivalry to reach the agreement, which was announced on Tuesday and is scheduled to be signed on Dec. 23.

Through joint promotional efforts, the two cities aim to strengthen their appeal to both domestic tourists from the Tokyo metropolitan area and visitors from overseas, and to encourage guests to tour other parts of Kyushu as well.

Beppu first became a major tourist destination thanks to the efforts of entrepreneur Kumahachi Aburaya (1863-1935). It features eight distinct hot spring areas, collectively known as the Beppu Hatto, allowing visitors to enjoy a diverse array of water types.

Meanwhile, Yufuin Onsen, in Yufu, is known for its tranquil atmosphere rich in nature. Although the two cities are geographically adjacent, they each have their own personalities and have long competed with each other for popularity.

In a list of Japan’s most popular onsens, released on Dec. 10 by the Jalan Research Center, operated by Recruit Co., Beppu Onsen ranked second and Yufuin Onsen ranked fifth.

The two popular hot spring destinations have some common challenges: visitors tend to come for short stays, and resorts have difficulty increasing per-guest spending. According to 2019 data on municipalities with famous hot springs, compiled by the Kyushu Economic Research Center, the average length of stay was 1.09 nights for Beppu and 1.11 nights for Yufu, both below the national average of 1.27 nights.

To address these challenges, the cities aim to jointly promote an image of themselves as refreshing retreats for both body and mind, aiming to encourage guests to stay for longer. They also plan to improve their messaging targeted at residents of densely populated Tokyo metropolitan area and affluent people overseas and to strengthen public transportation links between the two cities. They plan to discuss specific details for collaboration.

“We want to attract global demand and lay a foundation that will support wide-area tourism,” Beppu Mayor Yasuhiro Nagano said.

Yufu Mayor Takashige Soma said, “We aim to contribute to enhancing economic ripple effects across all of Kyushu.”