Ideas For Over Tourism

"Nabegataki Fall" in Oguni town

      ( Nabegataki Fall )  Credit: Tanima

Let us introduce “Nabegataki Fall” in Oguni town, Kumamoto, Japan.
Firstly, the reason why this place became famous is that nearly 30 years ago, it was used as a filming location for a famous actress in a commercial. It used to be a place of relaxation for the locals, however, the number of tourists has increased so much that gradually the negative aspects came out. For instance, over tourism has been a problem in the area, with traffic jams occurring in the villages around Nabeketaki during major holidays, deteriorating the living environment of local residents, and decreasing the level of satisfaction of visitors.

Steps

Therefore, Oguni town started operating shuttle bus service using an abandoned school in the village, which temporarily eased traffic congestion.

(Parking lot and information for shuttle buss ) Credit: Chieko Noriyuki

However, due to the covid 19, they had no choice but cancel the shuttle bus service in order to prevent spread of infection, since many tourists would be packed in the shuttle buses and the bus stops and parking lot would become very crowded with long waiting time. As a result, Nabegataki Park had to close on weekends and major holidays, and by 2020 the number of visitors had dropped to about 90,000 per year.

Advance Reservation System

Under these circumstances, the town undertook an experiment of an advance reservation system. After the reservation system was introduced, the GW and Bon vacation periods were sold out with reservations, but no traffic congestion occurred. In addition, by charging an entrance fee, toilets are facilitated, and more souvenir shops have opened. This will be expected to create job employment and will lead to more sustainable future tourism.

Oguni Town was awarded 3rd place in Sustainable Tourism Destinations in the World.

(Certificate of award)

Oguni Town won an award 3rd place for their efforts in the “Building a governance system for tourist destinations and revitalizing tourist destinations” category in the 2022 Top 100 Sustainable Tourism Destinations in the World.
“Green Destinations” is one of the international certification bodies for the international indicators of sustainable tourism developed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
 

Message

Although there are some arguments against “reservation system “among some local people, we need investments that can empower tourists and the locals to build a better future for all of us. I hope this effort will give you some tips for solving “over tourism” as well as some ideas for green investments
I wish all inspiring World Tourism Day from Aso UNESCO Global Geopark.

#AsoUNESCOGlobalGeoPARK #aso #Ogunitown #Nabegatakifall #WTD #worldtourismday #kumamoto #japan #UNESCO #geopark #GGN #APGN #JGN #tourism #investment #greeninvestment.

Illuminated Nabake Fall