As the warm-up routine reaches its zenith, the hilarity in the Sapporo Convention Center is palpable. It’s the opening keynote of the Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS), and fresh from a one-day tour of Hokkaido’s natural assets and multiday adventures across the country, delegates from across the globe start the conference with more exercise: rajio taisō, Japan’s famed morning radio workout.
What followed from Sept. 11 to 14 was a sold-out, four-day extravaganza with 800 delegates from 64 countries and 70 regions mingling and offering their respective countries’ tourist offerings to over 100 buyers. Amid the business dealings, there are more snapshots of Japanese culture like the opening rajio taisō, such as a crowd-pleasing performance of a master calligrapher writing the characters for the summit’s theme — chōwa (harmony) — on a giant canvas, set to traditional music performed live on the koto, a traditional Japanese zither.
Walking into the venue, visitors were greeted by a wide open space allowing for uninterrupted access to all exhibitors. As the host country, Japan’s contingent of tour providers enjoyed a privileged position right by the entrance, so attendees could start with a “visit” to Shikoku and end in destinations such as Fiji and Panama. Ainu motifs including hanging banners and garments sporting traditional patterns decorated the hall, an ever-present reminder of Hokkaido’s indigenous culture.
The event marked the first time the ATWS was held in Asia, but it almost didn’t happen.
Shizue Ishibashi from the Hokkaido Tourism Organization (HTO), who was part of the organizing team, remembers the ordeal well. Back in 2018, the HTO began negotiations with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), a collection of more than 30,000 tour guides, operators and tourism boards from across the world. In 2019, ATTA announced Hokkaido’s capital city would be putting on the organization’s crowning event, the Adventure Travel World Summit, come 2021.
Just as it happened with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and countless other events, the pandemic derailed their plans. The 2021 conference was held virtually, and 2022’s event went to Lugano, Switzerland, as previously agreed. Still, the HTO and their Japanese partners refused to give up and successfully lobbied to bring the summit to Hokkaido this year.
Why Hokkaido? According to ATTA CEO Shannon Stowell, the region has the three pillars of adventure travel in spades: culture, nature and activities. While Sapporo played host, other regions in Japan were also vying for the spotlight. Ryota Sato, executive director of the Hiroshima Adventure Tourism Association and an experienced river trekking tour guide, was there to promote his home region.
“I participated in last year’s summit and felt the importance of getting to know international buyers personally in order to sell,” says Sato, adding that Hiroshima Prefecture’s appeal goes far beyond the well-known wartime history of its largest city.
“People are still unaware of what can be done there. I myself live in Yuki, an onsen (hot spring) town now in decline. To revitalize it, we’re creating outdoor activities such as mountain biking and climbing, while also working with the city office to revive ryokan (traditional inns) that have gone out of business.”
Sato says experiences his organization is currently pushing include a river trekking course just one hour away from the Atomic Bomb Dome that has proved a hit with customers. However, Hiroshima’s ambitions go beyond the town of Yuki.
“We’re also working with operators in Hiroshima City and the Seto Inland Sea to create long-term stay adventure travel products in the region,” he says.
Another unexpected presence at ATWS 2023 was Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital renowned for its cultural wealth but not so much as an adventure tourism destination.
“Our group is relatively new to the ATTA family as ATWS 2022 was the first event we attended,” says Jesse Effron of Adventure Tourism Kyoto, an umbrella organization for several local prefectural travel groups. “We were very impressed. The knowledge and leadership in regard to responsible travel isn’t something that I’ve found at any other sales conferences worldwide. Adventure tourism is becoming closely linked to responsible travel, and I hope to see that trend continue.”
Sustainability was a main theme of the 2023 summit, and it’s also a major concern in the ancient Japanese capital, which has been struggling with overtourism.
“I work for Kyoto by the Sea, an organization in northern Kyoto Prefecture — yes, there is a sea!” Effron says. “We have made responsible travel our main focus, with adventure tours centering on slow tourism, including walking and cycling across the mountains and along the rivers and sea. We have a variety of experiences that include swordsmiths, waterfall rituals in winter and more that straddle the adventure and cultural experience line. There’s a lot of potential for experiences that marry adventure and culture, since the main reason most people are coming to Japan is for its uniqueness, culture and cuisine.”
Stowell also emphasizes these cultural aspects by pointing to a global trend that favors culture as the main appeal of adventure travel.
“I can go hiking anywhere in the world, but I can only do so surrounded by Ainu culture in Hokkaido,” he says.
“Culture is Asia’s advantage over other mature adventure destinations such as America,” agrees Hannah Pearson, ATTA’s Asia-Pacific regional director.
What about challenges? Ishibashi pointed at structural problems within the Japanese tourism industry.
“Under the Travel Agency Act, locally based small operators who know the area well are not able to sell their products directly to overseas buyers,” she says, adding that the HTO tries to match small businesses with larger operators with overseas reach.
Another obstacle is a familiar one: language. When asked about what Japan should improve, Stowell was clear: “More English-speaking guides, particularly for technical activities where safety explanations are very important.”
However, he warned against Westernizing destinations.
“Don’t dilute the Japaneseness, because that’s what makes it special. We want to come to Japan.”
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