TTGmice February/March 2019 • 31
TTGmice February/March 2019 • 31
REVIEW CENTRAL
Kuma River Boating
C
ombining a historical experience
with stunning views of nature, a
wooden boat ride down the rapids
of Kuma River in Japan’s southern island
of Kyushu is perfect for both adrenalin
junkies and those who want to take
things slow.
Concept
With excellently preserved temples and
shrines as well as castle ruins, Hitoyoshi
City in Kumamoto Prefecture is renowned
as a place to dive into Japan’s history.
Kuma River Boating taps this heritage
by offering unique rides on traditional
wooden Japanese boats dating from
historic times.
While cruising along, passengers can
enjoy mountainous scenery along the
river’s ravines and get up close to some
of the area’s historic sites downstream.
The crew provides a commentary on the
area’s historic and natural points of inter-
est, including pointing out birdsong from
various local birds.
There are four courses available year-
and horse riding have proved suc-
cessful in attracting corporate groups
seeking wellness programmes.
Such groups are also attracted to
nearby Aso Farm Land, a resort in
rural Kumamoto. Its sales increased
by two to three times year-on-year in
2017. It offers 450 earthquake-resist-
ant domed homes as accommodation
for guests who can experience a vast
range of wellness treatments, hot
springs and sports as well as gour-
met cuisine. With direct flights to
South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan
from Kumamoto Airport, Aso Farm
Land has been successful in target-
ing these markets.
Yet officials note that inbound
visitors to Aso still lag behind
pre-earthquake levels. At the 2018
Visit Japan Travel and MICE Mart,
Kumamoto representatives reminded
attendees that the prefecture is ready
to welcome corporate groups. City
officials point out that although the
traditional access road from Kuma-
moto City to Aso remains closed due
to damage from the earthquakes,
other routes are available, which add
a mere 15 minutes onto travel times.
Local tourism bodies, in asso-
ciation with Japan Agriculture, are
eying agri-tourism as part of efforts
By Kathryn Wortley
round: the Long Course (120–150 min-
utes), the Middle Course (50 minutes),
the Short Course (30 minutes) and the
Rapids Course (45 minutes). The Kotatsu
Course (50 minutes) provides a roof and
heated tables with attached rugs and is
available solely in winter.
As the Kuma is one of the three
fastest-flowing rivers in Japan, the Rapids
Course offers a thrilling ride, while the
others offer a more tranquil experience.
While on slower-moving water, passen-
gers can try steering the boat using the
traditional heavy, long wooden paddle,
supported all the while by the skippers.
year-round availability is also helpful.
There is a comfortable waiting area at
the departure point where guests can sit,
shop or have refreshments.
A free shuttle bus is available from the
end point of the river cruise to the start
point, so groups do not have to arrange
transport to return.
A professional photographer located
downstream will take the group’s picture,
which is available for sale after the cruise.
MICE application
Each traditional boat can fit up to 12
people, but a number of boats can depart
in succession, helping to accommodate
larger groups. Groups can book out
an entire boat or fleet of boats. Prices
range from US$299 to US$598 per boat,
depending on the course.
As various courses are available, the
activity is ideal for diverse groups. The Service
The skippers happily pointed out local
historic sites and encouraged us to steer
the boat. I was impressed with their
teaching skill and patience.
to boost arrivals, particularly from
Taipei and Singapore. Delegates
would visit orchards to pick various
fruits and enjoy tastings on site or at
farmers’ markets.
According to Sun Sun Ong,
senior manager at Singapore-based
EU MICE, event organisers could
“leverage the area’s Instagrammable
scenery” to increase the appeal of
the tours. Improving transporta-
tion to the sites, meanwhile, would
“increase the area’s competitive-
ness with other Asian destinations”
while greater promotion would raise
awareness of Kumamoto’s capabili-
ties in the agri-tourism sector.
Promotion has been recognised as
vital by the Kumamoto International
Convention and Tourism Bureau.
According to spokesperson Hiroyasu
Fukuoka, 2018 saw the bureau
team up with the cities of Fukuoka,
Sasebo and Kitakyushu to offer
familiarisation tips for guests from
China, South Korea and Taiwan to
promote the three key pillars: nature,
cuisine and culture.
“We will continue to focus on
these markets (for incentive groups)
but we aim to develop Europe, the
US and Australia in the future,” he
added. TALKING NUMBERS
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.kumagawa.co.jp
10
The position Kumamoto Airport
takes in a ranking of Japan’s
biggest airports. It handles more
than three million passengers
yearly
37.2
The percentage increase in visitors
to Kumamoto’s Aso-Kuju National
Park in 2017
740,876
The number of overnight visitors
in Kumamoto prefecture in 2017, a
record high for the destination
Improvements planned for Kuma-
moto Airport are expected to give the
prefecture a further boost. Japan’s
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and
Tourism are to privatise the airport
by April 2020 in a bid to accelerate
its post-quake reconstruction. The
existing domestic terminal is sched-
uled to be demolished and replaced
with a new terminal for both domes-
tic and international flights by 2022.