On 6 September, the Australia-Japan Tourism Cooperation Dialogue was held in Perth, Western Australia. A staff member of CLAIR Sydney attended the event and gave a presentation on tourist destinations in Aomori Prefecture as a part of CLAIR Sydney’s support activities for Aomori.
The Dialogue was held in Perth following the launch of the daily direct service between Perth and Tokyo (Narita Airport) on 1 September 2019. The Dialogue was attended by government officials from both Australia and Japan, led by Ms Julianne Merriman, Assistant Secretary of Competitiveness and Business Engagement Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Mr TABATA Hiroshi, Commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency, respectively. Representatives from the tourism industries of both countries, such as travel agencies and airlines, also participated in the Dialogue. The Hon. Richard Court AC, Australian Ambassador to Japan, also attended from Japan and listened to the discussions and presentations on the tourism promotion efforts by the public and private sectors of both Australia and Japan.
At the event, a staff member of CLAIR Sydney, who is seconded from Kuroishi City in Aomori Prefecture, gave a short presentation on tourist destinations in Aomori, focusing on snow activities in Aomori and the hot spring area in Kuroishi City. During the presentation, the staff member wore a ‘happi’ coat* with symbols that represent Aomori, such as snowflakes and apples. Feedback from the audience included an attendee who said she would like to pass on the information to her friends who are going to travel to Aomori, and another attendee who expressed keen interest in visiting traditional streets in Kuroishi City.
CLAIR Sydney will continue to support Japanese local governments’ destination promotion activities in Australia.
(*The happi coat is traditional outerwear that Japanese people don at special occassions, such as festivals)
