Exploring the voice of a host community in 'overtourism': The case of Kyoto

2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K12441
• Research Institution: Doshisha University
• Principal Investigator: HANDLER ISABELL 同志社大学, ビジネス研究科, 准教授 (90837155)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 河南 順一 同志社大学, ビジネス研究科, 教授 (20844674) ; 古屋 秀樹 東洋大学, 国際観光学部, 教授 (80252013) ; 藤稿 亜矢子 東洋大学, 国際観光学部, 教授 (20732754)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: overtourism / Kyoto / sustainable tourism / urban tourism / sustainability

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

The present study deals with the phenomena of overtourism on the example of Kyoto. It explores the resident’s perspective with special focus on the psychological dimension. After receiving this research funding in April 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic was already in full swing which made the PI and collaborators face several problems: The most dire one was that the situation of “overtourism” was no longer present. In fact, the city now faced stunningly deserted tourist sights, which were inspected by the PI in person. After extensive discussion, it was agreed upon to interview residents not only on 'overtourism' but to include pre-covid and post-covid elements in the survey.

Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

Progress has been satisfactory, extensive time has been spent on literature review, discussions on the changed situation of ‘overtourism’ in Japan, and the design of the questionnaire. Due to the pandemic however, research progress is slower than expected as all participants had to adjust to increased student needs and the change from classroom to online teaching. But most importantly, the PI has become familiar with market research companies in Japan, and conducted a trial survey with the help of the Co-I. This was followed by testing various statistical analysis methods which are going to be used for the main survey later on.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

The next steps are: The final version of the questionnaire is planned to be pre-tested in July on a small sample of Kyoto residents. If possible, this will be done using qualitative methods such as focus group interviews first. The adjusted questionnaire will then be tested on a small sample of 50 residents. The large-scale market survey will be carried out by a professional research company in August or September, slightly behind schedule. Additional secondary data will be collected by all members through their academic networks and relationships. Preliminary analysis will be conducted in fall, as scheduled, with first results planned to be presented in early 2022.

Causes of Carryover

The following items were included in the original budget but could not be used in this fiscal year: 1) travel budget by PI and Co-I Kyoto-Tokyo: due to Covid-19 all meetings were conducted online and no in-person meetings took place. 2) Nvivo Software was considered no longer necessary as study method is now predominantly quantitative due to Covid-19. 3) translation expenses will be required in next fiscal year due to delays. 4) Article costs were higher than expected as online equipment had to be purchased.