TEACHER'S COLUMN

Tourism, including hot springs, is heavily impacted by crises like natural disasters and pandemics, and the impacts can persist for many years. Hot springs operators and local residents must be prepared for such crises. That said, measures to combat natural disasters and pandemics are extremely challenging for the tourism sector. People take trips precisely to get away from their daily toils and make fun memories in the places they visit. It is anti-climactic to warn travelers about low probability risks, but there must be contingencies in place should emergencies arise.

In the massive tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, numerous tourists were stranded. Treating injuries, providing them with transportation, and processing travel documents exceeded the municipalities’ capacity. In Japan as well, tourists were stranded after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. While the capabilities of the tourism sector are limited, contingency measures are essential for ensuring safety in a disaster and a speedy recovery.

In a global crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, fear of the virus can result in discrimination of others, giving rise to the need for even more vigilant measures. On the other hand, crises can also present opportunities for hot spring areas. Hot springs tend to be far from big cities, and tourists sometimes flock to such places to avoid the crowds of cities. As globalization advances, no disaster or pandemic is far enough not to affect us. Those of us living in hot springs areas must think about how to prepare for crisis situations.