Eco-tourism in Yaku Island, Kagoshima Prefecture

This study discusses the eco-tourism in Yaku Island, Kagoshima prefecture. The concept of eco-tourism is presented, and three main elements are dealt with : 1) the protection of nature, 2) the establishment of tourism and 3) the development of the local economy. Interviews were conducted to clarify the facts of eco-tourism in Yaku Island. There are 29 eco-tour guide members in the Yaku Island tourist association, 18 of whom gave answers. Many of them lived in Yaku Town especially near Anbo district. Most of them are men in their 40s or 50s ; three quarters of them were not born on Yaku Island. Some of these guide members had contracts with major Japanese tourist companies ; others found business through their internet homepages. Finalles, the problems of eco-tourism on Yaku are discussed, including the limitations of tourism for protecting nature, and the improvement of status. One future direction of eco-tourism on this island will be the contribution to green tourism, although this has been limited so far. Some guides who were not born on the island are not always supported by the local people. This is another problem of eco-tourism in Yaku island