Potential Construction of a Geopark in Small Islands: Preliminary Qualitative Action Research on the Geopark Concept

Geotourism is a new form of tourism, and the potential of constructing a geopark was examined with respect to a small-sized community facing with aging and depopulation―the Mishima village in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Among the associate members of the Japanese Geoparks Network aiming at the authorization of geoparks, only the Mishima village consists of islands as of September 2013. The present study is the first to address, at least in Japan, Korea, and China, the issue on the potential functionality of geotourism in small islands. Qualitative action research by a hearing investigation was conducted to collect views about the Mishima village geopark concept from Mishima village office staff and Satsuma Iojima residents. The present study revealed the theoretical potentiality of the concept, the small island’s advantage of being a “gateway for socioeconomic vitalization.” based on spatial completeness. Geopark and geotourism can be geoecological approaches that contribute to the formation of a sustainable community and sustainable tourism i