Professor Hitoshi Yoshida of Yamanashi University visited us and gave a lecture on September 5th of this year. Mr.Yoshida is an expert on international relations, tourism, and local government policies.
“What do you think the value of tourism is?” After listening to his lecture, I thought “the value of tourism is connecting people.”
What can be done to increase the number of tourists to Yamanashi Prefecture, which has declined due to the effects of the coronavirus?
There is something called “Universal Design.” Universal Design is a design concept which seeks to create environments that can be used by people independently and naturally regardless of their disabilities. This allows people with disabilities to live freely and comfortably. However, Yamanashi does not have a “barrier-free” consultation desk where people can ask about this type of design or how to use it while traveling.
With Yamanashi’s population declining, the benefits of tourism are growing to the point that it is no longer possible to ignore them. In order to not miss this opportunity to spread the word about Yamanashi, I feel that we should implement universal design and places to talk about it in order to connect with people with disabilities. By doing this, Yamanashi will become famous for being kind to people with disabilities and more of them will choose to visit here. I feel that it was necessary to be kind to everyone in Japan and around the world.
9月5日、山梨県立大学の吉田均先生に講演をしていただいた。先生は国際関係や観光、自治体の政策などについてとても詳しく、講演では山梨の観光についてお話をしていただいた。
突然だが、皆さんは観光の価値はどこにあると思うだろうか。講義を聞いて私は、観光の価値は人と人とをつなぐことだと思った。現在観光は経済とともに成長してきていて、コロナ禍でそれがいったん止まったものの現在V字回復を遂げているという。しかし山梨は「3/4回復」と増加には至っていない。では、観光での収入を増やすべく、観光客を大切にしつつも効果的に増加させていくにはどうすればよいだろうか。
「ユニバーサルデザイン」というものがある。障害を持った人などでも自由にのびのびと暮らすことができることを助けられるように設計された工夫のことだ。山梨にはこれについての使用や旅行中の使用について相談できる「バリアフリー相談窓口」がない。有名な観光地が多いのに残念なことだ。また、山梨に限らず外国人観光客のマナーについて避難するような排斥的な意見が世間に広がっているように思う。
山梨の人口が減っている今、観光での収入は見て見ぬふりをすることができぬほど大きくなっている。そんな山梨の魅力を発信するチャンスを失わないために日本や世界のどんな人にも優しくして行く必要があるように感じた。
Professor Hitoshi Yoshida of Yamanashi University visited us and gave a lecture on September 5th of this year. Mr.Yoshida is an expert on international relations, tourism, and local government policies.
“What do you think the value of tourism is?” After listening to his lecture, I thought “the value of tourism is connecting people.”
What can be done to increase the number of tourists to Yamanashi Prefecture, which has declined due to the effects of the coronavirus?
There is something called “Universal Design.” Universal Design is a design concept which seeks to create environments that can be used by people independently and naturally regardless of their disabilities. This allows people with disabilities to live freely and comfortably. However, Yamanashi does not have a “barrier-free” consultation desk where people can ask about this type of design or how to use it while traveling.
With Yamanashi’s population declining, the benefits of tourism are growing to the point that it is no longer possible to ignore them. In order to not miss this opportunity to spread the word about Yamanashi, I feel that we should implement universal design and places to talk about it in order to connect with people with disabilities. By doing this, Yamanashi will become famous for being kind to people with disabilities and more of them will choose to visit here. I feel that it was necessary to be kind to everyone in Japan and around the world.