Gifu Prefecture's "Hida Eco Passport" - Combining Tourism and Environmental Conservation in the 1990s

Gifu Prefecture's "Hida Eco Passport" - Combining Tourism and Environmental Conservation in the 1990s

In the 1990s, Japan faced the challenge of balancing regional development through tourism with environmental conservation, and the Hida region was no exception. The natural scenery of Shirakawa-go and the Northern Alps was a popular tourist resource, but the environmental burden caused by the increasing number of tourists was becoming increasingly serious, and with the economic stagnation following the collapse of the bubble economy, there was a need to create a sustainable tourism model. It was against this backdrop that Gifu Prefecture launched the "Hida Eco Passport" program. By the end of 1998, 23,000 copies had been sold and over 20 million yen in subsidies were expected. The funds were allocated to nature conservation and volunteer activities, and a system was put in place to return tourism profits to environmental conservation. At the time, "eco-tourism" was beginning to attract attention along with the spread of ISO 14001, and this attempt marked a turning point in th
e way local resources were viewed as assets to be left to future generations, rather than merely objects to be consumed.