TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
GCC region travellers often look for exploring new destinations to experience something unique in terms of authenticity. Hiroshima, a destination that is popular due to its history, is being promoted by destination management companies (DMDs) to attract GCC travellers to experience their initiatives promoting peace tourism.
TT Bureau
Hiroshima in Japan has established itself as a destination promoting peace tourism. It is rich culturally and historically, but there is more to the destination itself, and as the country recently opened and grants free entry to Emiratis springboards Japan’s tourism initiative to the next level.
Hiroshima’s peace tourism initiative project provides an opportunity for both international and domestic visitors to find out what peace means to them and share their thoughts by learning about Hiroshima, its past, present, and future. This would be carried out by way of memorials, monuments and museums dedicated to peace, explore historical sites, hibaku buildings and trees. Hibaku means “bombed” and it’s used not only for people but also for buildings and trees.
Speaking with , Ayumi Kimba, Director, J-Links Co.,Ltd., shared, “We are focusing on Middle East but in particular GCC. People in Middle East/ GCC often recognise Hiroshima as a city bombed with nuclear weapons but many of them don’t really know what happened after that and how it is like nowadays. Actually, I was born and grew up in Hiroshima. ‘Hiroshima Peace Tourism’ has been started, and this is not so-called dark tourism, but tourism of hope and for peace. Most of the foreign visitors to Hiroshima had been day trippers, but since there are more and new places where people can enjoy from early morning to late at night, we are hoping they will stay longer.” From the present, visitors can see a lot of nature, children learning about the history and taking action for peace, including in their school trips, various souvenirs, especially of “Orizuru”, a paper crane, which is a symbol of peace and long life, enjoy “Okonomiyaki”, which was created after the war and often called Japanese savoury pancake of Japanese pizza, and see many tourists from overseas, even from the United States.
She reiterated, “We are promoting Hiroshima Peace Tourism especially for a longer stay by introducing places to visit and things to do from early morning to late at night. There are tour guides but Peace Tourism itself is a project, which aims to let the visitors from overseas and citizens of Hiroshima city find out what peace means to them and share their thoughts by learning about Hiroshima, past, present, and future with the various memorials, monuments and museums dedicated to peace, and explore historical sites, hibaku buildings and trees.”
Speaking on the unique experiences that the Middle Eastern travellers can witness or partake in, Kimba shared, “They can see how the city of Hiroshima has recovered from the atomic bombing in 1945 and how people are living there. Hiroshima is also a popular destination for Japanese school trips to educate children about peace. In Hiroshima, people can learn about the devastation caused by the atomic bomb, think about what can be done for peace and be inspired to action. We hope more people including Gen Z to know about not only the tragedy of the atomic bombs, but also believe that human beings have power to revive and act to stop more tragedies from nuclear weapons.”
Kimba further explained how they utilise technology to provide a more wholesome tour for both adults and children. “We showcase through digital maps and VR tours in terms of technology about the past as said earlier. Apart from that, we share information to attract visitors by way of guide books as well. When it comes to other activities to be enjoyed, it includes many outdoor activities as well such as hiking, and we also have halal and Muslim-friendly restaurants and outlet mall with a prayer room. For accommodation on luxury, there was only Sheraton Grand Hiroshima in the city, but Hilton Hiroshima has just opened. So, now we have new facilities as well.”
