Tourism policy of local governments from the perspective of social psychology

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of applying a social psychological perspective to the behavior of local governments. The motivations of political actors, ranging from states to individuals, have been repeatedly examined and confirmed in political sociology and political psychology. However, few studies have examined local governments from this perspective. Local governments work on various policies, and some tourism policies do not seem to aim to increase economic profits. In this study, it was assumed that local governments are autonomous behavioral actors. The policy process was analyzed by introducing social identity theory, which explains a general group behavior from a psychological perspective. The relationship between the group concept of local government and the utilization of tourism resources was investigated. As a case study, this study followed the process by which Minamata City utilized Minamata disease to attract visitors, while focusing on the group concept of Minamata City. Based on the results, it can be said that Minamata disease-related tourism started to develop when Minamata disease began to be viewed from a positive viewpoint as an advanced experience in Minamata City.