summary
Date: Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28, 2025
Location: JR Osaka Station “Tabidachi no Hiroba” (9/27), Osaka/Kansai Expo site “Pop-up Stage Higashinai” (9/28)
speaker
Josue Calvayo Head of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, Youth, Sports and Diaspora Relations, Belize
Harris Whitbeck, Secretary, Guatemala Tourism Agency
Alejandra Duran Secretary, El Salvador Tourism Corporation under the Ministry of Tourism of El Salvador
Yadira Gómez Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Honduras
Mara Stotti, Co-Chair, Nicaraguan Tourism Agency
Alberto Lopez General Manager, Costa Rica Tourism Board
Ms. Annie Lam Chung, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Panama in Kobe
Reynosa Ricardo Rodney Counselor, Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Japan
Rihia Miranda Executive Director, Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat (SITCA)
Boris Ilaeta Secretariat of the Central American Tourism Promotion Agency (CATA)
background
JICA has been cooperating with the Central American Integration Agency (SICA) since 2000, deepening the relationship through the dispatch of experts and support for regional integration. 2025 is the “Japan-Central America Year of Exchange” and marks the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and five Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica). The year 2025 marks the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and five Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica).
Centroamérica 8, Japan’s first joint tourism PR event by eight SICA member countries, was recently held to promote cooperation and support in the tourism sector in the Central American region and to build momentum for the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Details of implementation
On September 27, a tourism PR event was held at the JR Osaka Station “Tabidachi no Hiroba” and on September 28, a stage event was held at the “Pop-up Stage Higashinai” in the Expo site, introducing JICA’s past cooperation with SICA regions, as well as interacting with visitors through displays and performances that conveyed the appeal of tourism resources and culture of each country. The event was also an opportunity for visitors to interact with JICA’s activities in the SICA region and to learn more about the tourism resources and culture of each country.
JICA launched the “Capacity Building Project for Sustainable Tourism/Community Based Tourism Promotion in SICA Region” in March 2025 to support capacity building of tourism stakeholders in the SICA region and knowledge sharing within the region. In addition to promoting tourism in the SICA region, the event served as a forum for providing opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the regions.
[Event at JR Osaka Station on September 27, 2011.
Invitees interacting with event participants (from far left, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, SITCA, and CATA)
Presentation by representatives of each country on cooperation with JICA in the field of tourism and promotion of tourism in their countries
[September 28, 2011 at Expo ’70 Kansai, Osaka, Japan (Pop-up Stage)
Group photo
Presentations by representatives of each country
Pin badges and cards distributed in limited quantities on the day of the event
For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact
Team 2, Private Sector Development Group, Economic Development Department, JICA ([email protected])
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