[MIS21-P03] Efforts to improve the quality of the sea activity guide through collaboration between the private sector, the government, and experts: San’in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark GEO×Activity Project
Keywords:geopark, San'in Kaigan, activity, Cooperation, guide
Marine activities such as sea kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), snorkeling and surfing have been popular in the Uradome Coast of San’in Kaigan Geopark. Approx. 60 people work as activity guides, and more than 5,600 tourists including students for the school excursion enjoyed these activities in fiscal 2018. The number of participants rose ten times compared to those before San’in Kaigan was designated as a Global Geopark. These days, the demand for a textbook, which covers the features unique to the Uradome Coast such as formations of sea cave, gates and the marine life forms, has increased among the activity guides.
Therefore, the San’in Kaigan Geopark Museum of Sea, the San’in Kaigan Geopark Promotion Council and the local university in partnership with the activity guides conducted lectures as well as creating the textbook which summarized materials for the guides in fiscal 2019. This project is for the guides to learn and enjoy the geopark by mixing guides’ perspective with geographical, geological and biological knowledge. With this textbook and training programs, it is considered that the guiding skills will be improving by sharing these knowledge.
At beginning, we started to conduct a field research to gather information for the textbook from geological and biological perspective. In organizing the survey results, we found a story of geological formations and marine creatures in Uradome Coast across the field of geographical, geology and biology. In addition, we were able to incorporate the contents which the guides can handle for frequently asked questions from customers.
We had training programs in June, September and March in 2019 based on the textbook we had created. We obtained positive comments from the guides as follows: “we were able to learn more about marine life in earth”, “we found stories that we could tell customers right away.” and “we got tips for finding features of the landscapes and the marine creatures easily.”
This project also brought the San’in Kaigan Geopark Promotion Council to a close relation with the activity business operators and the academic experts. We also learned we could find the attractive guiding resources by multiplying the different territories of geographical, geology and biology. Furthermore, we rediscovered that it is essential to organize the knowledge that we had in the research.
We are planning to make the activity programs targeting at tourism and school excursion as well as conduct the regular workshops in partnership with activity guides and experts.
Therefore, the San’in Kaigan Geopark Museum of Sea, the San’in Kaigan Geopark Promotion Council and the local university in partnership with the activity guides conducted lectures as well as creating the textbook which summarized materials for the guides in fiscal 2019. This project is for the guides to learn and enjoy the geopark by mixing guides’ perspective with geographical, geological and biological knowledge. With this textbook and training programs, it is considered that the guiding skills will be improving by sharing these knowledge.
At beginning, we started to conduct a field research to gather information for the textbook from geological and biological perspective. In organizing the survey results, we found a story of geological formations and marine creatures in Uradome Coast across the field of geographical, geology and biology. In addition, we were able to incorporate the contents which the guides can handle for frequently asked questions from customers.
We had training programs in June, September and March in 2019 based on the textbook we had created. We obtained positive comments from the guides as follows: “we were able to learn more about marine life in earth”, “we found stories that we could tell customers right away.” and “we got tips for finding features of the landscapes and the marine creatures easily.”
This project also brought the San’in Kaigan Geopark Promotion Council to a close relation with the activity business operators and the academic experts. We also learned we could find the attractive guiding resources by multiplying the different territories of geographical, geology and biology. Furthermore, we rediscovered that it is essential to organize the knowledge that we had in the research.
We are planning to make the activity programs targeting at tourism and school excursion as well as conduct the regular workshops in partnership with activity guides and experts.