Analysis of behavior characteristics of tourists considering large-scale earthquake disaster: Case study of Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture

Abstract

In past large-scale earthquake disasters, issues remained regarding the response to and support for vulnerable people. The elderly, infants and toddlers, tourists, and the injured persons are examples of vulnerable people. Tourists, in partic- ular, are characterized by the fact that they are affected by the earthquake at a distance from their homes, so their behavior after the earthquake is complicated by their own circumstances, such as available public transportation and the availa- bility of smartphones. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey for tourists regarding their behavior during a disaster with the aim of clarifying the behavioral tendencies of tourists in during earthquake disaster. Decision tree analysis revealed that the behavioral tendencies of tourists after the earthquake were characterized by attributes such as nationality, age, length of stay, and number of visits. Japanese tourists were more likely to try to stay in hotels, while foreign visitors to Japan were more likely to try to go to evacuation shelters.