Published on : Wednesday, May 29, 2019
The alert level was raised May 19 by one point to 2 on a 5-point scale, meaning access to areas in and around the crater was limited. The agency advised that an eruption was probable at or around the Owakudani volcanic valley.
When the volcanic alert level for the mountain was raised in 2015 to 3 banning access to the mountain, the tourists visiting the town dropped by almost 20 percent from the year before as the image of the area took a hit. It took almost two years after volcanic activity had become quiet for the annual tourist count to return to 20 million amid fears the area remained dangerous.
After determining that local tourist associations, hotels and ryokan (Japanese-style inns) had talked with the visitors in a problematic manner, the local tourism industry reviewed its public relations strategy to reduce the impact of a rise in the alert level.
“Because each accommodation facility responded to inquiries individually (four years ago), some of the information was inaccurate, and this led to unnecessary confusion,” recalled Mamoru Sato, an executive with the Hakone Tourist Association.
Taking a cue from its mistakes, the association has fortified its information-gathering and communication capabilities.
It has developed a system for flawless consultations with the prefectural and municipal governments in the event of increased volcanic activity and for providing accurate information obtained via the consultations to inns, hotels and other facilities.