Carolin FUNCK, Hiroshima University, Japan
The COVID-19 pandemic can be interpreted as a further challenge to resilience in the cycle of tourism destination rejuvenation. It requires the reconfiguration of mass tourism spaces into spaces that offer seclusion from other tourists. Luxury accommodation could satisfy these needs, but would it reinforce the fragmented nature of destinations by further dividing space between different types of tourists? Or could it set in motion a cooperative process between developers and local stakeholders?
The town of Setoda in the Seto Inland Sea in Japan has gone through several phases of rejuvenation since the 1970s. In the newest phase, an important historic building was renovated as a luxury hotel in 2020. The developers have embarked on an experiment to pursue new directions in tourism and community development through a series of workshops. Their aim was to rejuvenate local industries and to create a fluid and flexible community of people from inside and outside the island who consider this destination “theirs”.
This research critically analysed the impact of this experiment in three steps. First, I outlined the rejuvenation process of Setoda to clarify the qualitative difference of each phase. Second, structure, participants, proceedings and results of the workshops were analysed to determine the involvement of different stakeholders, the extend to which a flexible community was created and the outcomes for rejuvenation. Finally, through participating observation in the workshops conducted in 2021, it was possible to examine in depth the possibilities and challenges of this new type of cooperation. Results imply a qualitative change from former phases of rejuvenation. The expanding network of stakeholders outside of the island and the municipality especially could contribute to resilience in the future. On the other hand, limits to the involvement of different groups of residents on the island and issues of tourism gentrification became apparent.
Keywords: Rejuvenation|Luxury accommodation|Cooperation|Japan
A103515CF