The impact of COVID-19 on temple stays: A case study from Koyasan, Japan
公開日 2021年11月30日
国際観光学研究センター（CTR）の専任研究員Ricardo Nicolas Progano特任講師による論文が国際学術誌「International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage」に掲載されました。
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タイトル
The impact of COVID-19 on temple stays: A case study from Koyasan, Japan
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著者
Ricardo Nicolas Progano, Center for Tourism Research, Wakayama University
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書誌事項
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage
Volume 9 Issue 5, 2021
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol9/iss5/12
*Scopus収録ジャーナル
https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/21100836293
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要旨
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact on worldwide religious tourism, with wide repercussions for both visitors and local stakeholders. However, previous studies on disaster management and tourism do not address the impacts on religious destinations. The viewpoints and experiences of religious stakeholders are seldom studied. Therefore, using a qualitative approach, this research aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on temple stays by utilising Faulkner’s tourism disaster management framework. The case study of the Buddhist complex of Kōyasan (Wakayama Prefecture, Japan) is taken, where 52 temples offer temple stay services. Two rounds of semi-structured interviews were first carried out with the main local tourism stakeholders. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Buddhist temples to assess the COVID-19 impacts and the posterior countermeasures taken. Results show that temple stays were negatively affected, losing an important number of visitors since March 2020. In particular, inbound tourism was largely affected, leading to a renewed importance of the domestic market. Novel approaches to funding, teleworking and wellness were reported, as stakeholders explored new avenues towards a post-pandemic scenario. The utilisation of virtual alternatives to physical travel were observed but in a limited form. Also, collaborative networks between lay and religious stakeholders proved to be a vital factor for carrying out disaster management measures and later, tourism initiatives. In particular, the existence of international religious networking for carrying out disaster relief was noted.
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キーワード
Religious tourism; COVID-19; Japan; Temple stay; Disaster event
