International Tie between Kanazawa University and Naresuan University Strengthened

Prof. Dr. Kornkanok Ingkaninan, Vice President for Research and Innovation Development, gave a warm welcome to a team of executives, headed by Assoc. Prof. Kon Yusuke, from the Frontier Institute of Tourism Sciences (FITS), Kanazawa University, Japan.  A returned visit, stemmed from an official trip of NU team at Kanazawa University late March 2023, focused on collaborative research/projects on tourism between FITS and NU, specifically with Faculty of Business, Economics and Communications (BEC) and its Center of Excellence in Tourism Management.  FITS, founded in 2023, is driven towards medical tourism and sustainable tourism, initially emphasizing tourism industry in the region of Hokuriku, and it thrives to become a hub of tourism research in Japan.  Currently, FITS partners with universities in Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and the U.S. and looks for a potential Thai partner to come up with collaborative activities.  A recent research work of FITS explored how GPS loggers (a specifically designed mobile device) and wearables, which obtained geographic location, heart rates and blood pressures reflect satisfactions from those who spent times at several tourist attractions in Hokuriku region.

The group also made a visit to Faculty of BEC to discuss cooperation in varieties of channels such as a medical tourism project, mobility of staff and students under an cooperative agreement between the two universities, collaborative research to be submitted for funding from both the governments.  BEC additionally informed the team about the upcoming two-week training program under the Annual International Training Courses (AITC), supported by Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) in 2025, and would welcome Kanazawa staff/students to take part in.  FITS team also took this opportunity to explore Thai arts and traditional local products at NU Art Center and Textile Museum.

The meeting took place on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 10.00 at Supankanlaya Room, Office of the President and later at 11.00 at Faculty of Business, Economics and Communications.