Ecotourism in Yakushima: Perception of the People Involved ...
Transcript of Ecotourism in Yakushima: Perception of the People Involved ...
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地理科学 vol. 71 no. 4 pp. 185–205, 2016Geographical Sciences (Chiri-Kagaku)
Ecotourism in Yakushima: Perception of the People Involved in Tourism Business
ADEWUMI Ifeoluwa Bolanle* and FUNCK Carolin**
Key words: ecotourism, tourism business, resource overuse, community perception, Yakushima
Abstract
The branding of Yakushima as an ecotourism destination and its designation as a World Heritage Site has not only attracted tourists but also new residents who moved to the island to work in the tourism industry. This paper examined how people in tourism business in Yakushima perceive ecotourism, and the differences in their perception of various ecotourism impacts by their nativity, the year they started living on the island, communities where the business are located, type of business, and when the business started. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the entrepreneurs (n=₉₇). The study revealed that half of the respondents came from outside Yakushima; this percentage was higher among the businesses started after ₂₀₀₃ and lower in the accommodation sector, which requires ownership of land or buildings. The respondents had positive perceptions towards ecotourism by reason of its economic impacts and positive impacts on their community. Environmental problems such as resource overuse, garbage problem and destruction of mountain trails were some of the negative impacts of ecotourism. There were significant differences in the respondents' perceptions of the impacts of ecotourism by their nativity, the type of business and when the business started. However, the community where their businesses are located and their length of residency had no influence on their perceptions.
* Graduate Student, Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan
** Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan
I Introduction
Ecotourism has been defined in many ways
in the tourism and environmental literatures, but
no consensus has been made on its definition
(Fennell, ₂₀₀₃). Although the definitions vary,
many include the concepts of protection of nature
and consideration for local people (Goeldner
and Ritchie, ₂₀₀₉). Unlike the Western con-
cept, Japanese ecotourism's emphasis is on
revitalization of local communities and concern
for nature is said to be secondary (Yotsumoto,
₂₀₁₂). In Japan, Yakushima is the prime and
most developed site for ecotourism (Fukami
and Niki, ₂₀₁₂). Ecotourism was introduced
to Yakushima from outside the island since the
₁₉₉₀s with the aim of conserving its natural
environment and at the same time enrich the
lives of local people by enhancing their historical
relationship with their surroundings (Hiwasaki,
₂₀₀₆, ₂₀₀₇; Kuriyama et al., ₂₀₀₀).
The designation of Yakushima as a World
Heritage Site (WHS) and the increase in its
popularity as an ecotourism destination attracted
a large number of tourists and the migration of
new residents to the island. New migrants to
Yakushima are engaged in tourism and related
service sectors due to the difficulty in finding
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employment in the primary sector or obtaining
land or fishing rights (Hiwasaki, ₂₀₀₇, p. ₁₁₀). The case of Yakushima is not an isolated case. It
has been averred that the hospitality and tourism
industry is being dominated by small businesses
(Morrison, ₂₀₀₆). Small businesses are impor-
tant for their contribution to the community's
economic development (Sharma, ₂₀₁₃).
For a tourism destination to be successful,
understanding the perceptions, attitudes and
concerns of people involved in tourism business
and including them in tourism policies, decision-
making process and tourism development is
important (Tosun and Timothy, ₂₀₀₃). The
personal attributes, motivations and practices of
entrepreneurs and other economic and socio-
demographic factors that affect small firms in
general has been the focus of most research on
tourism businesses (Mensah-Ansah, ₂₀₁₄), with
little attention paid to their perceptions about
tourism. Relatively few studies have been car-
ried out on the perception of people in tourism
business. Andriotis (₂₀₀₅) affirmed that there
are two major methodological approaches in
the study of community perception and attitude
to tourism. These approaches include studies
using a single sample unit, mainly residents, and
studies that measure the perceptions of vari-
ous community groups. He further explained
that studies using the first approach are more
frequent than those using the second based on
the literature review undertaken where among
₈₈ attitudinal studies, ₈₂ (₉₃.₂%) used a sample
unit of residents, and only ₆ incorporated in their
sample two or more community groups. It is
evident that the topic of people in tourism busi-
ness has not received the same attention in single
sample units.
To date, some of the tourism research con-
ducted in Yakushima focused on development
of the tourism industry in Yakushima (Kanetaka
and Funck, ₂₀₁₂), ecotour guides (Atsumoto et
al., ₂₀₀₄; Hirata, ₂₀₀₁; Tajima, ₂₀₀₃; Yotsumoto,
₂₀₁₂), ecotourism in Yakushima, its characteris-
tics and promotion (Funck, ₂₀₀₉; Hagino, ₂₀₁₁),
community-based tourism (Hiwasaki, ₂₀₀₆),
estimation of number of tourists (Shibasaki and
Nagata, ₁₉₉₉), tourists environmental conserva-
tion consciousness, manners, and behavioral
patterns (Baba and Morimata, ₂₀₀₇; Fukami
and Niki, ₂₀₁₂), and residents awareness of the
tourism situation in Yakushima (Kanbayashi,
₂₀₁₁). Although quite a number of tourism
researches have been conducted in Yakushima,
none has focused on the differences in percep-
tion of people in tourism business about ecotour-
ism in Yakushima based on their demographic
characteristics, especially difference between
the perception of the natives and non-natives
(native: respondents are of Yakushima origin;
non-native: those that are not of Yakushima origin
but moved to the island from other parts of Japan
or overseas). Researchers such as Lekovic et
al. (₂₀₁₄), McGehee and Andereck (₂₀₀₄), and
Sirakaya et al. (₂₀₀₂) have noted that various
demographic variables influence tourism percep-
tions and support for tourism.
It is therefore necessary to conduct a
survey investigating the influence of various
demographic characteristics on the perception of
tourism entrepreneurs in Yakushima. The aim
of this paper is to examine how people in tourism
business perceive ecotourism and also investigate
if their perceptions are influenced by their nativity
(native or non-native), the year they started living
on the island, community where the business is
187ADEWUMI, I. B. and FUNCK, C.: Ecotourism in Yakushima
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located, type of business, and when the business
started.
II Literature review
1) Overview of ecotourism in Japan
The founding of Japan Ecotourism Society
(JES), formerly known as Japan Ecotourism
Promotional Council in ₁₉₉₈ brought about the
establishment of promotional organizations in
Iriomote Island, Yakushima Island and Higashi
Village in Okinawa, among others. In ₂₀₀₃, the
promotion of ecotourism was made a domestic
policy, with three major goals: (₁) to help con-
serve natural environments and cultures, (₂) to
provide benefits to tourism, and (₃) to contribute
to community development. Thirteen locations
across Japan were later selected for the Eco-
tourism Model Project conducted between ₂₀₀₄ and ₂₀₀₆ (Horikami, ₂₀₁₀; Wang et al., ₂₀₀₉). In ₂₀₀₈, the Ministry of Environment (MoE)
enacted the Act on Promotion of Ecotourism. This law enabled prefectures and municipalities
to be able to place stricter restrictions on devel-
opment activities so as to preserve the natural
environment that was not accounted for in other
national laws in designated areas (Funck and
Cooper, ₂₀₁₃; Yabuta, ₂₀₀₈). The initial uptake
and growth of ecotourism was promising because
the percentage of urbanites familiar with the term
'eko tsurizumu' rose from ₃₃.₃% in ₁₉₉₉ to ₆₃% in
₂₀₀₅ (Japan Ecotourism Society, ₂₀₀₇).
JES defines ecotourism as "travel that meets
and interacts with local attractions and aims to
activate local economies by providing tourists
with opportunities to experience local attractions
accompanied by competent interpreters while
preserving local resources, such as natural envi-
ronment, culture, and historical heritage" (Japan
Ecotourism Society, ₂₀₁₁). The major factor
that differentiates Japanese ecotourism from
Western concepts of ecotourism is that ecotour-
ism in Japan is used mainly as an instrument to
revitalize local communities (Yotsumoto, ₂₀₁₂). In many countries, the idea of ecotourism is
closely connected to properly managing the natu-
ral environment and tourism activities in order
to maintain the land in a sustainable manner, but
in Japan, the emphasis is often on finding ways
to co-exist with nature through interaction with
the local environment (Ecotourism Japan, ₂₀₁₀). Frid (₂₀₀₈) noted that ecotourism in Japan aims
to activate local economies by providing tourists
with opportunities to experience local attractions
accompanied by competent interpreters while
preserving local resources such as natural envi-
ronment, the culture and historical heritages.
Ministry of Environment (₂₀₀₇) categorized
ecotourism in Japan into three types: (i) ecotour-
ism that is carried out in rich natural environ-
ments; (ii) ecotourism that is carried out in mass-
tourism areas; and (iii) ecotourism that utilizes
the natural environment near communities, local
industries, and cultures of the local people. The
importance of local revitalization in Japanese
ecotourism allows a wider range of tours to be
categorized as ecotourism (Yotsumoto, ₂₀₁₂). Ecotours take place not only in national parks, but
also in a wide range of areas including satoyama,
satochi, satoumi, and even sometimes right in the
middle of big cities (Ecotourism Japan, ₂₀₁₀). Satoyama is a Japanese term for a patchwork of
secondary ecosystems including forests, farm-
lands, irrigation ponds, and grasslands, which
have been managed in close proximity to human
settlements to ensure ecosystem services for
human well being. Satoyama underlined the
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expectations that ecotourism would contribute
to the vibrancy of the countryside, building the
capacity of local communities who could safe-
guard its nature and culture (Jones, ₂₀₁₂). The
concept of satoyama has recently been extended
to 'Satoumi' in marine and coastal areas. Eco-
tourism activities in Japan include visiting hot
springs, mountain climbing/hiking, river rafting,
scuba diving/snorkeling (Frid, ₂₀₀₈) and tours
that focus on experiencing local lifestyles, learn-
ing about the culture and history of a place, and
supporting locally based industries (Ecotourism
Japan, ₂₀₁₀).
2) Ecotourism in Yakushima
Kagoshima Prefecture first addressed the
issue of ecotourism in Yakushima in ₁₉₉₂ during
the planning of the 'Yakushima Environmental
Culture Village Concept'. The inscription of
Yakushima on the World Nature Heritage List in
₁₉₉₃ due to its distinct vegetation and Yakushima
cedar trees (Yakusugi), Cryptomeria japonica that
are said to be over ₂₀₀₀ years old has made the
island an important brand for ecotourism. In
₂₀₀₄, the MoE selected Yakushima as an Eco-
tourism Promotion Model District leading to the
launching of the 'Yakushima District Ecotourism
Promotion Council' as the promotion body of this
model enterprise (Ishibashi, ₂₀₀₅; Kanetaka and
Funck, ₂₀₁₂).
The development of ecotourism on the
island triggered the establishment of ecotour
guides as one of the major ecotourism industries
in Yakushima. This is because guided moun-
tain climbing is the main ecotourism activity in
Yakushima. Nevertheless, some tourists also
participate in activities such as diving, snorkel-
ing, kayaking and village tours. The number
of mountain climbers increased from ₁₆₀,₀₀₀ in ₂₀₀₀ to ₂₇₀,₀₀₀ in ₂₀₁₁, with about ₉₀,₀₀₀ people visiting Jomon-sugi since ₂₀₁₀ each year
(Okano and Matsuda, ₂₀₁₃). Jomon-sugi, which
is Yakushima's major tourists attraction is the
biggest and oldest cedar tree in Yakushima,
with a height of ₂₅.₃ meters, about ₁₆ meters in
circumference at its widest and estimated to be
more than ₃₀₀₀ years old. Forbes (₂₀₁₂) noted
that around ₅₀₀–₁₀₀₀ people trek to Jomon-
sugi per day during peak season, mainly Spring
Golden Week and summer holidays.
The increase in mountain climbers brought
about an increase in the number of guide
businesses. Guide businesses in Yakushima
increased from less than ₂₀ in ₁₉₉₆ to ₄₄ in
₂₀₀₄, and at present, it is estimated that there
are about ₂₀₀ guides on the island. According
to Kanetaka and Funck (₂₀₁₂) about ₈₀% of the
guides are not native migrants, with the majority
of them part-time workers (Funck and Cooper,
₂₀₁₃). The rise in the number of ecotour guides
resulted in the problem of the 'quality and quali-
fication' of the guides (Funck, ₂₀₀₉). In order
to improve the quality of the guides, a proposal
for implementing a guide accreditation and
registration system in Yakushima was made in
₂₀₀₃ by Yakushima Ecotourism Support Council
(Ishibashi, ₂₀₀₅). A guide registration and cer-
tification system called “Yakushima Guide” was
finally introduced in ₂₀₀₆ by Yakushima District
Ecotourism Promotion Council (Kanetaka and
Funck, ₂₀₁₂), advocating for ecotours that give
visitors a real feel of the long-held lifestyles and
traditions of the island. However, the system
was not well accepted among the guides and
has been replaced by a new system in ₂₀₁₅ (D'Hauteserre and Funck, ₂₀₁₆).
189ADEWUMI, I. B. and FUNCK, C.: Ecotourism in Yakushima
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The high number of tourists trekking to
Jomon-sugi and concentrating around the tree
has resulted in environmental problems such as
erosion of mountain trails and damage to tree
roots due to trampling, among others. In an
attempt to curb the pressure put on the roots of
tress, especially Jomon-sugi, raised boardwalks
were constructed at several points along Jomon-
sugi route, and Jomon-sugi was fenced, with a
viewing deck set up about ₁₂ meters away. Also,
a shuttle bus service was introduced in ₂₀₀₈ to help minimize the environmental challenges
associated with high number of tourists and
congestions on the mountain trails during the
peak periods (Forbes, ₂₀₁₂; Kanetaka and Funck,
₂₀₁₂). This restricted tourists from taking per-
sonal vehicles up the mountain and tourists were
mandated to leave their cars at the foot of the
mountain and make their trips by bus.
Problems relating to waste disposal, water
pollution due to inadequate toilets and sewage
facilities to cater for the high number of tourists
to the mountains has been a topic of discussion
in various literatures and among stakeholders
in Yakushima. To reduce the problem of inad-
equate toilets in the mountains, portable mobile
toilets were introduced. The portable toilets are
sold at various locations on the island. Tourists
visiting the mountains are expected to buy the
portable toilets and use them in the mountains.
3) Community perception of tourism
Stakeholders whose perspectives are usually
considered in tourism development processes are
residents, entrepreneurs, local governmental offi-
cials, and tourists (Goeldner and Ritchie, ₂₀₀₉). Byrd et al. (₂₀₀₉) noted that the inclusion of
various stakeholders in tourism planning and
management is a key to sustainable development
of tourism. Although it is necessary to include
all tourism stakeholders in tourism planning, they
cannot all be involved equally in the decision
making process, but identifying and understand-
ing their interests is required (Donaldson and
Preston, ₁₉₉₅).
Among the stakeholders that have been
quite well researched, residents' perception of
the impact of tourism is a dominant theme (Banki
and Ismail, ₂₀₁₄). Over the past few years, a
number of studies have tried to understand resi-
dents' perceptions of tourism development and
its impacts (Andereck and Vogt, ₂₀₀₀; Andereck
et al., ₂₀₀₅; Gursoy et al., ₂₀₀₂; McGehee and
Andereck, ₂₀₀₄). Perceptions of people in tour-
ism business have not been a prominent area in
tourism development research, although some
comparative studies on perception of various
tourism stakeholders have been done. Lekovic
et al. (₂₀₁₄) reported that the perceptions of
entrepreneurs about tourism could be influenced
by some factors such as their sex, age, education,
geographical region etc.
Previous studies comparing the perception
of various community groups have shown differ-
ence in their perception of tourism (Andriotis,
₂₀₀₅; Byrd et al., ₂₀₀₉; Poudel and Nyaupane,
₂₀₁₅). The study of Byrd et al. (₂₀₀₉) in eastern
North Carolina revealed that entrepreneurs had
a lower perception that tourism development
increases crime than the residents. Banki and
Ismail (₂₀₁₄) found that tourism entrepreneurs
have a higher positive perception of the economic
impacts of tourism than other stakeholders. The study of Lankford (₁₉₉₄) revealed that the
perceptions of entrepreneurs and government
officials varied from residents with regard to
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the level of support for tourism development. Examining the different perceptions of residents,
entrepreneurs, and public sector personnel by
Thomason et al. (₁₉₇₉) revealed that entrepre-
neurs had more positive perception about visitors
than the other two groups. Comparing percep-
tions of tourism development between residents,
entrepreneur and government officials, Kim and
Pennington-Gray (₂₀₀₃) found that only residents
thought growth should be minimized and indi-
cated that they do not want more tourists. They
also indicated that each of the three groups had
different perceptions about the level of tourism
development. Murphy (₁₉₈₃) found significant
differences between the perceptions and attitudes
of the business sector, administration, and resi-
dents toward tourism development.
III Methodology
1) The study area
Yakushima is an island with an area of
about ₅₀₀ km₂ and circular perimeter of ₁₃₂ km,
located at latitude ₃₀°₁₅′–₃₀°₂₃′ N and longitude
₁₃₀°₂₃′–₁₃₀°₃₈′ E, approximately ₆₀ km off the
coast of Kagoshima in southern Kyushu. The
island is situated at the biogeographic boundary
between the tropical and temperate regions, and
all the climatic zones of the Japanese islands from
Hokkaido to Kyushu, are condensed on this one
island (Okano and Matsuda, ₂₀₁₃ ). In ₁₉₆₀, the population of Yakushima reached a peak with
₂₄,₀₁₀ inhabitants, after which it declined to
₁₃,₈₆₀ in ₁₉₉₅ and has since stabilized to just a
little over ₁₃,₀₀₀ inhabitants.
Yakushima is an island with multiple and
overlapping conservation designations and regu-
latory bodies such as Special Natural Monument,
Yakushima National Park, Biosphere Reserve,
Wilderness Area, Forest Ecosystem Reserve
and World Heritage Area (Hiwasaki, ₂₀₀₆). Its
economy has been heavily dependent on vari-
ous aspects of the forests that cover around ₉₀%
of the island (Hayward and Kuwahara, ₂₀₁₃). Forestry was important from the ₁₆₀₀s until the
₁₉₇₀s, targeting yakusugi (Okano and Matsuda,
₂₀₁₃). Following the permanent shut down of
timber felling, 'one passage in the island's his-
tory was closed, opening another– the growth of
eco-tourism' (Hayward and Kuwahara, ₂₀₁₃, p.
₃₇). The number of visitors to the island began
increasing gradually in the ₁₉₆₀s and early ₁₉₇₀s
(Hiwasaki, ₂₀₀₇).
Increase in popularity of Yakushima coupled
with better access due to the connection of the
island with Kyushu mainland by high-speed boat,
airplane and improved road infrastructure led
to a sharp rise in visitor numbers to the island
(Funck and Cooper, ₂₀₁₃). Over the period of
₁₉₉₅–₂₀₀₀, an average of ₂₆₈,₀₀₀ people per
year visited the island (Hiyoshi, ₂₀₀₂), and within
the five year period from ₂₀₀₆–₂₀₁₀, the number
of visitors to the island had jumped to an average
of ₃₅₉,₀₀₀ per year, but has since been declining. Yakushima attracts a large number of visitors,
who are interested mainly in visiting Jomon-sugi. The visitors tend to be concentrated in specific
places, with just few tourists interested in the
traditional bio-cultural diversity of the island
resulting in an uneven distribution of tourism in
Yakushima (Okano and Matsuda, ₂₀₁₃).
The fame of the island did not only attract
tourists but also new residents who migrated
from different parts of the country to make a liv-
ing from tourism or simply to retire (Funck and
Cooper, ₂₀₁₃). This boom had a large economic
effect by creating new jobs and enhancing the
191ADEWUMI, I. B. and FUNCK, C.: Ecotourism in Yakushima
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growth of small-scale tourism businesses such
as lodging industry, restaurants, eco-tour guide
industry, souvenir shops and transportation
industry (car rental and taxi). In ₂₀₁₃, about
₇₂₅ people were working in the lodging industry,
₃₉₉ people in restaurants and ₈₉ people in the
transportation industry (Kagoshima Economic
Research Institute, ₂₀₁₄). The number of lodg-
ing facilities in ₂₀₁₃ was at ₁₉₀ as compared to
₆₃ facilities in ₁₉₉₄. Ecotour guide industry
has also experienced a drastic increase from ₂₀ guides in ₁₉₉₂ to ₁₆₄ guides in ₂₀₁₂ (Funck and
Cooper, ₂₀₁₃; Okano and Matsuda, ₂₀₁₃).
2) Sampling
The survey was conducted in thirteen
communities on Yakushima Island (Figure ₁)
in March ₂₀₁₄. As of ₂₀₁₄, ₃₆₁ tourism busi-
nesses were registered with Yakushima Tourism
Association, out of which ₁₆₃ facilities were ran-
domly selected.
For the purpose of this research, the
researchers carried out a sampling survey
instead of investigating all the registered
facilities. This is due to the fact that this
research was a preliminary study conducted in
an attempt to improve upon the study design
prior to the main research. Also, ₁₆₃ facilities
were sampled because it was difficult to survey
all the registered facilities due to the limited time
for the research and difficulty in locating some
of the facilities on the map. An initial ₁₄₁ facili-
ties were surveyed but due to the low number of
questionnaires received, additional ₂₂ question-
naires were sent by post to other facilities that
were not surveyed initially.
Figure 1 Map of Yakushima showing the surveyed communities and surveys received
192 地理科学 71 –4, 2016
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The researchers and graduate students
aided those who needed assistance with fill-
ing the questionnaire. Questionnaires and
return self-addressed envelopes were dropped
for respondents who were busy. Although the
respondents were guaranteed anonymity, only
₉₇ facilities duly completed and returned the
questionnaires (Table ₁), accounting for ₅₉.₅% of
the administered questionnaires. This accounts
for ₂₆.₉% of all registered tourism businesses in
Yakushima.
Although tourism business facilities
are located in almost all the communities
in Yakushima, the majority of them are in
Miyanoura and Anbo, owing to the fact that the
ports and main tourists attractions on the island
are located close to these two communities. For
that reason, most questionnaires were distributed
in and retrieved from Miyanoura (₂₅) and Anbo
(₃₂) (Figure ₁). Due to the small number of
questionnaires retrieved from other communities,
with non having up to ₁₀ questionnaires retrieved
from there, the communities were therefore
grouped into three– Miyanoura, Anbo and oth-
ers– for the purpose of analysis.
The main targets of the research were
facilities strongly connected to the tourism sec-
tor, especially the lodging facilities. Although
the guides were also targeted, it was difficult
to get hold of them due to the nature of their
work. Since ₆₉.₁% of those that responded to
the survey are lodging facilities and the remain-
ing facilities ₃₀.₉% (Table ₁), it was only possible
to group the facilities into two (lodging facilities
and others) in order to be able to carry out the
appropriate analysis required for the research.
3) Instrument
The instrument used for data collection
was a questionnaire consisting of Likert scale,
dichotomous and open-ended questions. The
questionnaire was prepared following review of
existing literatures dealing with community's
perceptions of tourism and its impacts. The
questionnaire was initially drafted in English and
interpreted to Japanese with the help of experts
and native Japanese speakers.
The Likert Scale questions included six
statements about ecotourism to which respon-
dents were asked to respond in terms of a
five-point scale, so as to assess respondents' perception of ecotourism. In addition, there
were two Likert scale questions asking respon-
dents whether they were in favour of more
local and foreign tourists visiting the island, and
open-ended questions asking reasons for their
answers. Data on perceptions about the impacts
of ecotourism were gathered with five dichoto-
mous statements to which the respondents were
to answer either yes or no. There were also two
open-ended questions asking for the advantages
and disadvantages of tourism in Yakushima.
Table 1 Facilities where questionnaires were received
Tourism businesses Number of questionnaires
Percentage retrieved (%)
Lodging facilities ₆₇ ₆₉.₁Tourist facilities ₉ ₉.₃Souvenir shops ₆ ₆.₂Restaurant ₅ ₅.₂Guides ₃ ₃.₁Rental cars ₂ ₂.₁Others ₅ ₅.₂
Total 97 100
Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
193ADEWUMI, I. B. and FUNCK, C.: Ecotourism in Yakushima
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4) Analytical Procedure
The data collected were analyzed using
SPSS version ₂₁.₀. The statistics carried out
and reported in this paper are Oneway ANOVA,
Pearson chi-square tests and multiple response
cross-tabulations. Factors such as community
where questionnaire was administered (hereafter
Community), type of business facility, nativity/
hometown of the respondents, year respondents
started living in Yakushima and year the busi-
nesses started were adapted from Mehraliyev
(₂₀₁₄) and used in the analysis to determine if
the perceptions of people was impacted by these
factors. Oneway ANOVA was used for Likert
Scale statements to identify the dependence of
perceptions of the five factors. The dichoto-
mous statements were analyzed using Pearson
chi-square to test for the significant difference in
the perceptions of the respondents based on the
five factors. The levels of probability for reject-
ing the null hypothesis that the perceptions were
not significantly different were p ≤ ₀.₀₁, ₀.₀₅ and ₀.₁₀. For open-ended questions, responses
were coded into nominal variables and converted
into multiple response cross-tabulations. It was
not possible to identify differences in response
based on statistics since there is no statistical
test appropriate for multiple response cross-
tabulations (Andriotis, ₂₀₀₅).
IV Results
1) Profile of respondents
The respondents' profiles are presented in
Table ₂, Figure ₂ and Figure ₃. It was discov-
ered that a majority of the people in tourism
business in Yakushima are between the age of ₅₀ years and above (₆₂.₉%), and a higher percent-
age own the business (Table ₂). The chi-square
test did not show any statistically significant dif-
ference in the relationship between the communi-
ties, the type of businesses and their hometowns
(Figure ₂) but there was significant difference in
the relationship between when the respondents
started living in Yakushima, when business
started and the hometown of the respondents at
p ≤ ₀.₀₁ (Figure ₃). Result of hometown of the
respondents' reveals that ₄₅.₄% of the respon-
dents are not native to Yakushima (Table ₂) and
that ₇₅.₀% of the non-natives (₃₃ people) and a
few natives (₁₂ people) moved to Yakushima after
it was designated as a World Heritage Site in ₁₉₉₃ (Figure ₃).
Table 2 Demographics of respondents
Characteristics of respondentsFrequency
(n = ₉₇)Percentage
(%)
Gender
Male ₅₀ ₅₁.₅Female ₄₆ ₄₇.₄No answer ₁ ₁.₀
Age
₂₀-₂₉ ₃ ₃.₁₃₀-₃₉ ₁₁ ₁₁.₃₄₀-₄₉ ₂₀ ₂₀.₆₅₀-₅₉ ₂₈ ₂₈.₉₆₀-₆₉ ₂₁ ₂₁.₆₇₀ and above ₁₂ ₁₂.₄No answer ₂ ₂.₁
Hometown
Yakushima ₅₂ ₅₃.₆Kagoshima area ₃ ₃.₁Kyushu area ₁₀ ₁₀.₃Capital Metropolitan Area ₁₁ ₁₁.₃Kansai area ₈ ₈.₂Overseas ₁ ₁.₀Others ₁₁ ₁₁.₃No answer ₁ ₁.₀
Status atFacility
Owner ₄₀ ₄₁.₂Owner's family ₇ ₇.₂Manager ₂₃ ₂₃.₇Manager's family ₄ ₄.₁Staff ₂₀ ₂₀.₆No answer ₃ ₃.₁
Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
194 地理科学 71 –4, 2016
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2) Perceptions of ecotourism in Yakushima
Six statements about what the respondents
think of ecotourism showed that about ₇₅% were
of the opinion that it promotes cultural exchange
and about ₆₀% were positive that ecotourism pro-
vides employment opportunity and contributes to
nature conservation, and almost ₅₀% supported
that it increases income (Figure ₄).
In Table ₃, the type of tourism business,
hometown and when business started had sta-
tistically significant impact on the opinion of the
respondents about ecotourism. There was sta-
tistically significant impacts on perceptions that
ecotourism increases income (p ≤ ₀.₀₁), provides
employment opportunities (p ≤ ₀.₀₅) and it is an
important economic activity in Yakushima (p ≤
21
11
17
37
131214
19
30
16
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Anbo Miyanoura Others Lodging facility Others
Community (n=94) Business type (n=96)
Yakushima (ns) Others (ns)
Figure 2 Relationship between community, business type and hometownNote: ns = not significant at p ≤ ₀.₀₁.Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
31
4
811
9
1311
16 17
1
9
19
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
<1992 1993-2002 2003-2014 <1992 1993-2002 2003-2014
Started living in Yakushima* (n=87) Started business* (n=62)
Yakushima Others
Figure 3 Chi-square test of relationship between length of residency, year business started and hometownNote: *Significant at p ≤ ₀.₀₁.Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
195ADEWUMI, I. B. and FUNCK, C.: Ecotourism in Yakushima
─ ─11
₀.₀₅) based on the type of tourism business. The finding shows that people in other types of
tourism business had a significantly higher per-
ception that ecotourism increases income (M =
₃.₉₃), provides employment (M = ₃.₉₆) and is an
important economic activity on the island (M =
₄.₀₄) than those in accommodation business. In addition, non-natives of Yakushima had a
higher mean score (M = ₄.₂₆) to the sentences
that ecotourism promotes cultural exchange
than natives, with significant difference at p ≤
₀.₀₁. It was discovered that people who started
businesses between ₁₉₉₃ and ₂₀₀₂ were slightly
more in support with statements that ecotourism
provides employment opportunity (M = ₄.₀₀)
and contributes to nature conservation (M =
₃.₈₂) than those who started in other years (p ≤
₀.₀₅). People who started business before
₁₉₉₂ were mostly neutral and disagreed with the
statement that ecotourism contribute to nature
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Increases income
Promotes cultural exchange
Employment opportunity for residents
Contributes to nature conservation
Burden on nature of Yakushima
Important economic activity inYakushima
More than one item could be checked (n=86)
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
Figure 4 Rating of respondents to statements about ecotourismSource: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
Table 3 Oneway ANOVA for opinion of respondents to statements about ecotourism
Variable
Community Business Facility Hometown Started living in Yakushima Started business
Anbo Miyanoura Others Lodgingfacility Others Yakushima Others <₁₉₉₂ ₁₉₉₃–
₂₀₀₂₂₀₀₃–₂₀₁₄ <₁₉₉₂ ₁₉₉₃–
₂₀₀₂₂₀₀₃–₂₀₁₄
Increases income ₃.₄₈ ₃.₅₆ ₃.₃₂ ₃.₂₁** ₃.₉₃** ₃.₂₃ ₃.₆₇ ₃.₂₄ ₃.₇₀ ₃.₄₂ ₂.₈₂ ₃.₇₆ ₃.₆₆Promotes cultural exchange ₃.₉₃ ₄.₀₄ ₃.₉₇ ₃.₉₈ ₄.₀₀ ₃.₇₅** ₄.₂₆** ₃.₈₅ ₄.₁₀ ₄.₀₀ ₃.₄₅ ₄.₁₂ ₄.₀₃
Employment oppor-tunity for residents ₃.₇₁ ₃.₅₆ ₃.₅₀ ₃.₄₁* ₃.₉₆* ₃.₃₉ ₃.₇₉ ₃.₄₁ ₃.₈₀ ₃.₅₈ ₂.₈₂** ₄.₀₀** ₃.₇₉**
Contributes to nature conservation ₄.₀₀ ₃.₇₀ ₃.₆₅ ₃.₇₈ ₃.₇₄ ₃.₆₆ ₃.₈₈ ₃.₅₉ ₃.₉₀ ₃.₈₃ ₂.₉₁* ₃.₈₂* ₃.₇₅*
Burden on nature of Yakushima ₃.₁₅ ₂.₈₇ ₂.₉₇ ₃.₀₇ ₂.₈₉ ₂.₉₈ ₃.₀₅ ₂.₉₄ ₃.₁₅ ₃.₀₉ ₂.₆₄ ₃.₂₈ ₃.₀₄
Important economic activity in Yakushima ₃.₇₈ ₃.₆₁ ₃.₅₆ ₃.₄₈* ₄.₀₄* ₃.₅₅ ₃.₇₃ ₃.₅₀ ₃.₉₀ ₃.₄₈ ₃.₀₉ ₃.₈₂ ₃.₈₂
Note ₁: *Significant at p ≤ ₀.₀₅; **Significant at p ≤₀.₀₁.₂: The Likert scale ranged from ₁(strongly disagree) to ₅ (Strongly agree).₃: The higher the score, the stronger their agreement with the statements.
Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
196 地理科学 71 –4, 2016
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Table 4 Pearson Chi-square test for perceived impact of ecotourism
Impact of Ecotourism Agreed(n = ₉₇) Community Business
FacilityHometown
Started livingin Yakushima
Startedbusiness
Economic benefit ₄₈ ₀.₅₁ ₁.₂₄ ₀.₅₃ ₁.₀₁ ₁.₈₅Positive impact for the community ₅₀ ₀.₉₄ ₆.₈₈* ₉.₀₅* ₃.₃₁ ₄.₂₀Negative impact for the community ₁₁ ₃.₀₀ ₁.₃₇ ₀.₃₄ ₂.₀₀ ₂.₉₈Positive impact for the environment ₃₅ ₃.₀₀ ₁.₂₆ ₀.₉₄ ₀.₇₈ ₅.₇₃Negative impact for the environment ₂₀ ₁.₂₇ ₀.₂₈ ₀.₀₂ ₀.₇₆ ₀.₂₇
Note: *Significant at p ≤ ₀.₀₁.Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
12777
81010
1113
22
0 5 10 15 20 25
OthersDecrease in depopulation of the island
Non-native Yakushima people can work…Maintenance/improvement of infrastructure
Increase in the number of touristsIncrease in the popularity of Yakushima
Raise awareness about nature conservationRevitalization of Yakushima town
Employment opportunityEconomic benefit
Open-ended question: More than one answer could be given (n=63)
Figure 5 Advantages of Yakushima becoming a tourists’ destinationSource: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
16
7
3
3
5
5
6
12
14
19
0 5 10 15 20
Others
None in particular
Traffic problem/accident caused by rental car
Outsiders benefit more than native people
Toilet problem in the mountains
Quietness of the island is lost
Poor manners of tourists
Destruction of mountain trail due to overuse
Environmental disruption
Garbage problem
Open-ended question: More than one answer could be given (n=64)
Figure 6 Disadvantages of Yakushima becoming a tourists’ destinationSource: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
197ADEWUMI, I. B. and FUNCK, C.: Ecotourism in Yakushima
─ ─13
conservation (M = ₂.₉₁).
The perceptions about the impacts of eco-
tourism in Yakushima presented in Table ₄ reveals that a higher number of the respondents
(₅₀ people) perceived that ecotourism has posi-
tively impacted the community with a very few
with the opinion that ecotourism has negative
impact on the community. There is statistically
significant difference (p ≤ ₀.₀₁) in the perception
of the respondents toward the positive impact of
ecotourism to the community based on the type
of business facility and hometown of the respon-
dents.
The opinions of respondents about the
advantages and disadvantages resulting from
tourism on the island were examined through
open-ended questions. A majority of the respon-
dents stated that tourism has led to economic
benefits and employment opportunity (Figure
₅). In addition, some were of the opinion that
tourism in Yakushima has helped in the revital-
ization of the town, raised awareness about nature
conservation and helped stabilize the population
of the island. The main disadvantages resulting
from tourism were garbage problems, environ-
mental disruption and destruction of mountain
trails used for hiking (Figure ₆). Some of the
respondents said that there are no disadvantages
caused by tourism.
3) Opinion about increase in tourists
There was a dichotomous question (yes or
no) asking if the increase in tourist to Yakushima
brought about problems on the island. It was
discovered that out of the ₉₇ respondents, ₅₀ people (₅₁.₅%) thought that the increase in the
number of tourists caused some problems in
Yakushima, ₃₄ people was there was no problem
caused by the increase while ₁₃ people did not
respond to the question. The years the prob-
lems started, as stated by those that answered
yes are presented in Figure ₇. A majority of
the respondents said that the increase in tourists
caused problems on the island between ₂₀₀₆ and
₂₀₁₀.Entrepreneurs native to Yakushima, those
Figure 7 Responses to the year the problem started due to increase in touristsSource: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
1
4
89
16
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
<1990 1991-1995 1996-2000 2001-2005 2006-2010 2011-2014Year problem started
opnen-ended question (n=43)
198 地理科学 71 –4, 2016
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Table 5 Oneway ANOVA for opinion of respondents concerning a further increase in tourists
Variable
Community Business Facility Hometown Started living in Yakushima Started business
Anbo Miyanoura Others Lodgingfacility Others Yakushima Others <₁₉₉₂ ₁₉₉₃–
₂₀₀₂₂₀₀₃–₂₀₁₄ <₁₉₉₂ ₁₉₉₃–
₂₀₀₂₂₀₀₃–₂₀₁₄
More tourists ₄.₀₆ ₄.₂₂ ₃.₉₃ ₄.₀₅ ₄.₀₈ ₄.₂₅** ₃.₈₂** ₄.₂₄* ₃.₅₆* ₃.₉₆* ₄.₃₃* ₃.₅₆* ₄.₁₀*More foreign tourists ₃.₉₄ ₃.₉₆ ₃.₉₀ ₄.₀₂ ₃.₇₂ ₃.₉₄ ₃.₉₃ ₃.₉₇ ₃.₇₁ ₄.₀₄ ₃.₈₃* ₃.₄₇* ₄.₀₀*
Note ₁: *Significant at p ≤ ₀.₁₀; **Significant at p ≤ ₀.₀₅.₂: The Likert scale ranged from ₁(strongly disagree) to ₅ (Strongly agree).₃: The higher the score, the stronger their agreement with the statements.
Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
Table 7 Reasons for wanting more foreign tourists
Reasons for wanting more or less foreign tourists Frequency(n = ₆₆)
Reasons for more foreign tourists
Want foreigners to know/learn about Yakushima and Japan ₂₂Enjoy and experience the nature of Yakushima and Japan ₁₀International/cultural exchange ₉Economic benefit ₇Other positive reasons ₇
Reasons against more foreign tourists
Language problem ₉Insufficient signboards and information in foreign languages ₈Bad manners of tourists ₃Cultural differences ₂Other negative reasons ₂
Note: Open-ended question, more than one answer could be given.Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
Table 6 Reasons for wanting more tourists
Reasons for wanting more or less tourists Frequency(n = ₆₉)
Reasons for more tourists
Economic benefit ₂₉Revitalization of the island ₇Increase the fame of the island ₄Want more tourists in winter ₃Other positive reasons ₉
NeutralBalance nature and tourism ₁₀Too much increase or decrease is a problem ₃
Reasons against more touristsAdverse effect on nature ₅The island should not only depend on tourism ₄Other negative reasons ₅
Note: Open-ended question, more than one answer could be given.Source: Survey data (₂₀₁₄).
199ADEWUMI, I. B. and FUNCK, C.: Ecotourism in Yakushima
─ ─15
that started living in Yakushima and started their
business before ₁₉₉₂ have a stronger agreement
of wanting more tourists to visit Yakushima with
mean scores of ₄.₂₅, ₄.₂₄ and ₄.₃₃ respectively
(Table ₅). Their perceptions about a further
increase in tourists was significantly impacted
by their hometown (p ≤ ₀.₀₅), the year they
started living in Yakushima (p ≤ ₀.₁₀) and when
business started (p ≤ ₀.₁₀). Perceptions about
wanting more foreign tourists were only statisti-
cally significant based on the year the business
started (p ≤ ₀.₁₀), with the people who started
their businesses between ₂₀₀₃–₂₀₁₄ wanting
more foreign tourists (M = ₄.₀₀).
The reasons stated for wanting more tour-
ists (Table ₆) included economic benefits and
revitalization of the island among others. It
is interesting to note that a few number of the
respondents only want more tourists in winter
while some want a balance between tourism and
nature conservation. Some of the respondents
do not want an increase in tourists due to its
adverse effect on nature while a good number of
them do not want the number of foreign tourists
to increase because of language problems (Table
₇).
V Discussion
Ecotourism is capable of bringing both ben-
efits and costs to a destination, and understand-
ing the perceptions of groups of stakeholders is
crucial in planning the sustainable development
of ecotourism. The study argued that the per-
ception of people in tourism business is important
for the success of ecotourism development and
that these perceptions are influenced by various
demographic variables. The finding of this
study shows that majorities of the people in tour-
ism business in Yakushima (₆₂.₉%) are above ₅₀ years of age (Table ₂). This high percentage of
ageing people in tourism business in Yakushima
is in line with Funck (₁₉₉₉), who stated that when
compared to other service industries, accom-
modation facilities in Japan (which is one of the
main tourism businesses) rely heavily on person-
nel over ₅₅ years old. This reveals that ageing
population in tourism destinations and tourism
business is a serious problem in Japan. The
ageing demographics at tourist destinations pos-
sibly inhibits the introduction of modern resource
management due to lack of interest and human
resources, which invariably affects the ability of
destinations to adjust to new and more divers
pattern of demand, offer new forms of recreation
activities and to cope with an increasing influx of
foreign tourists (Funck, ₂₀₀₈).
It is evident that the inscription of
Yakushima on the WHS list had a positive effect
on tourism business on the island because the
majority of businesses started after the island
was designated as a WHS. Also, this was when
₇₅.₀% of the people not native to Yakushima
moved to the island and a few natives returned
after having left the island temporarily (Figure
₃). It was observed that natives play a bigger
role in the accommodation business than in other
tourism businesses. The involvement of large
number of natives' in the accommodation busi-
ness might be related to the finding of Hiwasaki
(₂₀₀₇), who noted that migrants to the island
find it difficult to obtain land rights resulting in a
majority of them working in other tourism busi-
ness such as ecotour guides. Funck and Cooper
(₂₀₁₃) reported that about ₈₀% of the ecotour
guides in Yakushima are people from outside the
area or natives who have returned after spending
200 地理科学 71 –4, 2016
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time outside. Mehraliyev (₂₀₁₄) posited that
in tourism industry, business of a destination
is owned mainly not by local people but other
entrepreneurs. The high number of non-natives
in tourism business of a destination was also
supported by Butler (₁₉₈₀), who suggested that
as a destination grows and becomes popular, the
more 'outsiders' appear in the destination for
business purposes and after a certain time in the
development cycle, locals become less powerful
than outsiders who own most of the businesses
by that time. This is also the case in Yakushima
because some of the respondents complained
that the non-natives benefit more from tourism
than the natives.
According to Table ₃, the communities
where the facilities are located and the year the
respondents started living in Yakushima did not
have significant influence on their perceptions,
but types of tourism business facilities, hometown
of the respondents and the year they started
their business influenced their perception of
ecotourism. In the study of Turker and Ozturk
(₂₀₁₃) the length of residency did not influence
the perception of the residents, although some
researchers argued that residents who have lived
in a community for a longer period have more
positive attitudes towards tourism than those with
shorter residency (Sheldon and Abenoja, ₂₀₀₁; Lankford, ₁₉₉₄). However, Ayers and Potter
(₁₉₈₉) in their study found that residents who
have lived in a community for a longer period
perceive lower levels of positive impacts than
those with shorter residency.
The vast majority of respondents agreed
that ecotourism has positive impact on the com-
munity by creating economic benefits, employ-
ment opportunities, revitalizing the island and
reducing depopulation of the island among
others (Table ₄, Figure ₅). This is similar to
some finding that residents who place a greater
amount of importance on economic development
would have more positive attitudes toward tour-
ism (Lindberg and Johnson, ₁₉₉₇; Smith and
Krannich, ₁₉₉₈). Evidently, many communities
have seen tourism as a promising opportunity
for reducing underdevelopment problems, and
as a means of modernizing their economic base
and retaining their population (Andriotis, ₂₀₀₃; Andriotis and Vaughan, ₂₀₀₄). Johnson et al. (₁₉₉₄) posited that tourism creates new employ-
ment opportunities, increases local revenues and
raises standard of living. Likewise, Andriotis
(₂₀₀₄) averred that tourism generates employ-
ment and income for the locals. As stated by
Bann (₂₀₁₀) ecotourism has been identified as
one of the most important alternative livelihoods
for local communities. According to Turker and
Ozturk (₂₀₁₃), tourism is viewed as a means of
rejuvenating an area, creating jobs and attracting
people back to the area to work in the tourism
industry.
Despite the positive perception about eco-
tourism in Yakushima, some of the respondents
had negative perception about the impact of eco-
tourism on the island. According to Table ₄, ₁₁ people stated that ecotourism has negative impact
on the community and ₂₀ respondents who said
that ecotourism has negative impact on the envi-
ronment of the island. The negative impact of
ecotourism was highest between ₂₀₀₆ and ₂₀₁₀ (Figure ₇). This coincides with the years (₂₀₀₇ and ₂₀₀₈) the island had the highest number of
tourist. Loss of the island's quietness, traffic
problems and non-natives benefiting more from
tourism than the natives are some of the negative
201ADEWUMI, I. B. and FUNCK, C.: Ecotourism in Yakushima
─ ─17
impacts of ecotourism to the community. In
the study of Baysan (₂₀₀₈), some of the respon-
dent stated that tourism in Oren might spoil the
quietness of the destination, which is also the
situation in Yakushima. The negative impacts
of ecotourism on the environment range from
garbage problems, environmental disruption to
destruction of mountain trails. Toilets were also
mentioned as part of the problems caused by
tourism because there are inadequate toilets and
sewage facilities to keep pace with the increase
in tourists visiting the mountains. This finding
is consistent with those of Forbes (₂₀₁₂), Fukami
(₂₀₁₁), Okano and Matsuda (₂₀₁₃), Hiwasaki
(₂₀₀₆) that resource overuse, garbage problems,
pollution due to human waste and inadequate
toilets, environmental disruption and destruction
of mountain trails are problems facing the island
due to tourism.
It was perceived among some respondents
that ecotourism in Yakushima does not contribute
to nature conservation. Although the year the
respondents started living in Yakushima did not
have any statistical significance on this percep-
tion, the year they started their business did have
a statistically significance impact (Table ₃). As
shown in Table ₃, there is high disagreement
with the statement that ecotourism contributes
to nature conservation by those that started their
business before ₁₉₉₂ (M = ₂.₉₁). This may be
due to the fact that this group of respondents
knew what the nature of the island was before it
became a WHS and have experienced the envi-
ronmental changes resulting from the increase in
tourism.
A greater number of the respondents want
more tourists to visit the island because of its
economic benefits and its ability to revitalize the
island(Table ₆). Most of tourism literatures
and researches seem to agree that tourism is an
effective tool for successful economic develop-
ment, employment opportunities and revitaliza-
tion of a destination (Schmallegger and Carson,
₂₀₁₀; Hiwasaki, ₂₀₀₆; Andriotis, ₂₀₀₅). Three
of the respondents want more tourists only in
winter season so as to have an average annual
number of tourists (Table ₆). However, ₁₃ people want a balance between nature protection
and tourism because too much increase in the
number of tourists would have adverse effects
on nature and too much decrease would lead to
economic problems on the island, since most of
the people generate their income from tourism. It is not surprising to see that because of the
negative effect of ecotourism on the environment,
some of the respondents do not want the number
of tourists to increase.
VI Conclusions
The study has examined the impact of eco-
tourism in Yakushima from the perception of the
people in tourism business. The findings of the
study identified that respondents have both posi-
tive and negative perceptions of the impacts of
ecotourism in their community. It was proven
that people in tourism business in Yakushima
had positive perceptions of ecotourism by the
reason of its economic impacts and overall
positive impact on their community. People
in tourism business other than the accommoda-
tion business have more positive perceptions on
the economic effects of ecotourism while non-
natives were more positive about the employment
opportunity created by ecotourism. There was
no difference in perceptions of the respondents
by location of the facility and length of residency.
202 地理科学 71 –4, 2016
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However, the type of business facility, nativity of
the respondents and the year business started,
influenced the perceptions towards ecotourism. Despite the percentage of positive perception, a
few number of people identified some negative
environmental impacts of tourism in Yakushima
such as resource overuse, garbage problem and
disruption of the island's quietness.
It is necessary to put the concerns of the
people into consideration during future plans so
as to reduce to the barest minimum or eliminate
(if possible) the negative social and environmen-
tal effects of tourism on the island. The survey
carried out for the purpose of this study was
restricted because of time and the sample size. There is a need for further research directed to a
larger sample size and other community groups
to be able to have more comprehensive findings
to incorporate into future ecotourism planning
and developments in Yakushima.
Acknowledgement
The authors are grateful to the people that took
time out of their busy schedule to answer the question-
naires, all the graduate students that helped in admin-
istering the questionnaire and those that helped with
translations of the questionnaires. This research has
been supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion
of Science Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research Project
JP26360065 (Carolin Funck).
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屋久島におけるエコツーリズム―観光産業関係者の認識―
アデウミ イフェオルワ ボランレ*・フンク・カロリン**
キーワード: エコツーリズム,観光産業,資源の過剰利用,コミュニティー認識,屋久島
世界遺産登録とエコツールズム観光地としての定着は屋久島に観光者だけでなく,観光産業で働く移住者も引きつけた。本論文は観光産業の関係者がエコツーリズムをどのように認識し,また,出身地,居住歴,事業所の立地場所,事業所の種類と開業年がその認識にどのように影響するか分析している。そのため,観光産業関係者のアンケート調査を行った(回答者97人)。回答者の約半分は屋久島外の出身であったが,この割合が屋久島が世界遺産に登録された2003年以降に開業した事業者では高く,また,土地や建物の所有を前提とする宿泊業ではやや低かった。回答者は経済的な効果やコミュニティにもたらす影響に基づいて,エコツーリズムを高く評価している。一方,資源の過剰利用,ゴミ問題や登山道の破壊がエコツーリズムの課題としてあげられた。エコツーリズムの影響に対する認識は出身地,事業所の種類と開業年により異なっているが,立地場所と居住歴は影響していないことが明らかになった。
*広島大学大学院総合科学研究科・大学院生**広島大学大学院総合科学研究科