Mission
Nurturing the Future
Together with Local
Communities
through Tourism.
Tour Designers was born from a desire to nurture the future together with local communities through tourism.
For us, tourism is not the goal — it is a means to protect and empower the places we call home.
Living in Okinawa and working alongside its people, we have seen both the beauty of this island and the challenges that lie beneath it.
That is why we listen to local voices and design journeys that allow communities themselves to lead the story of tourism.
Through travel, communities rediscover pride, and travelers gain inspiration and understanding.
By creating a cycle of connection and shared value, we aim to preserve the culture, nature, and smiles that have been passed down for generations.
This cycle of encounters is the future of tourism we envision.
Travel connects people, and every smile we share helps carry the spirit of this island forward.
That is our mission at Tour Designers.
From Okinawa, we share a new vision of tourism — one where local communities lead the way.
Vision
Towards a future
where travel reconnects
people and places.
We envision a world where journeys celebrate the pride and beauty of each community, and where travelers rediscover the richness within themselves.
From consumption to co-creating and nurturing journeys, we continue to design heartfelt experiences inspired by the light and wind of Okinawa.
Values
The Heart of
Designing Journeys
-
1. Connection
We design journeys that connect people, nature, and time — weaving moments where hearts and places resonate as one.
-
2. Respect
We walk with deep respect for the cultures, traditions, and stories that breathe life into each place we visit.
-
3. Sensibility
We attune to the subtle voices of life — in the light, wind, and silence — creating journeys that awaken the senses and move the heart.
-
4. Co-creation
We believe in journeys created and nurtured together — where communities, travelers, and we ourselves grow and carry the future forward in harmony.
We design journeys with connection, respect, sensibility, and co-creation — creating stories that nurture both people and places.
The Light and Wind of
Okinawa
Founder’s Message
There is a power in travel — a quiet force that connects people, nature, and time itself. As a guide walking the lands of Okinawa, I have witnessed how travel can gently move the human heart and transform lives.
Yet, I have also seen the other side of that light — the fading of local voices, and the quiet erosion of traditions and culture.
“I want to return the power of travel to the communities themselves.” That was the moment a new vision began to take root — and Tour Designers was born.
We don’t simply create trips — we design them. Each journey we craft weaves together the spirit of a place, the stories of its people, and the traveler’s own sensibility — placing every encounter and moment gently within the quiet spaces of the heart.
Travel is not merely an escape from the everyday — it is a time to breathe deeply, to reflect, and to return to oneself. It is, for me, a time to come home to who I truly am. This is what the light and wind of Okinawa have taught me, again and again.
From consumption to co-creation — we believe in a future where communities, travelers, and we ourselves continue to grow together in harmony, grounded in the spirit of Okinawa.
Believing in a future where the smiles of people and communities resonate together — in the light and wind of Okinawa.
Ai Munakata
Founder / Tour Designers Inc.
-
For Local Communities
Together, We Weave the Future.
When we speak with people in the community,
we often hear, “There’s nothing here to show to tourists.”
But in truth, the everyday lives you have cherished and passed down — the laughter of children echoing through narrow lanes, the fields nourished by the sun and sea breeze, and the warm ties that connect one person to another — these are the true treasures that touch the hearts of travelers.
We wish to help share these treasures with the world, adding gentle stories that carry the light and pride of each community into the future.
So that even 100 years from now, your children and grandchildren can proudly say, “I’m glad to have grown up in this place.”
Through tourism, we hope to nurture the future of Okinawa together with you. -
For Our Guests
A Journey that Carries
the Spirit Forward.If your idea of Okinawa is only white beaches, blue seas, and beautiful photos to capture along the way, our journeys may feel a little different.
What we value most is preserving and passing on the culture, traditions, and smiles that the people of Okinawa have lovingly protected for generations.
Through travel, we hope to revitalize local communities, where each guest’s step becomes a small act that helps sustain the beauty of this island and its people.
May the encounters and emotions from your journey breathe gently into your everyday life, and may a breeze or a smile someday remind you of Okinawa.
Each journey we design is crafted with that quiet wish in mind.
The Story of Our Logo
Meaning Behind the Logo
— Nurturing Diversity, Together.
Our logo takes inspiration from a dream fruit tree — a single tree bearing many kinds of fruits in harmony.
Each fruit represents the smiles of Okinawan people, the island’s deep-rooted culture and history, travelers, and the friends who co-create journeys with us.
Just as every fruit has its own color, shape, and fragrance, so too does each person connected to our community carry a unique story and spirit.
“May the blessings of tourism be shared by all, and may each individuality find harmony and connection, reaching beautifully into the future.”
That is the wish woven into our logo.
Ai Munakata
Founder / CEO / Tour Designer
Originally from Tokyo, Ai studied in Canada before moving to Okinawa, driven by a desire to look beyond titles and backgrounds, and to rediscover herself as an individual.
Working as a manager at a diving shop, she witnessed the moments when people’s smiles and the strength of local communities intertwined — and discovered the quiet power of travel to connect and transform.
Later, as a nationally licensed interpreter guide, she guided guests from around the world and worked in interpretation, English MC, and tourism training.
Through these experiences, she came to see both sides of tourism — its potential to inspire, and the reality that its benefits do not always reach every part of a community.
Believing that “the power of travel should enrich the places it touches,” Ai founded Tour Designers Inc. in 2021.
Today, she focuses on designing journeys and experiences, while also engaging in regional consulting, public-sector training, and university lectures to promote community development through tourism.
What she values most is not a guide telling stories, but creating the space for each traveler to weave their own.
Travel, to her, is not an escape from the everyday — it is a time to look inward, to breathe deeply, a time to come home to who she truly is.
She continues to design journeys where people and communities resonate with one another and create new forms of value together.