Meet Akira Ogasawara | Owner of Travel Agency & travel consulting

We had the good fortune of connecting with Akira Ogasawara and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Akira, how does your business help the community?
Since Covid -19 started, our industry, Hospitality industry especially counting on Japanese market outbound to USA has gotten devastated completely. Our industry experienced each year this type of disasters such as wars, terrorist attacks, pandemic, since almost 1991 of Iraq War. However, this pandemic was totally enormous and almost distinguished the lights of the recovery. During the covid pandemic, we have never slept without thinking how we should recover, how we should start encouraging our staff, and what would be the strong market niche, if any.
For our experience, we went back to the good year of 2017 and 2018 when I had the chance to join the marketing research trip in Colorado for almost two weeks.
During that trip, we checked each major travel-counted cities, 4 National Parks local events.
Besides, I found out the Colorado State was a very attractive to railroad fans. I made sure the state would be a Trove of railroads.
We have decided to provide Japanese Travel Industry with lots of very valuable information on Colorado railroad history, the existing systems and how to approach to those treasure in the state for free so each individual travel agency can send its clients and customers to Colorado.
Not only that, we would provide Colorado local authorities with the marketing idea to make Colorado more attractive.
One of them would be a silent auction organized by those railroad existing systems such as Cumbres Toltec Railroad and Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
America has no Colosseum, no Sphinx. Instead, it is filled with numerous natural wonders created by the earth.
In a sense, there are still many wildernesses that are different from the elite national parks of the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, which are still isolated and seemingly uninviting, as if they are still in the same state of mind as the uninhabited. Vermillion Cliffs is just such an unimaginable world.
Although it has been covered by numerous media outlets and the number of visitors from Japan is gradually increasing, the Vermilion Cliffs has been voted one of the top “10 Geological Wonders You Didn’t Know” by those in the know. It is one of the best-kept secrets in the U.S., and was chosen as one of the “10 Geological Wonders You Didn’t Know.

When I encountered Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, I have decided to create a unique travel agency or consulting company, Outdoor Tours USA.
We only feature the places where Japanese people really want to visit, however, those places have some difficulties such as permits to pay a visit to, language barriers and how to prepare for visiting. Those places are Havasu Falls in Supai , AZ, Boundary Water Canoe Areas in MN, John Muir Trails in CA, as well as Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in AZ-UT.
We also feature the attractive RVs for renting, Jeep Campers for renting and Harley Davidson for renting – those are requiring the renters with a lots of knowledge to rent. This is where we are helping people who want to visit or rent those vehicles.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Start from Denver, CO. by visiting Colorado Railroad Museum followed by riding Pikes Peak Cog Rail. In both cities, we will stop by at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre and Garden of the Gods in Denver and Colorado Springs respectively.
We will continue riding Royal Gorge Route Railroad at Canon City followed by major rides at Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Those two are major highlights for the railroad fans in the world.
This trip will be finished by AMTRAK ride from Grand Junction to Denver, one of the most beautiful lines along with Colorado River. The Amtrak train’s called California Zephyr.
The above itinerary can be done in a week.
If you’re a railroad fan, you should try when you visit USA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Veltra Japanese Travel Agency, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and Colorado Tourism Office.

Website: www.outdoortoursusa.com

Instagram: outdoortoursusa

Facebook: Outdoor Tours USA