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The Attitudes of Japanese Tourists Towards Cultural Heritage Attractions in the Cnmi

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The Attitudes of Japanese Tourists Towards Cultural Heritage Attractions in the Cnmi MICRONESIAN JOURNAL OF THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Vol. 5, nº 1/2 Combined Issue November 2006 THE ATTITUDES OF JAPANESE TOURISTS TOWARDS CULTURAL HERITAGE ATTRACTIONS IN THE CNMI Elizabeth Sayers National Parks Association of Queensland Inc Dirk HR Spennemann Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University Eco-tourism and cultural tourism is being regarded as a major strategy to open up new tourism markets for some Micronesian states. With Japanese visitors making up the single largest contingent of tourists to Micronesia, there is a need to examine their attitudes towards the cultural and historical elements of the islands. Are they in fact interested in such attributes and what are their expectations for a visit? This paper examines the attitudes and expectations of a co- hort of Japanese tourists to the CNMI and outlines the challenge faced by the cultural heritage and tourism management authorities. Tourism has been regarded as the panacea to nese (Data: Guam Visitors Bureau; Marianas cure the economic troubles of the Pacific Visitors Authority; Palau Visitor Authority). Island communities, particularly of the Pacific Given the size of the market on the one microstates. Mass tourism, particularly from hand, and the desire of the regional tourism Japan, has long reached Guam (Page & Lawton development agencies to develop cultural and 1996; Iversen 1997), but also, more recently, eco-tourism opportunities (Heather et al 2000; Saipan and Palau (Page & Lawton 1996). The Look & Spennemann 2000; Spennemann et al Japanese tourist market is one of the largest in 2001) it is surprising that information on the contemporary Micronesia. For example, in attitudes of Japanese tourists towards heritage 2005 (2004) Guam hosted 1,165,149 attractions in Micronesia is virtually absent. (1,120,676) visitors, of which 80.6% (80.9%) There is an overall paucity of research on were Japanese. In the same period, the cultural heritage travel of the Japanese tourist Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana market. A study of Japanese tourism to the Islands (CNMI) hosted 443,812 (529,557) visi- United Kingdom identified culture, language tors of which 63.2% (71.1%) were Japanese. and novelty as important motivations (Gilbert Although Palau is keenly developing its tour- & Terrata 2001), while a study of Japanese ism industry, it targets different markets. In tourism to the Gold Coast (Australia) and 2005 (2004) Palau received 86,120 (94,894) Hawai’i revealed that among twenty travel vari- visitors, of which only 31% (25.5%) were Japa- ables the motivation ‘visiting historic sites/ This is a peer reviewed contribution. Received: 19 Nov 2006 Revised: 10 Dec 2006 Accepted: 15 Dec 2006 © Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences ISSN 1449-7336 HeritageFutures™ International, PO Box 3440, Albury NSW 2640, Australia 388 Persistent identifier: http://www.nla.gov.au/nla.arc-65664 Attitudes of Japanese Tourists towards Cultural Heritage Attractions in the CNMI 389 museums’ ranked lowest for the Gold Coast Table 1 sets out total sample population by age and fourth lowest for Hawai’i. The ability to and gender compared to the MVA arrival data. ‘experience a different culture and customs’ Overall, the gender and age profile of the and the ability to ‘experience different food respondent population is similar to the MVA and drink’ ranked in the lower half of variables statistics for July and August (Table 1). Some for the Gold Coast (ranks 7 & 10), and clus- differences can be observed: Younger people tered in the exact middle for Hawai’i (ranks 10- were more likely to respond to the question- 11) (Reisinger and Turner 2000). naire compared to older people, particularly so Elsewhere the authors have discussed the among 17–25 year old women. Few people awareness and travel motivations of Japanese over the age of 50 years responded, particularly tourists to the CNMI (Sayers & Spennemann very few over the age of 60 years. The lack of 2006a). That study, which draws on the same representation of older people can partly be sample of visitors as the present paper, con- attributed to the fact that people in this age firmed the findings of Reisinger and Turner group were more likely to refuse to participate (2000) for the Marianas setting. when they were approached. THE SAMPLE ATTITUDINAL ISSUES The fieldwork period took place on Saipan There were two components of the question- (CNMI) over a four-week period during the naire that focused on gauging the respondents’ months of July and August 2001. A structured attitude towards certain elements of the culture questionnaire comprising pre-coded and open- and nature of the islands’ and their expecta- ended questions was administered to departing tions to various aspects of their stay. visitors in the secure departure area of Saipan Respondents were requested to indicate the International Airport. Passengers sampled in level of importance they attributed to a number this area had passed immigration and security of elements of the CNMI culture and envi- checks and were waiting for their flight to ronment in general, as well as to specific ele- commence boarding.1 The questionnaire was ments of CNMI’s culture and history.2 A available in both English and Japanese. seven-step Likert scale was used ranging from ‘Strongly Agree’ to ‘Strongly Disagree.’ The Table 1. Age/gender data of the Japanese sample breakdown in responses is set out in Table 2. population compared to the MVA arrival data The mean responses are plotted in Figure 1 Fieldwork MVA Arrival Data and grouped into four main categories. Age M F Age M F In addition, Table 2 also shows the com- 18-25 9.4 25.1 18-24 6.1 15.4 bined level of importance (unimportance). The 26-30 16.6 21.7 25-29 15.9 22.2 majority of tourists do not attribute a high level 31-40 40.4 36.6 30-39 33.6 32.0 of importance to Carolinian culture (40.2%) 41-50 23.8 12.6 40-49 25.3 17.2 and history (31.7%) compared to Chamorro 51-60 6.3 3.1 50-59 12.5 7.5 culture (46.6%) and especially Chamorro his- 60+ 3.4 0.9 60+ 6.7 5.8 tory (59.1%). That differential seems to be N 319 350 N 23,893 26,021 borne out of lack of knowledge of the presence In total 830 questionnaires were collected of Carolinian community in the CNMI and of during the fieldwork period. 699 (84.2%) of the the cultural contributions that community has respondents provided their home country de- made (see also Sayers & Spennemann 2006c). tails, 705 (84.9%) provided gender details, 693 The Spanish elements of the islands are also (83.4%) indicated their age category. Of the deemed to be of lesser importance, again with 699 respondents who provided their home a high percentage of respondents drawing on country details, an overwhelming 671 (95.9%) the ‘don't know’ option (Table 2). stated that their home country was Japan. 390 Attitudes of Japanese Tourists towards Cultural Heritage Attractions in the CNMI HISTORY Religious buildings Spanish artefacts Colonial history Buildings of the Spanish Period History of the islands Museum Sugar King Park Japanese Hospital Japanese Jail CULTURE Chamorro Culture Chamorro history Carolinian Culture Carolinian History Traditional local food Island culture/lifestyle House of Taga ENVIRONMENT Endangered bird species Natural environment Micro Beach WORLD WAR TWO World War Two relics Suicide Cliff Last Japanese Command Post 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Figure 1. Mean response (with error bars showing 1 Sigma standard deviation) to the importance attributed to each natural and cultural element. Scoring: 1–Very Important; 2–Important; 3–Mildly Important; 4-Don't Know; 5– Mildly Unimportant; 6–Unimportant; 7–Very Unimportant. (n=829). Highly valued were World War II relics Taga’ on Tinian. It is likely that the low re- (76.3%) and especially the natural environment sponse was generated by the fact that only few (81%). Among the sites, the Suicide Cliff visitors would have visited Tinian.3 The differ- (70.9%) and the last command post (66.2%) ences are readily recognisable when combining figure prominently, while the Sugar Train me- the various options into major themes and site morial is the least valued (43.6%). It is possible types (Table 4). World War II and nature that the high level of importance attributed to ranked highest, both in the themes and the the two Japanese WWII sites stems from the sites, with local heritage ranking lowest. fact that both are part of all organised sightsee- When considering the responses in terms of ing tours. gender, it is worth noting that women attrib- The site with the least level of importance uted a higher level of importance to all catego- attached to it, but also with the highest level of ries compared to men (Table 3), but the gender ‘don’t know’ answers, is the latte site ‘House of difference was statistically significant only for Attitudes of Japanese Tourists towards Cultural Heritage Attractions in the CNMI 391 the specific sites (with the exception of the As it can be expected, some of the themes Museum and Sugar King Park).4 The highest and sites will relate more to younger people level of significance in gender difference was and others more to the older generation, the observed for the Suicide Cliff. Suicide Cliff is mean responses were compiled for each age the location where thousands of Japanese sol- group and then compared against the mean of diers and families committed suicide when the the overall population (Table 3). Overall, the American troops invaded the island at the end older generation (51+) was more interested in of World War Two (Figure 2).
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