ARISE Japan Public Symposium 2022 “Increasing resilience to disasters by strengthening SMEs as a community: learnings from the travel and tourism sector”

Time

15:00-16:30 JST (Room opens 14:45)

Description

Globally, 99% of businesses are SMEs, and employ one in three people. Strengthening SMEs as the backbone of a strong community can contribute to the overall resilience of the local area, in the face of extreme weather, pandemics, and systemic and cascading risks. In Japan, the SME Resilience Enhancement Act came into effect in 2019, based on learnings from the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent major disasters, that business continuity of SMEs have great effect in reducing socioeconomic impact of disasters. In parallel, an initiative focusing on strengthening the resilience of the travel and tourism industry – an industry encompassing hotels, restaurants, attraction facilities, and transport; and an industry greatly affected by both disasters and Covid – has been underway.

This year’s ARISE Japan Public Symposium will hear about a pilot programme by the Tourism Crisis Management and Business Continuity Improvement Work Group, run jointly by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Japan Tourism and Travel Association, which draws on local chamber of commerce and Destination Management Organization resources to strengthen tourism SME’s resilience.

Note: The event language will be Japanese.

Tentative Programme

15:00  Welcome remarks from organizer

Mr. Satoshi Hijikata, ARISE Board member; President, Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd.

15:05  Welcome remarks from co-organizer

Ms. Yuki Matsuoka, Head, UNDRR office in Japan

15:10-16:20 Strengthening SME resilience via local resources - a pilot programme

• Overview of the pilot programme Mr. Yuzuru Yashiro, Director of Planning Policy, Planning Policy Department, Japan Travel and Tourism Association
• Good practice 1: Ensuring continuity as a key local tourist attraction Mr. Kanau Okude, Director and CEO, Toba Aquarium
• Good Practice 2:  Hotel invests to continue operations under extended blackouts Speaker TBC
• Q&A and discussion
• Moderator: Mr. Masato Takamatsu, ARISE Japan Lead; President, Tourism Resilience Japan
• Discussant: Ms. Nanae Takanami, Manager, Tourism Division, Toba City;
• Discussant: Ms. Yuka Onaga, CEO & President, Thunderbird Co., Ltd.
• Discussant: Ms. Yuki Matsuoka, Head, UNDRR office in Japan

16:20  Summary and closing remarks

Mr. Masato Takamatsu, ARISE Japan Lead; President, Tourism Resilience Japan

Facilitated by: Ms. Yoshiko Abe ARISE Japan Secretariat; Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Supporting Organizations

• Japan Bosai Platform
• Global Compact Network Japan
• Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Japan Tourism and Travel Association