Tohoku Launches 'Reconstruction Tourism'

Tohoku

Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization has launched a new buzzword, 'reconstruction tourism', launching tours to areas that are being rebuilt after the tsunami over a year ago and cajoling world travel leaders to use tourism's potential to help rebuild crisis-hit destinations.

Its chairman, Hiroaki Takahashi, said that the reconstruction tours were aimed at students in particular, "so that they will remember the disaster". 

The organisation is collaborating with related parties to form these tours. Travel consultants were being prepared to string up such tours, and tour guides affected by the crisis were being retrained to be "teller of stories". But beyond these tours, Tohoku's natural scenery and onsens were the reason to visit, he said.

Minami-Sanriku Hotel Kanyo

"It is important to emphasise that we are safe to visit, and how wonderful Tohoku's scenery and onsens are. Its people are also very kind and friendly," Takahashi said.

Noriko Abe-Okami turned her ryokan Minami-Sanriku Hotel Kanyo, 100km north of Sendai, into a refuge for people following the tsunami. She said: "If you visit affected areas, you will learn the importance of safeguarding lives." Sendai is the largest city of the Tohoku region.

About the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization

• A joint organization operated by public (government agencies) and private (private companies) sectors in Tohoku.

• 

  Tohoku

  Study, research, and various promotional activities in order to attract more tourists to Tohoku, based on the "Tohoku Tourism Strategy".
• In order to achieve each project, establish a driving task force and work together with tourism companies, the national government, autonomous bodies, universities and research institutes.
• The driving task force is headed by the Director and the Deputy Director, and consists of three departments; General Coordination and Policy Planning Department, Domestic Operation Department, and International Department.

*The financial funds and personnel resources are provided by both public and private sectors (scale of operation is 200 million yen/year and the number of staff is 15).

Tohoku

Projects of the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization
1 : Raise awareness of Tohoku and enhance the satisfaction of both domestic and foreign tourists who visit Tohoku.
2 : Attract domestic tourists who reside in metropolitan areas.
3 : Attract foreign tourists mainly from East Asia.
4 : Establish a driving system that plays a comprehensive role in Tohoku tourism promotion.

Projects of the International Department

•  Develop Tohoku wide tourism programs and their tours or tourist itineraries for foreign visitors.

  

  Tohoku's natural scenery and onsens

• Take promotional activities with a concerted effort all of Tohoku (calling on travel agencies and masscommunication media, participation in international travel fairs and holding seminars)
• Promotion to attract educational tourism (calling on the foreign interested persons dealing with school journeys)
• Transmission of Tohoku tourism information through the Internet, and provide a wide variety of promotional tools.