In Yakushima, which is a World Heritage site, limitations in visits are considered from the nature conservation perspectives; while there is an opinion that such limitations would negatively affect tourism which supports lives of islanders. In this study, the objective was defined to clarify “expectation and satisfaction with Yakushima tourism” among Yakushima tourists and travel trade. Attitude surveys were conducted with tourists (n=492) and travel trade (n=70). Firstly, tourists expected more about attractive nature and eco-tour experience than travel traders imagined. This indicates that tourists firmly recognize the strength of the value and brand of the attractive nature of Yakushima and the eco-tour experience there. Secondly, tourists were more satisfied with Yakushima tour in terms of attractive nature and eco-tour experience than travel traders imagined. Actually, their expectation exceeded their satisfaction. When future measures for Yakushima tourism are developed with the above study results, it is expected that those measures would contribute to activate the local community. Therefore, it may be considered very important to continue to maintain the high value of Yakushima’s nature in the future.
