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

186 地理科学 71 –4, 2016

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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

188 地理科学 71 –4, 2016

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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).


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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

190 地理科学 71 –4, 2016

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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


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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).


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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


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).


─ ─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.


196 地理科学 71 –4, 2016

─ ─12

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).


─ ─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

─ ─14

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.


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).


─ ─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

─ ─16

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


─ ─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

─ ─18

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

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