Sociological Research on the Endogenous Development of Regional Society related to the Growth of Tourist Industry

1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 09610169
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: Tokyo Gakugei University
• Principal Investigator: TAKADA Shigeru Tokyo Gakugei University Faculty of Education, Professor, 教育学部, 教授 (50137478)
• Project Period (FY): 1997 – 1999
• Keywords: Endogenous Development / Regional Society / Regional Industry / Tourist Industry / Urban-Rural Exchange / Rural Tourism

Research Abstract

In this research, I think possibilities of the tourist industry related to the endogenous development of regional societies in Japan. Tourism is a social phenomenon that has economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts in all sociological dimensions. Tourism produce significant social and economic transformations to host regional societies. Although tourism has diverse aspects to investigate, my main concern of this research is the study of tourism as the regional industry.
Many industries, for instance, agriculture, processing industry of farm products, traditional local industry, and invited modern industry, already have each economic and social positions to maintain the regional economy and society. How can the tourist industry contribute to develop local regions with there industries? The tourist industry is a value-added industry. It functions on the base of developing main existing industries. Therefore we must think about to take positive steps to the growth of these main industries. But, additionally, it is significant to reconsider the regional industries from the perspective of tourists, specially urban tourists who are nature-friendly, countryside-oriented and looking for the historical heritage. They wish to have inter-cultural experiences.
In Yonezawa City, famous historical heritages and traditional industry, for instance textile industry and processing industry of farm products, attract many tourists, and modern electric factories are developed in the suburb. They concern tourists gaze in the reform of their town-center. In Takahata Town, main industries are agriculture, processing industry of farm products, and invite electric industry. Organic farming in this town go very well. Many urban consumers buy organic products and visit to this town to exchange farmers. Rural tourism will have a good chance of success in Takahata.