Abstract
At present, green tourism has reached the stage of being a business stage. When we think about green tourism as a business, an issue that arises is whether the supply side can provide services that harmonize with various demands.
This study aims to clarify demand trends in green tourism by using AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). For this purpose, a questionnaire survey was administered to the bus tour visitors of Niyodogawa-cho, Kochi. Using AHP, this study weighs the criteria based on the report “Multifunctionality of Forest” issued by the Science Council of Japan.
The results revealed that the following criteria are preferred in sequence: “scenery/landscape”, “contact with nature”, “traditional culture”, “interaction with the local people”, and “relaxation”. Furthermore, by classifying these visitors into two types, namely, first visitors and repeaters (those who have visited Niyodogawa-cho more than twice), the following difference is observed in the order of preferences for “relaxation” and “interaction with the local people”. Repeaters want to spend time relaxing rather than interacting with the local people.
