The Ichinoseki City Tourism Association has been entrusted with registration for the international researchers coming to Ichinoseki for the 2018 ILD Meeting, an international meeting related to the International Linear Collider. This is the first time the association has been involved with an international conference. The association has a display table at the meeting featuring local tourist attractions, and will continue to provide tourism-related support for the ILC in the future.

The Ichinoseki City Tourism Association is actively involved in efforts to further build enthusiasm and spread awareness about the ILC including selling “Science Kitty” products jointly produced by AAA (Advanced Accelerator Association Promoting Science & Technology) and Sanrio. The association was asked for support by ILD meeting organizers and provided the Ichinoseki City Tourist Information Office in front of Ichinoseki Station as the venue for pre-day conference registration on the 19th. The association has other responsibilities including making all arrangements for accommodation.

On the 20th, the Ichinoseki City Tourism Association set up a booth promoting local attractions at Ichinoseki Cultural Center, the ILD meeting venue. Materials including English guides and taxi guide handouts prepared in advance for this meeting are being handed out to meeting participants.

More international conferences are expected to be held in the future and the Ichinoseki Tourism Association plans to be flexible and help in whatever way it can. Executive Director Sugawara commented that “In the future we’ll do all we can for other international conferences. We want people from overseas to know how wonderful Ichinoseki and Hiraizumi are, and go home satisfied and pleased because we did all we could to support them.”