The Movements of Sightseeing-buses in Ise City， Mie Prefecture

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the movements of the sightseeing buses in Ise， Mie Prefecture and its surrounding cities. This study observed the movements of sightseeing buses at seven investigation spots within Ise，and also interviewed the sightseeing bus tour operators. The results show that approximately 200 sightseeing buses per day visit Ise on weekends in ]une. Furthermore many of the sightseeing bus tours originated in Kansai districts，such as Osaka and Hyogo Prefecture. However it also revealed that many sightseeing buses are traveling only around Nai-ku (Inner Shrine of Ise Sinto Shrine) and its neighboring tourist spots in Ise. Moreover， many of them only spend a little time in Ise itself， and go to Toba and Shima which are located near Ise. Concerning this point， the interview data revealed that tour operators formed the tourist routes to include Toba and Shima as they were considered important for accommodations.