Tea Ceremony Sign-Up
Anyone who wants to join a tea ceremony on February 10th: Please visit the FICC 2nd-floor foyer during the coffee/tea breaks to collect a numbered ticket for the tea ceremonies on February 10th. They will be held concurrently with the workshops, so we encourage you to pick up your ticket early to secure your spot.
Tea Ceremony Sign-Up
Anyone who wants to join a tea ceremony on February 10th: Please visit the FICC 2nd-floor foyer during the coffee/tea breaks to collect a numbered ticket for the tea ceremonies on February 10th. They will be held concurrently with the workshops, so we encourage you to pick up your ticket early to secure your spot.
Welcome Dinner
A wonderful dinner in the Multipurpose Hall of the FICC (Convention Venue).
Japanese Drum Performance
A powerful Japanese drum performance by Fukuoka University Kobuzaru to kick off the Welcome Dinner.
Summary of Global Networking Forums
10-Minute Break
A little respite before we introduce our first keynote speaker.
Important: In-Person Sign-In (Required)
Pick Up Your Name Badge if you haven’t already! Where & When Location: Fukuoka International Congress Center (Convention Venue) Time: 08:00 AM to 08:00 PM; Feb 9 But the ceremony starts at 09:00 AM sharp! Important: Please keep your badge on you at all times during the Convention Period to ensure uninterrupted access […]
What do we really mean by sustainable tourism, and why does sustainable tourism matter?
Despite its widespread use, the concept of sustainable tourism remains ambiguously defined, unevenly operationalised and is increasingly marked by a sense of fatigue generated through overuse. This presentation begins by asking two foundational questions: what do we really mean by sustainable tourism, and why does sustainable tourism matter? Rather than treating sustainability as a technical […]
Cultivating the Good Life: How a Character Strengths Approach Nurtures Sustainable Tourism
Tourist guides embrace multiple roles in a given day. Their contributions to developing tourism include a mediating role (brokering access, encounters, understanding and empathy), as interpreters, storytellers, timekeepers and psychologists. Although Tourist Guides’ contributions to sustainability are documented in academic literature, it is timely to revisit these a decade later. Namely, there are eight sustainability […]
Surprise Performance & Welcoming Words
At 09:00 AM sharp the Host Committee will start with an opening act that you don’t want to miss! We won’t share more information so as not to ruin the surprise but let’s just say that you’ll experience a part of Japanese culture that not many get to see. This will be followed by welcoming […]
A “Guidebook to Japan”
Host Committee members will get on stage and introduce Japanese culture and customs – Everything you need to know to enjoy your stay in Japan!
Iaido
Iaidō is the Japanese martial art of the sword. Each technique is characterized by starting with the sword sheathed in the scabbard, and the practitioner responding to a variety of opponents attacking from situations a samurai would traditionally have had to deal with before resheathing the sword—from fighting in narrow spaces, buildings with low ceilings, […]
Lunch
A delicious standing buffet lunch offering both Japanese and Western delicacies
Tea & Coffee Break
A convenient tea and coffee break perfect to chat and relax
Bidding Countries’ Presentations
The wait is over! Watch the presentations from the four countries competing to host the next WFTGA Convention.
Closing Remarks
Closing remarks and a look ahead to the coming days, presented by the WFTGA President.
Interactive Magic Show
My name is Morry, and like you, I’m a licensed tourist guide—but with a magical twist. I will liven-up the Welcome Dinner with an exciting interactive magic show featuring mentalism, a mysterious prediction box, and the astonishing table levitation. Get ready to experience wonder, laughter, and a touch of the impossible—right here in Fukuoka. Let’s […]
Guiding with Values – UNESCO Normative Frameworks for Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Heritage Interpretation
Tourist guides are at the frontline of sustainable tourism. Through their daily interactions with visitors, they translate global values into lived experience and shape how heritage is understood, respected and transmitted. This keynote situates the work of tourist guides within UNESCO’s normative frameworks, highlighting how these instruments can support value-based heritage interpretation in the face […]
The Evolution of Japan’s Inbound Guiding and Its Sustainable Future
I will speak about Japan’s guide qualification system, the current state of the inbound tourism industry—which is said to have revived after the pandemic—its various challenges, and the essential mindset that guides should convey in their guiding.
Sustainability of Kyushu Island: Move Japan Forward from Kyushu
During his tenure as Chairman of the Kyushu Economic Federation, Mr. Aso prioritised tourism and agriculture, recognising them as Kyushu’s key strengths. In his keynote speech, he will discuss some of the initiatives he implemented in these two areas. In terms of tourism, the idea behind the “Tour de Kyushu” was that holding cycling races in […]