On August 11, 2022, Minister Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl of the Ministry of Human Resources,
Culture, Tourism and Development and Palau Visitors Authority team, Marketing & Programs Manager Chloe Ysikl Yano and Digital Marketing Representative II, Janine Tewid met with the Japanese Tourism Businesses in Palau to discuss the current state of the tourism industry and possible solutions.
Hosted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), 15 members of
Japanese tourism agencies and affiliates gained insight into current issues and future goals. The meeting also presented an opportunity to exchange opinions and ideas during the open discussion. Attendees had the chance to develop and build on group efforts to find practical solutions for the different scopes of challenges the tourism sector faces such as, lack of staffing, renewal of tour guide certification and more.Vice President of the Japan Club in Palau, Kyoko Emesiochel Nakagawa, shares, “Thanks to the opportunity, I was able to communicate directly with the Minister and PVA marketing staff, their answers for us were very clear. I would appreciate we could have this meeting regularly in the future”. Overall, the fruitful meeting provided the next course of action for the Japanese tourism businesses along with the local tourism industry.