Our University's Center for Advanced Tourism Studies will hold the ``24th Online Tourism Creation Forum + Shishimuka Bunka University Lecture-03'' on August 10th (Thursday).

Currently, the Ministry of the Environment is proceeding with the designation of a new national park in the Hidaka Mountains region, and Biratori Town, where CATS is supporting the creation of Ioru forests and preservation of cultural landscapes as a measure to promote Ainu culture, is an important part of this area. It occupies a corner.

Until now, national park management has focused on protecting natural landscapes and ecosystems, but in recent years, it has begun to emphasize not only nature but also "stories" that condensed life, culture, and history. The Ministry of the Environment has established policies for the protection and use of these national parks, and has set out a policy to provide ``impressions'' and ``learning'' unique to each national park.

At this forum, we invited Mr. Takahiro Okano (former director of the National Park Utilization Promotion Office, Ministry of the Environment), who has played a central role in this reform, to give a presentation entitled "New Tourism Aimed by National Parks" and discuss the basics of this reform. I would like to hear about the "environmental culture" understanding survey based on examples from Taketomi Island and Amami Oshima in the Nansei Islands.

In addition, on a panel led by Noriaki Nishiyama (Center for Advanced Tourism Studies), Mr. Ikumi Yamakita (Natural Conservation Officer, Obihiro Conservation Officer Office, Ministry of the Environment), who is working on turning the Hidaka Mountains area into a national park in his hometown Obihiro, He will also be on stage and will tell us about the natural and cultural characteristics of the Hidaka Mountains and Saru River Basin as seen as a national park. I would like to think about the future of national parks and new forms of tourism, while referring to these policy ideas and examples from other regions.

Click here for more information. *You will be redirected to the website of the University's Center for Advanced Tourism Studies.