A new Japanese venue, the Nara Prefectural Convention Center, is set to open in Spring 2020.
The venue will seat 2,000 delegates.
Nara Prefecture is the central region of the country, southeast of Osaka. The new venue is located 90 minutes from Kansai International Airport, and will also be adjacent to the JW Marriott Hotel Nara, also opening this year.
The new hotel will be the first of Marriott’s luxury ‘JW’ brand to come to Japan, though there are several of the Marriott international brand in the country.
Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, and the venue is situated close to three UNESCO world heritage sites, including Todaiji temple.
Nara Prefectural Government joined the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in 2019, with the goal of strengthening Nara as a MICE destination.
As the UNWTO Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific (RSOAP) is now based in Nara city, Nara is hoping to enhance the framework for cooperation with UNWTO, particularly in the culinary field.
Future planning also involves more collaborations with Nara Agriculture and Food International College (NAFIC). Nara was selected by Japan Tourism Agency in 2019 as Japan’s bidding city for UNWTO World Forum on gastronomy Tourism 2022.