Come spring of 2020, the highly-anticipated Nara Prefectural Convention Center is set to open its door to the world and expected to increase the range of conferences to be held in the city. Located 90 minutes away from Kansai International Airport, the opening of this new centre will allow industry players to host larger conferences and events, seating 2,000 delegates. In adjacent to the centre, JW Marriott Hotel Nara is also scheduled to open the same year, marking the first JW brand hotel in Japan.
Having joined the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in 2019, the Nara Prefectural Government is determined to strengthen the profile of Nara as a MICE-destination. As the UNWTO Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific (RSOAP) is now based in Nara city, Nara looks forward to enhancing the framework for cooperation with UNWTO particularly in the field of culinary. Future planning also involves more collaborations with Nara Agriculture and Food International College (NAFIC). Nara was selected by Japan Tourism Agency in 2019 as Japan’s bidding city for UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism 2022.
