沖縄における農村開発から観たグリーンツーリズム
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概要
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The tourism industry is now an important industry in Japan. As a service industry, tourism is an especially important economic activity in Okinawa Prefecture where the development of secondary industries is limited. However, the number of tourists in Okinawa peaked at 5.93 million in 2008, declining to about 5.71 million tourists in 2011. This was due to major causes, notably Japan's depressed economy and the spread of influenza. But, there was another problem that the prefecture faced-the lack of a system to accept tourists, exemplified by such problems as access to adequate means of transport, expense, transportation on the island, accommodations, sightseeing sites, or limited tourism resources capable of providing adequate "experience. The issue of carrying capacity from the standpoint of sustainable tourism development is also under debated. These issues have been published in many related reports, but in this study, the issue of green tourism as a new type of tourism that would link Okinawaユs basic and primary industries of agriculture and fisheries with its tertiary industry, tourism was reviewed. This paper discusses the type of green tourism that is presently being implemented and examines its future potential. Although the economic rewards stemming from green tourism are not adequate, the needs of the urban population are steadily growing and this type of tourism will continue to expand along with these needs. However, the economic returns for farms are inadequate to overturn the dependency theory. This is similar to the impact of the One-Product-One-Village Movement and despite the inadequate economic rewards, it did draw the attention and interest of the rural community. In other words, it had the significant effect of raising awareness about rural development. But unlike the One-Product-One-Village Movement, green tourism did not contribute to raising awareness about rural development, but provided advantages that the rural community gained through their exchange with city residents. In addition, since the ratio of agriculture in Okinawa is slightly higher than other prefectures, green tourism may be economically viable. Although the advantages for the Agricultural Cooperative and the organization were made clear through this survey, the merits for the farms have not been adequately clarified. Hence further study is required to examine the impact of green tourism on farms. In addition, ideas about green tourism should focus on city residents, who are the consumers, but since this is a project implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Okinawa Prefecture Tourism Planning Section, it is simply a part of the ministry's effort to expand its projects. Hence there is a need to understand the needs of those who enjoy green tourism. It is important that the needs of consumers in the city are based on a review of the advantages green tourism offers to farmers and the rural community. In other words, a value-added element needs to be found in green tourism.