Using Persuasive Communication to Promote Responsible Inbound Tourism: The Case of the Snow Monkeys

• Project/Area Number: 18K11889
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 80020:Tourism studies-related
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
• Principal Investigator: Jones Thomas 立命館アジア太平洋大学, アジア太平洋学部, 准教授 (50611745)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2020)
• Budget Amount: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥130,000 (Direct Cost: ¥100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥30,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
• Keywords: Wildlife Tourism / Inbound Tourism / wildlife tourism / provisioning / Persuasive Communication / Inbound / National Park / Snow Monkey

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Wildlife tourism is a growing global market but the presence of humans has negative impacts for primates as park managers struggle to inform and educate the increasing inbound visitors. This project reviewed Interactions at some of Japan’s longest-running monkey parks thought to host some of the planet’s largest troop of uncaged Macaques. Despite the name Takasakiyama Natural Zoo (TNZ), macaques can be viewed by visitors under free-range conditions, throwing up challenges for persuasive communication. This research helped to clarify the positioning of monkey parks on a non-consumptive wildlife tourism spectrum.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

As biodiversity faces multiple global threats, the role of wildlife tourism is paramount, but relies on cultural contexts, requiring flexibility in an era of inbound tourism especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research Products

• [Presentation] Positioning wild monkey parks on a non-consumptive wildlife tourism spectrum: Visitor perspectives from Takasakiyama Natural Zoo (2020)
  • Author(s): T.E. Jones
  • Organizer: Critical Tourism Studies - Asia Pacific
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Diverging Dynamics in Wildlife Tourism: Comparing Visitor Trends to Macaque Monkey Parks in Japan (2019)
  • Author(s): T.E. Jones
  • Organizer: Royal Geographic Society Annual Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] A Tale of Two Valleys: Different Approaches to Macaque Monkey Management in Nagano’s National Parks (2018)
  • Author(s): T.E. Jones
  • Organizer: 16th Asia Pacific Conference