The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on intangible cultural heritage (ICH) have caught great attention, as gatherings and activities of people were restricted by the pandemic. Amid this pandemic situation, IRCI conducted a questionnaire survey from September 2021 to February 2022 to grasp the overall situation of ICH during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region.　The preliminary report summarizing the result of this survey is now available online.

The survey was implemented in cooperation with researchers and institutions in 9 countries of Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Papua New Guinea. Also, a section of the questionnaire developed for ICH communities and practitioners to share their experiences was distributed as an online survey. Responses from the survey participants highlighted not only hardship and difficulties faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but positive cases trying to continue the practice of ICH with creativity.

Based on this questionnaire survey, IRCI has initiated a field research for this fiscal year to further investigate notable cases in each country.