The City of Water is revamping itself to entice more travellers to its turf, with new adventure offerings, historical and cultural experiences, and plenty of tasty eats. By Kathryn Wortley

Over May 19 to 21, eyes of the world will be on Hiroshima as it hosts the G7 Summit, and the Hiroshima Convention & Visitors Bureau (HCVB) is hoping the exposure of the global event will inspire an uptick in inbound travellers to the city.

Indeed, as early as September 2022, at international travel event Tourism Expo Japan, representatives of HCVB commented that “Hiroshima, as a cosmopolitan city, welcomes the G7 Hiroshima Summit and looks forward to welcoming (international visitors)”.

The unveiling of the famed “floating” otorii (grand gate) of Itsukushima Shrine on Hiroshima’s nearby island of Miyajima in late 2022, after more than three years of painstaking restoration work, is expected to be a major draw. At 16.6m tall and weighing 60 tonnes, the gate is a symbol of Hiroshima, attracting 4.7 million visitors in 2019, according to Miyajima Tourist Association.

Also adding to the prefecture’s appeal is the increased number and range of hotels available. These include the luxury Japanese- and Western-style Kyukamura Taishakukyo, which opened in February 2023, as well as the popular Fav Hotel and international brand Hilton Hiroshima, both of which launched in autumn 2022.

The biggest change in Hiroshima since the outset of the pandemic, though, is in adventure travel, defined by the Japan Adventure Tourism Organisation (JATO) as “trips that consist of two or more of the three elements of activity, nature and cultural experience”.

In 2023, more arrivals to the prefecture are expected to take part in adventure tourism than ever before, thanks to recent local efforts, buoyed by national support. In autumn 2022, the Japanese government named adventure travel as one of its three focus areas – along with sustainable travel and luxury travel – to entice travellers back to Japan. Officials are banking on post-lockdown visitors seeking out trips that are slower, longer and more connected to nature or offer unique outdoor and cultural activities.

And the travel trade in Hiroshima has been busy preparing for the arrival of these travellers.

Takeo Tamamoto, director of the MICE promotion department at HCVB, said there are many new tours and activities that cater to travellers who want to enjoy the local area’s culture and scenery.

A popular option is an early morning hike up Mount Futaba, according to Taeko Abe, supervisor of the creative tourism department at HCVB. After setting off from the city centre, participants call at Hiroshima Toshogu, a shrine dedicated to the god of peace and where residents fled in search of water following the 1945 atomic bombing. On reaching the summit, a bento breakfast made with local, sustainable ingredients is served and enjoyed against the backdrop of the city, Seto Inland Sea and Miyajima.

Food and drink activities are also booming. Tokyo-based company ByFood offers guided tours around Hiroshima by day or night. Guests get to try the region’s unique and renowned dishes, such as okonomiyaki pancakes and oysters. Hiroshima produces more than 60 per cent of Japan’s oysters, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Leading local alcohol maker Sakurao Brewery and Distillery also recently launched a tour and tasting package to showcase its whiskey and craft gin.

And, as Hiroshima is known locally as a City of Water, thanks to the six rivers that flow through it, the past few years have seen growth in water-based activities, too.

Hiroshima-based Magic Island offers SUP tours that pass by the city’s two world heritage sites: Itsukushima Shrine and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall.

Companies are also maximising Hiroshima’s advantageous position beside the Seto Inland Sea and its many islands.

Tokyo-based company Heartland Japan’s tours include walking part of the Tobishima Kaido, a 100km route connecting Kawashiri, Kure and Shimo-Kamagari via a series of bridges, and an island homestay incorporating cycling and sailing on Etajima.

Local company Setouchi Reflection Trip, meanwhile, offers a range of airborne activities including a 50-minute seaplane tour over the area’s coasts and islands. It is also possible to take an eight-minute or 17-minute helicopter ride to view the city’s famous sites such as Hiroshima Castle and the Peace Memorial.

Indeed, “momentum for adventure tourism promotion is increasing in Hiroshima and the surrounding area”, according to JATO. June 2022 saw the establishment of the Hiroshima Adventure Tourism Association (HATA), designed to revitalise the prefecture’s tourism industry “through promotion and awareness of adventure tourism”.

HATA offers a five-day adventure tour under the theme of Hiroshima’s story woven through time, which aims to tell the story of the city’s “origin, reconstruction, passion and future” via cycling, river trekking, hiking and sea kayaking.

“Hiroshima has many places and activities that have the potential to change lives and the world,” said HATA chairman Toshiro Yoshihara, noting that the association aims to make “physically and mentally adventurous products” for visitors to enjoy and for the revitalisation of the area.

In February 2023, AdventureConnect, a national event organised by JATO, Adventure Travel Trade Association and HATA, was held in Hiroshima for the first time, marking the prefecture’s continued rise in Japan’s adventure tourism sector.

Although companies are more price sensitive to event entertainment post-lockdown, planners find that in general, budgets can be worked around to meet expectations.

Instead, other important factors have come to the fore in the selection of event entertainment – community tie-back, a large dose of interaction, and the ultimate goal of the business gathering.

Careful considerations
Budgets have tightened in the current environment, forcing clients to carefully consider their event entertainment selection.

Christo Alexander, general manager (Asia) of SongDivision, has seen more requests with tighter budgets and unrealistic expectations. His company uses the science of music and the art of engagement to engage people and create teams.

But he is relieved that the pendulum has also swung the other way.

“Apathy would be a good word to describe entertainment in the corporate realm before Covid, because event planners thought they could just get a good band to entertain and if needed, they would add a show-stopper element,” said Alexander.

“But now, I feel everything’s been stepped up a level and event planners are thinking more deeply about what entertainment can bring to their corporate events,” he continued.

Global Travel’s head of events, Timothy Teo, too, finds that the right choice of entertainment with a “strong link or message” can be justified, even if budgets are constrained. For instance, general meetings are observed to favour a “big opening number such as an upbeat dance performance” to energise the crowd.

Teo added that there are “always budget-friendly alternatives” for every type of entertainment, but cautioned that showmanship and professionalism may be compromised.

Community tie-back and interactive entertainment
Stakeholders say clients feel that having at least one piece of local entertainment is pivotal to the success of the event.

Alexis Lhoyer, co-founder & chief business officer of Chab Events, has observed that providing access to “meaningful, authentic experiences relevant to the destination” is even more important these days.

He relayed an example of how a recent incentive trip in Bali organised by Chab Events saw 500 guests interacting with underprivileged children from various schools and orphanages around the island to craft angklungs, an Indonesian musical instrument consisting of four bamboo tubes suspended in a bamboo frame.

“After guests had built their instruments, everyone came together to create a 15-minute performance, under the guidance of a local singer. The instruments were then donated to the local schools. It was a magical moment of interaction, and all guests loved the authentic experience,” Lhoyer shared.

Similarly, Teo observed: “Incentive trips usually seek to discover the culture of the country, and entertainment that is unique to the destination, and/or has a strong cultural tie-back are much preferred.”

Michelle Sargent, director, Australia & New Zealand, CWT Meetings & Events agrees, saying that clients seek out local entertainment “to feel a connection to the destination they are visiting”.

She pointed out: “One of our clients who organised an event in Fiji chose to support local non-profit organisations such as women’s groups and local choirs to entertain guests at the welcome functions.”

Experiential entertainment is another consideration these days.

SongDivision’s work with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), for example, saw them host six onboarding events for new recruits last year as part of PwC’s introduction to their corporate culture. Called the UN-Conference, these were deemed so successful there are plans for a repeat with four events from July 2023.

“At these events with PwC, we went really deep with the organising committee, organising morning raves, doing sonic acupuncture, music-led meditation and the gala band. The music was spread out and was the main thread that held these conferences together,” said Alexander, who added that clients and their guests have gone beyond wanting to just watch a show.

Sargent concurred: “Experiential music agencies like Rock And Roll Team Building and SongDivision are proving very popular for both teambuilding activities and entertainment. No matter the type of event or age group, music seems to be the one component that can help groups connect instantly.”

She shared examples of how a recent group travelling to Nashville decided to conduct a songwriting challenge for their guests at the Johnny Cash Museum. Meanwhile in Australia, the Bangarra Dance Theatre group is a popular choice for welcome events, as indigenous dancers provide guests with a feel for the destination and its cultural past.

Over in South-east Asia, Sargent observed that entertainment takes a more dynamic approach with water drummers and traditional fire twirling displays.

The Big Picture
To ensure that the corporate message is conveyed clearly, event planners first need to understand the goals of the client and their events.

“Too often, event companies are briefed on the entertainment portion, but miss the big picture. By understanding the bigger picture, (event planners like us) can push our creativity to craft our themes, and design entertainment and décor that will support and enhance those goals,” opined Lhoyer.

SongDivision’s Alexander also noted that company videos are becoming almost cinematic entertainment pieces, using music to create emotional connections to corporate messaging.

More companies in Asia are also getting staff to perform for each other, so as to foster a sense of belonging which eventually retains talents.

Having a selection of music with lyrics that tie in with the messages and paired with video content can also help enhance an attendee’s experience at any corporate event.

Teo elaborated: “For example, a theme like Beyond Boundaries could offer a visual experience of the vast wonders of the world through open fields, a fjord, the great oceans, up through the cosmos, and so on. These images, with the right selection of music, will play with the audience’s emotions and get that message across subtly and subliminally.”

Further emphasising the power of music, Sargent said: “Having your guests leave with a song that is associated with the event is a wonderful way to ensure the memories of the event would live on. – Additional reporting by Adelaine Ng

Langkawi, an archipelago of 99 islands, will undergo its fourth assessment by UNESCO appointed evaluators sometime in 2H2023.

This evaluation takes place every four years and Langkawi has to tick all the right boxes in terms of geo-conservation, sustainable development, and involvement of local communities in managing their geo-heritage resources.

Awarded the UNESCO Global Geopark status in 2007, Langkawi has successfully passed three UNESCO evaluations to date to retain the brand. Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) has also created many initiatives to educate the community about the Geopark branding.

Recalling the uphill battle in the early days of receiving the Geopark recognition to convince tourism stakeholders that the Geopark branding was the way forward, Azmil Munif Mohd Bukhari, deputy manager, tourism division at LADA, said: “Hoteliers and the travel trade had (the) preconceived notion that Geopark related only to ancient rock formations and doubted whether rock formations had enough allure to entice visitors to the island. Other islands, such as Phuket and Bali were also competing for tourists.”

LADA has developed a UNESCO Global Geopark Discovery Centre in Killim and four smaller galleries spread across the main island of Langkawi, offering visitors a better understanding of Langkawi’s complex and ancient landscapes and to explain its geological and environmental significance.

Through LADA’s recent efforts, 32 primary and secondary schools in Langkawi have set up Geopark Corners as a means of educating students on the unique geological formations and the importance of nature conservation.

Today, the branding is widely accepted by tourism stakeholders who say it is what differentiates Langkawi from other islands in the region.

Anthony Wong, owner and operator of Cottage by The Sea by Frangipani Langkawi, told TTG Asia: “The UNESCO branding is also not easy to obtain and all stakeholders in Langkawi are aware of this. We have to be on our toes with preserving and conserving nature to ensure that we continue to be revalidated every four years.”

Nigel Wong, director of Big Blue Holidays, remarked that the Geopark branding will help attract more high-yield, environmentally-conscious tourists and place Langkawi on the global map as one of the must-visit destinations in Asia.

Langkawi’s Global Geopark status has also motivated stakeholders to prioritise conservation and sustainable development on the island.

For instance, Cottage By The Sea by Frangipani Langkawi, has recently established itself as the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Hospitality with support from LADA and UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Wong has developed an efficient system to clean and convert polluted water, including sewage and waste cooking oil, into drinking water within three or four days, as well as a desalination process using special bio-engineered constructed wetland – all without requiring any energy consumption.

He is also a consultant for an ongoing water treatment project funded by the state government to treat waste water in the tourist hubs of Pantai Tengah and part of Pantai Chenang.

The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi introduced the Sea Cucumber Reproduction Project in mid-2022, to counter over-farming which is hurting the local marine ecology, including the rise of coral bleaching. General manager, Ellen Franke, commented: “One of the growing trends we’re observing is how conscious people are about their impact on the environment and the destinations they visit.

“The Sea Cucumber Reproduction Project provides an excellent opportunity for our guests to connect with the environment, allowing them to give back while staying with us.”

To support the sustainability of these unique creatures while directly increasing local sea cucumber populations in the Andaman Sea, the resort’s in-house marine biologist provides guests with a hands-on educational experience to learn more about the asexual technique. There is also an opportunity for guests to release mature sea cucumbers out in the open sea.

Participants will also gain a better understanding of the importance of the sea cucumbers and its ecosystem.