2018 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Protecting international tourists from harm: Developing an effective tourist hazard information system
| Project/Area Number |
17H02250
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| Research Institution | Wakayama University |
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Principal Investigator |
Ritchie Brent 和歌山大学, 国際観光学研究センター, 特別主幹教授 (70786095)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
吉野 孝 和歌山大学, システム工学部, 教授 (90274860)
佐野 楓 和歌山大学, 観光学部, 准教授 (60707298)
永井 隼人 和歌山大学, 観光学部, 講師 (80784280)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
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| Keywords | インバウンド・ツーリズム / ツーリスト / リスクマネジメント |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
During FY2018, which was the second year of the four-year project, the research team first conducted in-depth interviews with international tourists at Kansai international airport. In total, 30 tourists participated in the study. The results of the qualitative phase helped the research team familiarise themselves with the study context and develop a questionnaire. The online survey with Chinese and American prospective travellers to Japan was conducted in late FY2018, and the data were collected from 1,200 individuals. To disseminate the research findings, a journal paper based on the qualitative findings was developed. The paper was submitted to a leading tourism journal in late 2018, and it was accepted for publication in early 2019. In addition to the research activities listed above, the research team continued developing hazard information support systems for international tourists (i.e., smartphone apps). These systems were presented at academic conferences in order to seek feedback from experts in the relevant fields. In addition, the team has started outreach activities. A public seminar presenting initial findings from the project was held at Wakayama University in June 2018. In addition, one of the research team members presented a study at a seminar held at a Taiwanese university to disseminate the study findings and to gain feedback from international audiences.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Reflecting the research activities during FY2018, the research team declares that the research project has been carried out without serious obstacles. The development of the online questionnaire took a little longer than initially expected; thus, detailed analyses of the quantitative data will need to continue in early FY2019. This slight change has led to minor revisions of the research plan; however, the project is still on track, and the research team is expected to conduct research activities in FY2019 without major revisions of the research plan. During FY2018, as described above, one research paper was accepted by a leading tourism journal. In addition, a total of four presentations were made at academic conferences. These research activities allowed the research team to disseminate the findings from this research, receive valuable feedback from experts in the field and expand their academic network to improve the research project.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
In FY2019, the research team will first conduct a detailed analysis of the quantitative data that were collected from both Chinese and American prospective tourists to Japan in late FY2018. Through extensive analysis of the data, a better understanding of international tourists’ knowledge and perceptions of a range of natural hazards in Japan and their information search behaviour related to their future trip to Japan is anticipated. The findings from both the qualitative and quantitative analyses will be used to guide the further development and refinement of the hazard information systems that the research team has been developing since the beginning of the research project. The research team also aims to present findings from the study at conferences for related fields in FY2019 to seek feedback from experts. Academic articles are expected to be submitted to leading journals and/or books in those fields to disseminate the findings. In addition to the academic contributions, the research team also plans to publicise the findings for tourism practitioners by arranging outreach activities.
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| Remarks |
志垣,吉野,永井,佐野,Ritchie (2019). 「外国人観光客向け防災知識提供システムにおける正解をもたないクイズの提案」『和歌山大学災害科学教育研究センター研究報告』3, 10-15.
坂本,吉野,永井,佐野,Ritchie (2019).「観光客向けのWeb閲覧時に防災情報にさらされるシステムの開発」『和歌山大学災害科学教育研究センター研究報告』3, 24-31.
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