In 2019, a respiratory disease of unknown origin reported in Wuhan, China was named COVID-19 (novel coronavirus infection), and it continues to spread around the world even now. Even in Japan, infections rose rapidly from late March onward, the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games were also postponed due to the global pandemic, a state of emergency was declared in April, and thorough adherence to lockdowns, etc., was urged.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, many tourism areas sustained unprecedentedly massive harm, but since the end of the long holiday, “tourism with/post-coronavirus” has become much discussed among the public.
In this issue of “Kanko Bunka,” we have compiled the special feature “The Essence of Sustainable Tourism as Told on the Front Lines: Current Conditions and Challenges Under the Coronavirus Pandemic” In all of this, we were keenly aware of the people on the front lines. We asked Japan’s leading tourism operators working on the front lines about their thoughts on these trying times and what they have learned, and held a discussion. In this issue, we examine the essence of sustainable tourism through the voices of people on the ground.