Eco-tourism can play a significant role in energizing communities, according to panelists at a recent symposium held in Tokyo by the National Ecotourism Center, which was created in August.

Toshimichi Hirose, a representative of the group, which is applying for nonprofit organization status to spread eco-tourism, said community-level interaction can become a key component.

Hirose said it has been about 20 years since he and his colleagues first began studying eco-tourism, but it is only recently that they've started to consider a Japan-specific application.