Japan will focus on its MICE and sports tourism industries in an effort to reach its ambitious goal of welcoming 40 million international visitors per year.
In the opening comments of the Asian Tourism Leaders’ Forum in Tokyo today, Hisayuki Fujii, Japan’s Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism spoke of how these two sectors could help propel the country towards it target, especially with the hosting of several huge sporting events in the coming years. Japan will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
In the MICE session, presenter of BBC’s The Travel Show, Carmen Robert, outlined ways to create a sustainable MICE industry. She highlighted successful recent examples, including recycling name badges and using electric transport to event venues.
Masaki Otsuka, managing director of JTB Communication Design, also noted how incentive travel events could be made sustainable, mentioning that a successful campaign not only resonates with an industry body but with an individual.
Environmental concerns include safety and independence for the industry (and so brand loyalty for each person); economic and good publicity (so motivation to improve sales); social continuity and progress (so increasing expectation for the next event). He highlighted the importance of bridging from one event to another, via a sustainability report including a questionnaire for the local community and event attendees.
JTB Communication Design was formed out of JTB Motivations, first Japanese motivation company, which was founded in 1993. The company has created and installed fire-resistant PVC panels, reusable decor, solar-powered facilities and easy-drying drapes for various events, as well using tablets for paper-free event documentation.
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