Questionnaire survey on foreigner tourism-oriented waste prevention: pilot study in Kyoto City

Abstract

Kyoto city as a popular travel destination has attracted over 6 million foreign visitors in 2016 and this number is predicted to be continuously increasing (Industrial Affairs and Tourism Bureau of Kyoto City, 2016). The tourism industry has a large impact on Kyoto city in many ways with waste management being no exception. To grasp current behavior and consciousness of foreign tourists to inform further development of waste management schemes in Kyoto, this research adopted a questionnaire survey method to investigate tourism waste prevention situation. 126 questionnaires were distributed face to face to foreign travelers from 19 countries and districts in Kyoto at Kinkakuji Temple, Fushimiinari Shrine on 13th and 14th June 2018. As a result, the current tourism waste prevention schemes proposed by Kyoto city is less effective, while the propositions in Shimatsu no Kokoro Guidebook in tourism sector are practiced at various extends. Engagement of accommodations, retailers and other stakeholders requires further improvement for a more efficient tourism waste management in Kyoto. Moreover, the volumes of PET bottle and plastic bags waste generated in Kyoto is larger than that generated in tourists’ home countries. Thus, efforts can be further targeted to reduce waste generated by foreign tourists.