NARA--For a prefecture that boasts top tourist attractions but struggles to keep visitors overnight, its first international luxury hotel is raising expectations that high-rolling sightseers will spend more nights there.

Nara Prefecture ranks second worst in Japan for its number of overnight guests, but the prefecture is pinning its hopes on the new hotel brand to lure in such tourists and help boost the local economy--despite opening in the middle of a pandemic.

The JW Marriott Hotel Nara opened here on July 22, boasting 158 rooms, including 16 suites, while also housing a fitness center, restaurants, a spa and other facilities.

Karl Hudson, area vice president for Japan and Guam at Marriott International Inc., said he is confident it will achieve success as the first international luxury hotel in the ancient capital.

An overnight stay costs from 45,000 yen ($424), excluding tax and a 12-percent service charge. Its most luxurious room, the 172-square-meter Presidential Suite, is priced at 800,000 yen.

The hotel was initially scheduled to open in spring, but it was delayed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. It is also unlikely to receive visitors from outside Japan for the time being.

But Hudson said the hotel aims to start out by attracting domestic tourists. He said pent-up demand is expected because people longing for travel have had their vacation plans turned upside down this year. Plus, the government’s “Go To Travel” campaign should stimulate domestic tourism.

The prefectural government spearheaded the project to build it on the former site of a prefecture-run pool, giving it more reason to hope for success.

“We are very grateful for the world’s top brand to operate here,” Governor Shogo Arai said during the opening ceremony.

Although the prefecture boasts world-famous sightseeing spots, such as Nara Park with its popular deer, and Todaiji temple, home to the Great Buddha statue, the number of overnight stayers has remained extremely low, especially compared to its neighbors.

According to a survey compiled by the Japan Tourism Agency, the total number of nights tourists spent in Nara Prefecture was about 2.73 million in 2019, ranking second from the bottom among the country’s 47 prefectures, only above Tokushima Prefecture.

But neighboring prefectures net many more overnight guests.

Osaka Prefecture ranks second overall, with about 47.43 million, while Kyoto Prefecture is ranked fifth with about 30.75 million.

Nara Prefecture is limited by its small number of accommodations.

The number of guest rooms at ryokan inns and hotels in the prefecture is the lowest in Japan, at 9,426, according to a survey conducted by the labor ministry in fiscal 2018.

The total number of tourists has been trending upward, with 44.21 million people visiting the prefecture in 2018. However, many tourists opt to stay overnight in Kyoto and Osaka prefectures because they boast an abundance of nighttime entertainment options in Kyoto’s Gion district, Osaka’s Minami area and elsewhere.

One member of the travel industry even said tourists only come to Nara to see deer.

“There is a big difference in the amount of money spent by day-trippers and overnight stayers. It has been our long-cherished wish to attract more overnight guests,” a prefectural government official said.

The officials have been making efforts in recent years to bring more hotels into the prefecture.

One resort hotel opened on the grounds of Nara Park in June, with another scheduled to open there in 2022. A third new hotel is set to open in the city of Tenri in the same year.

International luxury hotel brands are particularly attractive, though, because they are popular among wealthy visitors from home and abroad.

“It could serve as a catalyst to add new attractions to the city, like bringing luxurious restaurants to the surrounding areas,” said Hideyuki Arai, head researcher at Resona Research Institute Co.

Yoshifumi Muneta, a professor at Kyoto Prefectural University, said areas other than the prefectural capital also have potential, including the village of Asuka, which is home to many ancient burial mounds.

“From now on, it is necessary to devise unique ways to accommodate tourists in scattered areas across the prefecture, not only in urban areas, but also in rural communities that retain the ambiance of a farming village,” Muneta advised.

(This article was written by Akira Nemoto and Yuka Kanemoto.)