2020 Volume 129 Issue 5 Pages 635-655
The sustainability of sports training camps is studied in terms of accommodation–team–travel agent relationships in Hirano District, Yamanakako Village, Yamanashi Prefecture. Relationships among the abovementioned three factors involved in sports training camps in Hirano are analyzed using reservation methods, which are divided into two types: reservations through travel agents and direct reservations with accommodation facilities in Hirano. Intermediaries are divided into two types: travel agents with links to sports training camps and those with links to teachers handling school club activities. Historically, travel agents have been important intermediaries in Hirano: in the 1950s, a young man managing accommodation for those coming to Hirano for fishing established travel agents in Tokyo in order to attract teams to a tennis training camp, leading to the development of Hirano as a tennis training camp area. Regional conditions in Hirano, geographical accessibility to the Tokyo metropolitan area, cool summer climate, and accommodation and sports training facilities all contribute to attracting sports teams for a first-time visit. At the same time, travel agents in Tokyo play an important role in attracting not only new guests but also repeat visitors. Thus, trust and cooperation between travel agents and accommodation facilities or teams is of critical importance. Repeat visits through travel agents are based on interdependence and cooperation between accommodation facilities and travel agents for regular visits by teams, as well as trust between travel agents and teams based on the travel agents' sales methods. On the other hand, repeat visits with direct reservations are seen to be based on cooperation between teams and accommodation facilities to facilitate adjustments before training camps are held. In conclusion, there is a strong sense of interdependence, trust, and cooperation among accommodation facilities, sports teams, and travel agents in the Hirano district. These relationships can be explained not only from the viewpoint of business economics but also in terms of their reciprocal nature, which contributes to the sustainability of sports camps.
