Reconstruction and Mitigation of Disasters in Tourism

Abstract

Based on the characteristics of tourism activities, this paper shows the effects of disaster on the tourism phenomenon and consumer behavior in tourism. The efforts and challenges of reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake are discussed, focusing mainly on Fukushima Prefecture. The occurrences of disasters affect a wide variety of stakeholders, with damage to tourist destinations and tourism resources. Stakeholders include road administrators, transport providers, accommodation providers, and food and beverage industries—all essential in supporting tourism. Therefore, we should address each phase of the issue, such as prevention of disaster and restoration and reconstruction in the tourism sector, including social infrastructure. In particular, tourist destinations may be vulnerable to the development of a negative reputation triggered by disaster or accidents. Tourism itself has the feature of being a non-mandatory activity. Thus, reconstruction of tourist destinations is especially important to regain the level of visitors enjoyed in the pre-disaster period. In this paper, case studies of current efforts in Fukushima are discussed. As the number of visitors has not yet recovered to the pre-disaster level, recovery progress toward the next stage is vital.