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LECTURES, SYMPOSIA & CONFERENCES
symposium commemorating the International Year of Ecotourism
 

Profile of Kazuo Aichi:
President of the Japan Ecotourism Society, Mr. Aichi was a member of the House of Representatives from 1976-2000, during which he served as Minister of Environment, Minister of Defense, and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Kazuo AichiWorld Ecotourism Summit Report
 In May 2002, the World Ecotourism Summit took place in Quebec City, Canada jointly organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec. About 1200 participants from 132 countries attended this largest event for the International Year of Ecotourism, including a Japanese delegation of 18 members from both the public and private sectors. The participating ministries were the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry however did not attend. I think this highlights the fact that in Japan, tourism is not considered an industry, and this is a big problem.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan is very small, ranking 35th in the world in visitor arrivals. I think this is also a result of the fact that tourism is not promoted as an industry in our country.

At the World Ecotourism Summit, I had the opportunity to give a presentation as the head of the Japanese delegation. The following points were emphasized in my speech:

1) Tourism and peace are closely related, and those who are interested in tourism must first cooperate to achieve peace and stability in the world. Conversely, international travel, especially ecotourism, will offer people opportunities to explore the wondrous world of nature and experience different lifestyles, promoting mutual understanding among cultures and thereby greatly contributing to world peace.

2) Those who have actually seen the degrading environment and experienced ruined ecosystems in the filed throughout the world can effectively voice concerns about environmental preservation.

3) In Japan, ecotourism can also be regarded as a movement to create a new lifestyle reviving the traditional Japanese values of living in harmony with nature.

4) It is expected that promotion of ecotourism in developing countries will be adopted as a core policy of Japan's contribution through ODA.

5) With ecotourism development in Japan, it is expected that more foreign tourists will visit Japan and in turn deepen their understanding of our country.

Also at this Summit, the Quebec Declaration on Ecotourism was issued. It will be reported to the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2002. This Declaration contains 49 ecotourism principles, such as including local and indigenous communities in the planning, development and operation of ecotourism, contributing to local inhabitants' well-being; recognizing the cultural diversity associated with many natural areas, and others.

Finally, I would like to give my personal view of ecotourism. I believe tourism is basically about experiencing things that we rarely encounter in our daily lives. Such an experience may lead to astonishment, create a deep impression, or bring us joy or fulfillment at learning something new. Or, it may even be shocking. In order to experience things we rarely encounter, professional guides play an important role.

I also believe that tourist attractions might include not only places that are beautiful and enjoyable, but also areas that are severe, dangerous or even unclean. I recently visited the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York, and was surprised to see many tourists there. While there are "static resources" that remain unchanged, there can also be "dynamic resources" worth a visit, where either something beautiful has destroyed or vice versa.

In ecotourism, I think it important that your experience feeds back into your daily life. For example, children may be deeply impressed by their encounter with nature or animals during a trip. This experience in turn can become a guidepost as they grow up. Also, for adults, their learning experience should be utilized in educating children. Such feedback from ecotourism experiences is very important. I hope that each one of you will help promote the ecotourism movement.