Japan hosts 2026 tourism resilience working-level meeting on Sendai statement pillar 2
The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) convened the 2026 Tourism Resilience Working-Level Meeting on 22 July 2026 at the Tokyo Prince Hotel, bringing together representatives from 18 countries and 8 international and regional organizations to discuss disaster risk reduction and recovery in the tourism sector.
Participating countries included the nine ASEAN member states, along with the Maldives, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Republic of Korea, and Nepal. Participating organizations included UN Tourism, the UN Tourism Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the ASEAN Secretariat, the Japan-ASEAN Centre, the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
The meeting focused on Pillar 2 of the Sendai Statement on Tourism — "Absorbing the impacts of crises and disasters, and adapting and transforming through the recovery process" — providing a platform for participants to share initiatives and knowledge on building tourism resilience.
Delegates reported on a range of efforts, including strengthening resilience to climate change, enhancing community engagement in disaster preparedness and recovery, and diversifying tourism products to reduce destination vulnerability to shocks.
The Japan Tourism Agency explained its past measures related to the second pillar of the Sendai Statement, including its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and announced its efforts to improve tourism resilience, looking ahead to 2027, the "International Year for Sustainable and Resilient Tourism," and beyond. In addition, various countries and organizations presented examples of their efforts, including strengthening resilience to climate change, community engagement, diversification of tourism products, and the importance of collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including international organizations. These presentations highlighted the importance of continuous efforts after a crisis, such as the continuation and resumption of tourism-related businesses through public-private partnerships, securing human resources, and developing and promoting tourism products that look ahead to the future of each region.
Based on this meeting and the information shared by various countries in the future, the Japan Tourism Agency plans to create guidelines and a collection of case studies to promote efforts to "absorb the impacts of crises and natural disasters, and adapt and transform the recovery process."