Niseko Town has been featured in the media as a leading snow resort destination for inbound tourism, and the number of visitors from overseas has increased year annually. In fact, in fiscal year 2018 , overseas visitors accounted for approximately 40% of the total number of overnight stays in Niseko. However, the global outbreak of COVID-19 caused serious damage to the local economy, including the tourism industry, and this marked a major turning point in the town's rethinking of the very nature of its tourism.

Niseko has long been practicing sustainable urban development as an Environmental Model City and SDGs Future City, and has formulated the Niseko Town Tourism Promotion Vision with the aim of promoting sustainable tourism throughout the region to become a destination of choice for the post-COVID-19 era.