On 23 and 24 Aug, the Mayor of Hamamatsu, Mr SUZUKI Yasutomo, and staff of the Hamamatsu City Government visited Sydney to engage in promotional activities to showcase Hamamatsu and appeal to Australian tourists. During Mayor Suzuki’s time in Sydney, he co-hosted a ‘Hamamatsu Fair in Australia’ event, and visited travel agencies and other relevant travel organisations to promote Hamamatsu.
The Hamamatsu Fair in Australia was held in Tetsuya’s, one of Sydney’s finest restaurants operated by Mr WAKUDA Tetsuya, who was born and grew up in Hamamatsu. As the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan was fast approaching, invited guests included representatives from Japanese travel and flight companies, local media, and rugby players, so that guests could find out first-hand information about Hamamatsu, and the attractions available for tourists during the Rugby World Cup. At the event, Mayor Suzuki gave a presentation on the large variety of attractions in Hamamatsu, such as the food, festivals, history and nature of the city. Mayor Suzuki also spoke about the world-renowned Japanese enterprises that were founded and headquartered in the city, and emphasised the extremely convenient location of Hamamatsu, as the city is halfway between Tokyo and Osaka. The guests were all very interested in finding out more about the city, and many of them expressed their desire to visit Hamamatsu the next time they travel to Japan.
A CLAIR Sydney staff, who had worked at the Hamamatsu City Government as a Coordinator for International Relations, accompanied the delegation on both days and provided assistance with Mayor Suzuki’s presentation by utilising her experience and understanding of Hamamatsu. Her effort over the two days was a way for her to give back to Hamamatsu, where she had a wonderful time.
CLAIR Sydney will continue to support Hamamatsu City Government’s tourism promotional activities in their efforts to attract more tourists from Australia.