The 2019 Rugby World Cup and Economic Impacts on Hotels Recovering from Disasters

Japan has experienced two major disasters within the last 15 years, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. In order to strengthen economic recovery in the affected regions, Japan implemented tourism development policies which led to a significant increase in tourism numbers. This rise in tourism reached an apex as the country hosted the 2019 Rugby World Cup (RWC). While most of the venues were located in major cities, three of the venues were held in areas that were affected by the aforementioned disasters. This study utilizes semi-structured interviews with representatives from accommodation industries located in host cities recovering from recent disasters. Interview questions focused on the impact of past disaster events, the RWC, COVID-19, and the Go to Travel campaign (GTTC) on business. Our findings highlight that although the tourism industry brought economic opportunities, it also increased its vulnerabilities to external shocks, especially in the accommodation industry. Although all accommodations interviewed were negatively affected, their ability to manage its impacts varied. While the RWC brought an increase in tourism, this was quickly overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its negative impacts on businesses, the government played a key role in reducing its impacts through GTTC.