Wakayama prefecture, which has announced its IR bid, published its implementation policy draft on Thursday, including the criteria for operators. This is the second such announcement nationwide following Osaka.
The Mainichi Shimbun reports that Wakayama is seeking an IR that takes advantage of nature and food culture with an emphasis on tourism, offering a very different feel from an urban IR. The prefecture will start recruiting an operator this spring with the hopes of opening an IR in 2025.
The planned site is approximately 24 hectares of Wakayama Marina City (Wakayama city) on an artificial island. The aim is for it to become a new sightseeing path to encourage visitors to visit the Kii Peninsula, while international conference hall/exhibition facilities will attract events based around tourism, such as international tourism forums. Further, as a measure against problem gambling, the prefecture will require an IR card with a maximum deposit amount.
The draft implementation policy was to be decided after the central government’s fundamental policy, but the fundamental policy scheduled for January was delayed. However, there has been no change to the application period for IR facilities so the prefecture decided to proceed with its implementation policy.
