Tourism Project by APU Students

(Oita Godo Newspaper, January 20th 2009, morning page 9)

~Enthusiasm towards Long-period Stays for Holiday~

Since October 2007, an independent seminar class in Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University has almost finished doing renovation to old houses in Beppu areas, in order to build "holiday houses" or rental villas, whereby tourists are able to stay comfortably for a long period of time at a cheap price. The operation will start from April.

Professor Hatada said that they want to focus on those tourists who wish to stay for more than one week. If we see from another perspective, the project is good as it contributes to the revival of Beppu area.　

Long Stay Beppu Research Society (LSB Research Society), which Professor Hatada pioneered, consists of twenty people who are currently involved in "Holiday House Project". The areas in Beppu were chosen based on whether they have beautiful rice fields and sceneries. There are two purposes of doing this project, to adapt long-period holiday stays to domestic tourism, and to make people to enjoy their stays while feeling the charms of the areas.

The old houses which have been there for few hundred years, whose average area is 80 meters square will be able to be rented as unit houses. The walls and flooring will be changed. Necessary furniture will be prepared so that tourists would only have to bring one suitcase even if they want to stay for long-period holidays. For four or five people to stay in a house, it will cost forty thousand yen.

LBS Research Society and the local people cooperated and held studies about the service and management for several times. The plan is in 2009 both parties will participate in the management, but from 2010 the local people will be the main people to take charge of this project to build Holiday Houses.

In that very area, there are problems of depopulation and declining birth rate. The leader Kajio said that "This is the opportunity for people to deepen bonds and friendships".

Comment: This is actually a very good project to create a multicultural Beppu. This Holiday Houses will attract more people to come to Beppu. Not only will the houses attract tourists, but they will also attract the family and relatives of APU students. There are very few APU students who came from Oita Prefecture. APU students who are from other prefectures and other countries have family and relatives outside Oita Prefecture. That means, they will need a place to stay during their visits in Beppu. The holiday houses provide cheap prices, beautiful sceneries. They might want to stay longer and enjoy Beppu as a city, besides visiting us, APU students.

NUGROHO Katarina Marsha Utama

Indonesia

APM2, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University