Public-private collaboration for disaster risk management: A case study of hotels in Matsushima, Japan

Abstract

This research paper focuses on public-private collaboration for disaster risk management in coastal destinations, particularly between the hotel industry and local government. To guide its research, this paper applies collaborative planning theory in developing a research framework to discover gaps between stakeholders attitudes towards collaboration, its outcomes, and obstacles preventing the adoption of specific hotel-based disaster management actions. A case study is used on Matsushima, Japan , a popular coastal destination in the Tohoku Region, which was devastated by the 2011 tsunami. Through surveys and interviews, this study found that hotels can play a key role in working together with the local government towards disaster risk management of coastal destinations. However collaboration gaps between the stakeholders limited the extent of the adoption of hotel-based disaster risk management initiatives. • Hotels can play a role in disaster risk management of coastal destinations. • Matsushima's hotels and town support collaboration but differed on its outcomes. • Stakeholders differed that collaboration gave equal opportunities and sufficient time. • Stakeholder involvement was not broad enough and agreements didn't meet every need. • Desire to mimic Okinawa's approach but stakeholders felt resources were lacking.