The potential value of research-based evidence in destination management: the case of Kamikawa, Japan
ISSN: 1660-5373
Article publication date: 25 January 2019
Issue publication date: 24 April 2019
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the direct intervention of university researchers in tourism practices in Hokkaido, Japan. The overall objective is the further understanding into the potential value of research-based evidence and scientific knowledge in tourism destination management. The paper articulates how the outcomes of structured knowledge creation were able to fundamentally change the long-held presumptions of local stakeholders about their destination, and the paper also examines how this knowledge was used to aid decision-making and the formulation of new tourism strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
Through an action research approach, data were collected by direct participation and interviews and then qualitatively analyzed.
Findings
The results clearly depict that the key factors for making destination management workable and sustainable are related to academic researchers’ direct intervention in tourism practices.
Originality/value
This paper has filled a gap in existing scholarship where empirical understanding from first-hand experiences has lacked around the important role that scientific knowledge or evidence-based research can play in enhancing decision-making in collaborative initiatives aiming to develop local tourism resources. The importance of the scientific approach and evidence-based decision-making is gaining increasing recognition in tourist destination development and management. This points to an important opportunity for academic researchers to contribute to the realization of sustainable tourist practices.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to local stakeholders in the Kamikawa destination who helped the authors collect data during the research, and they also thank Associate Professor Gregory Trencher of Tohoku University for his insightful comments. This study was a part of the larger-scale study called “Environmental Research for Sustainable Region in Hokkaido” that was supported by a research grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation.
Citation
Higuchi, Y. and Yamanaka, Y. (2019), "The potential value of research-based evidence in destination management: the case of Kamikawa, Japan", Tourism Review, Vol. 74 No. 2, pp. 166-178. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-11-2017-0188
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited