Details of a Researcher - Kuwahara Hiroshi

NON-FINANCIAL SUPPORT STRATEGIES FOR START-UP HOMESTAY ENTREPRENEURS: AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY OF A SMALL ISLAND RURAL AREA OF INDONESIA

Hiroshi Kuwahara

Advanced International Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (AIJBES) ( Global Academic Excellence (Malaysia) ) 2 ( 4 ) 1 - 11 2020.06 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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This study aims to explore non-financial support strategies for start-up homestay entrepreneurs in a small island rural community in Indonesia from the viewpoint of international development agents (IDAs). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the start-up homestay entrepreneurs in the area about their needs, expectations of support, and the challenges of starting a business. Next, a focus group interview was conducted to collect opinions of non-financial support strategies from the viewpoint of tourism experts with knowledge of the research area. The outputs of these different types of interviews were qualitatively interpreted and compared to triangulate the findings and develop effective assistance strategies. The results suggested the following. First, support for entrepreneurs with experience of working in tourism-related businesses should be as specific as possible with a preliminary consultation. Second, support for the entrepreneurs with no experience of working in tourism-related businesses should inform them about the key components of tourism; including tourists, hospitality, the tourism business, and homestays with hands-on activities. Third, IDAs should develop a support system that includes family business-oriented entrepreneurs who have been relatively neglected by conventional support programs aimed at capacity building in developing countries.
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Satisfaction Structure of Japanese Female Food Travelers

桑原　浩

Asian Journal of Tourism Research 2 ( 2 ) 117 - 136 2017.09 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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Previous studies on food tourism have demonstrated that there is a mix of attitudes of travelers toward food and beverages in tourism destinations. Therefore, for the destination management/marketing organizations (DMOs) and the restaurant industry promoting food tourism in destinations, it is important to develop efficient market segmentation strategies and to conduct marketing actions because they generally have a limited budget. This study examines the applicability of the market segmentation approach to food tourism and, particularly, segmentation by travelers’ expectations of dining experience when on vacation. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of customer satisfaction structure for travelers with high expectations of dining compared with those with low expectations. Specifically, the perception of service quality and overall customer satisfaction of dining experiences in their previous travel destination were measured for 228 Japanese female outbound travelers with high expectations of dining experiences before travel (food traveler group) and 185 Japanese female outbound travelers with low expectations of dining experiences before travel (non-food traveler group) using a Likert-type scale. To examine the structural difference in the relation of satisfaction and service quality perception between the groups, a linear multiple regression analysis was conducted on each group’s data independently using the overall customer satisfaction score as the dependent variable and the service quality perception scores of dining experience as the independent variable. As a consequence, the four independent variables of service quality perception (actual feeling of experiencing local specialty, rich variations of tempting menu items, good taste of food, and good presentation of dishes) were significantly influential to customer satisfaction in the food traveler group. In contrast, three variables—good taste of food, actual feeling of experiencing local specialties, and attitude of restaurant staff—were significantly influential in customer satisfaction of the non-food traveler group. To DMOs and the restaurant industry promoting food tourism to Japanese food travelers in this era of food globalization, it is suggested that they should develop marketing strategies carefully while using the key attributes of service quality demonstrated in this study.
Managing Indigenous Minority Groups in the Tourism Industry: An Exploratory Case Study in Southern Laos

Hiroshi Kuwahara

SHS Web of Conferences ( その他の出版社 ) Vol:12 ( Paper No.:01043 ) 2014.11 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)
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