Abstract
This pilot study investigates how people’s presence and clothing influence the evaluation of traditional destination environments. Previous tourism research has shown that the presence of people can positively affect the evaluation of historic districts, enhancing liveliness and touristic uniqueness, while also reducing the sense of calmness and harmony. These findings suggest that encouraging traditional clothing may strengthen the harmony between people’s appearance and traditional settings, potentially mitigating the negative psychological impacts of tourism. This study focuses on the yukata, a traditional Japanese garment commonly worn in hot spring towns. The research site is Kinosaki Hot Spring in Japan, where the preservation of historical architecture is promoted by ordinance and yukata dressing services are offered to visitors. An online landscape evaluation survey using a semantic differential scale was conducted among 82 university students. Participants evaluated photographs of the same location taken under three conditions: no people present, a couple in Western clothing, and a couple in yukata. Results from a one-way repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc comparisons showed that photos featuring people wearing yukata were rated significantly higher for warmth, liveliness, uniqueness, touristic appeal, and favorability than the other two conditions, and higher for calmness, harmony, naturalness, and traditionality than the photo featuring Western clothing. These findings indicate that wearing yukata can enhance the appeal of hot spring towns without significantly diminishing their sense of harmony and tradition. The same method will be applied in a broader main survey.
Presenters
Ryuki NagasawaStore Management, Shimamura Co., Ltd., Hyogo, Japan Taketo Naoi
Professor, Faculty of Arts and Tourism, Professional College of Arts and Tourism, Hyogo, Japan Shoji Iijima
Shoin University
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Critical Issues in Tourism and Leisure Studies
KEYWORDS
Townscape Evaluation, Traditional Hot Spring Town, The Presence of People, Clothing
