The 4th Tourism Strategy Study Group Mr. David Atkinson, CEO of Konishi Decorative Arts and Crafts Co., Ltd.
As a part of the Tourism Strategy Group, the Tokyo Metropolitan Public University
Corporation invites people from the industry who have support the project to study
tourism in a new world in a wide range, multifaceted, and depth. This year, which is thefinal year of the project, we will hold study groups on the theme of "How to Revive Postpandemic Tourism," given that the tourism industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19
pandemic and is still in a difficult situation.
The 4th Tourism Strategy Study Group was held on Monday, December 14, 2020. Mr.
David Atkinson, CEO of Konishi Decorative Arts and Crafts Co., Ltd. gave a lecture titled"How to Revitalize Tourism after COVID-19.".

Profile:CEO of Konishi Decorative Arts and Crafts Co., Ltd.
Visiting Professor at Nara Prefectural University.
Former Chief Financial Officer of Securities Research
Department, Goldman Sachs
Lecturer: Mr. David Atkinson

After graduating from the University of Oxford (majored in Japanese studies), heworked for a major consulting and securities company before joining Goldman Sachs in1992. He was one of the first to point out the problem of bad debts at major banks andmade an opportunity for reorganization. After working as managing director of thecompany, he appointed partner (co-sponsor), but left the company in 2007. In 2009, hejoined Konishi Decorative Arts and Crafts Co., Ltd., which has been repairing nationaltreasures and important cultural properties for more than 300 years and became a director.

In 2011, he assumed the post of executive chairman and CEO, and became CEO in 2014.
In 1999, he introduced him to the Urasenke, and in 2006 he received the tea name"Soshin". He received the 2016 Management Award from the business magazine Zaikai,
the 2017 Japan-British Society Award, the 2017 Furusatozukuri (Hometown CommunityCreation) Grand Prize for Individuals from the Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications in 2018, and the 2018 Nihonbunka Kouken (Japanese CultureContribution) Award from the Japan Fashion Association.
His books include "New Tourism Nation Theory" (Yamamoto Shichihei Prize, Real
Estate Companies Association Award, Toyo Keizai Inc.), "New Income-Doubling
Theory" (Toyo Keizai Inc.), and "The Only Way to Restore Japan Is to Improve
Productivity!" (Asuka Shinsha Inc.), "How to make Japan the Country that People in theWorld Want to Visit the Most", "New Highly Productive Nation Theory", "Japanese odds","Japanese companies' odds" (Toyo Keizai Inc.), "Turning point of the destinies of thenation" (Kodansha Ltd.), etc.
-Cabinet Secretariat, Growth Strategy Council, Experts
Tourism Strategy Execution Promotion Task Force, Experts
Member of the Administrative Reform Promotion Council's Executive Reform
Working Group
Member of the Countryside Stay Japan, Food Culture Overseas Transmission Area,
Expert Council
Member of the “VISIT! National Park” Expert Council
Member of the Committee for The Promoting Easy-to-Understand Multilingual
Support for Sightseeing Destinations around Japan Commentary
Japan Heritage Review Boardand others

In his speech, he said, "The tourism industry was hit hard by COVID-19, but what needs
to be done remains the same. What was originally weak was surfaced by COVID-19.
Now we should just solve each one of them thoroughly."
On top of that, he cited "infrastructure development" and "dispatch of information " asimportant points in Japan's tourism strategy, and as an example of specific measures, hementioned the improvement of luxury hotels with guaranteed service levels, theenhancement of digital marketing functions and centralized transmission of external
information of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
He also added that the tourism industry would continue to be an important factor inrevitalizing the local economy, and that natural tourism that makes use of the rich natureof the four seasons of the region has great potential because it can expect tourists to stayat a travel destination longer.