Last Friday, Tokoname city held its groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Aichi International Exhibition Center, which the municipal authorities hope may one day become the core of an IR on Chubu International Airport Island.

 

The exhibition center is being constructed with a US$320 million budget and is scheduled to open in the autumn of 2019. It will have a floor area of about 90,000 square meters.

 

Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura stated at the ceremony, “With MICE including an IR in mind, I would like this place to become a base for international tourism.”

 

There are some voices questioning whether Airport Island can truly support the local vision and attract a sufficient number of international exhibitions, as it is about 39 kilometers distant from Nagoya Station, the major populated area of the prefecture. 

 

Governor Hideaki Omura launched his IR experts’ research group only one month ago after receiving an appeal from the Tokoname City Council.