The Tomakomai Integrated Resort Promotion Council, an organization of the Tomakomai business community aiming for an IR bid, has established a “Committee for the Review of IR and Urban Development” with Tomakomai City.
The business community and the city of Tomakomai have already been promoting an IR bid, but this is the first time this sort of unified organization has been established.
To commemorate establishment of this committee, a seminar was held by the Tomakomai IR Promotion Council featuring speakers Akira Kurita of Hakuhodo Co., Ltd. IR/MICE Promotion Office, and Itaru Ishii, author of “Integrated Resorts of the World.”
Kurita lectured in front of about 200 attendees from the corporate members of the community on the theme, “Japanese IR Achieving JPY600 trillion as the Pillar of Japan’s Growth Strategy.”
He explained how IRs are essential for Japan to achieve the government’s goal of 60 million foreign visitors and JPY15 trillion in consumption, as well as why the unprecedented scale of a world-class facility and the level of international competition required is so critical to achieving that goal.
He also appealed for the need for both metropolitan and regional IRs, explaining the roadmap from area authorization to operator distribution leading to opening of the facilities. His speech emphasized Hokkaido’s competitive advantage in the process.
Kurita’s stance is that Hokkaido can play a pivotal role in achieving the government’s goal of JPY600 trillion in GDP by incorporating business executives (MICE/business tourism) and VIP (luxury tourism), which lead to highly lucrative domestic demand focusing on the importance of selecting both metropolitan and regional IR sites.
