On April 24, 2024, PIC held the second thematic subcommittee session “Tourism Development by utilization of Volcanoes” (Miyakejima x Vanuatu x Samoa) at the “Glocal Tourism Network” (hereinafter “Network”), which was jointly established with Kaihatsu Management Consulting, Inc.

(*For more information on the Network, please click here: https://pic.or.jp/en/archives/6779/)

Unlike seminars, Network adopts a “discussion format” among speakers, but because it is held online, there is a slight time lag in communication due to network conditions in Pacific Island Countries, and this proceeds with consecutive interpretation between Japanese and English, it is necessary to avoid simultaneous comments. Therefore, we will follow the facilitator’s instructions and proceed by dividing the comments into small sections.

Miyakejima Tourist Association, Samoa Tourism Authority, and South Pacific Tours, a private company offering volcano tours in Vanuatu, gave presentations with video and photos on their efforts to develop tourism utilizing volcanoes, a common feature of Japan and Pacific Island Countries. The presentations were followed by feedback on each other’s activities and a question-and-answer session.

We would like to continue to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and policies that would benefit the tourism industry on both the Japanese and the island side.