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[075] Characteristics of Users of and Satisfaction with Secondary Transportation in Hot Spring Resort Areas The case of Tendo city, Yamagata Pref.
Keywords:Secondary Transportation, Tourism, Destination Management
Since the 1990s, the number of tourists at most regional hot spring resorts has been declining. In the Tohoku region, the tourism situation has worsened due to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in 2020. However, many areas are taking the initiative to revitalize their tourist attractions.
The Tohoku region of Japan declined in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, too. Various response measures take advantage of government subsidies and other programs. The hot spring Tendo Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture, Tohoku region, also implements various measures.
This study analyzed data from a demonstration experiment conducted at Tendo Onsen to attract new customers and improve the area’s convenience as a tourist center. The experiment was conducted in three sections, including one regarding a tour bus in operation from Tendo Onsen and a shuttle bus to nearby tourist attractions, to identify user characteristics and their satisfaction with the service. The results are as follows. The users were relatively young, mainly from the Tokyo metropolitan area, who mainly used buses on weekends for sightseeing purposes. However, 23% were from Yamagata Prefecture, and they used the bus for sightseeing and shopping. From this, we conclude that improving the operating times and other aspects of the bus’s timetable will increase the number of bus users, enhancing convenience. General satisfaction was high regarding the Ginzan Onsen shuttle bus. However, there is room for improvement in the level of satisfaction, not only in delivering passengers as a means of transportation but also in the way tourists spend their time.
The need goes beyond convenience on the bus as a means of transportation, reaching total enjoyment as a tourist destination. For example, free responses indicated a desire for “more announcements in the train” and “installation of information transmission monitors.” On the train, a secondary means of transportation in tourist areas, it is possible to provide information on Tendo Onsen, Ginzan Onsen, and tourist spots by enhancing in-train announcements and installing monitors in the cars during the trip.
It is necessary to create an updated system to produce ripple effects on the region and tourist destinations and to build an acceptance system that takes these issues into account.
The Tohoku region of Japan declined in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, too. Various response measures take advantage of government subsidies and other programs. The hot spring Tendo Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture, Tohoku region, also implements various measures.
This study analyzed data from a demonstration experiment conducted at Tendo Onsen to attract new customers and improve the area’s convenience as a tourist center. The experiment was conducted in three sections, including one regarding a tour bus in operation from Tendo Onsen and a shuttle bus to nearby tourist attractions, to identify user characteristics and their satisfaction with the service. The results are as follows. The users were relatively young, mainly from the Tokyo metropolitan area, who mainly used buses on weekends for sightseeing purposes. However, 23% were from Yamagata Prefecture, and they used the bus for sightseeing and shopping. From this, we conclude that improving the operating times and other aspects of the bus’s timetable will increase the number of bus users, enhancing convenience. General satisfaction was high regarding the Ginzan Onsen shuttle bus. However, there is room for improvement in the level of satisfaction, not only in delivering passengers as a means of transportation but also in the way tourists spend their time.
The need goes beyond convenience on the bus as a means of transportation, reaching total enjoyment as a tourist destination. For example, free responses indicated a desire for “more announcements in the train” and “installation of information transmission monitors.” On the train, a secondary means of transportation in tourist areas, it is possible to provide information on Tendo Onsen, Ginzan Onsen, and tourist spots by enhancing in-train announcements and installing monitors in the cars during the trip.
It is necessary to create an updated system to produce ripple effects on the region and tourist destinations and to build an acceptance system that takes these issues into account.