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Ken Yokoyama, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Kyoto

“The general feeling is one of great sympathy for those who have suffered”

On Friday 11^th March 2011, the north-eastern region of Japan was devastated by the most powerful earthquake to hit the country since records began. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan commented that it was “the toughest and most difficult crisis for Japan in the 65 years since the end of World War II. To find out more about how this national catastrophe has affected the MICE industry in Japan, BWMN spoke to Ken Yokoyama, General Manager of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Kyoto.

BWMN: How would you describe the current situation in Japan? What is the general mood among the people, and are things slowly returning to normal?

Mr. Yokoyama: The situation is still very tough throughout the country. In Kyoto, which was far enough away from the earthquake’s epicentre not to be directly affected, the general feeling is one of great sadness and sympathy for the people of the north-east of Japan. However, the people are very reluctant to travel around the country or do anything in particular, which has had a strongly negative economic impact. Indeed, last week the mayor of Kyoto publicly stated that we should all go about our business as normal, in order to stimulate the economy. Certainly, we will continue to welcome all visitors and events to the city.

BWMN: How has the MICE industry in Japan, and specifically in Kyoto, been affected?

Mr. Yokoyama: The earthquake has undoubtedly had a tremendous effect. Lots of events due to take place all over Japan have been cancelled or postponed, and especially those arriving from overseas. This is a great shame, as only part of the country has been seriously affected: it is only the east of Japan that has received physical damage and suffered from an intermittent power supply. Indeed, apart from a change of attitude, there has been little to no change in Kyoto.

What does the future hold for the MICE industry in Japan? What strategies are being adopted to bring meetings and events back to the country?

Mr. Yokoyama: On the larger scale, the government will help out and collaborate with the industry to promote the country as a meetings destination. With regards to our smaller-scale efforts, since the disaster only took place just over two weeks ago, there hasn’t yet been the time to come up with any specific solutions. Once things are settled, we will gradually begin to promote Kyoto as a MICE destination once again, and discreetly advise overseas meeting planners know that the situation is just as it was before the earthquake. As always, we will also try to innovate.

Japan has many attractions for meeting planners. We have a great variety of culture, and many of our major cities, including Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, and of course Kyoto, boast world-class conference venues. To take the latter as an example, it has a convention centre that can accommodate 2,000 delegates, with whom we work closely, and offers further unique venues, including ancient temples and 17^th century pagodas.

I believe that with all these advantages, we will be able to restore the MICE industry to the same pre-earthquake level.

kyoto.regency.hyatt.com