Enhancing Rural Travel: Environmental Awareness and English Ability of Frontline Tourism Employees in Hitoyoshi Kuma Region, Kumamoto, Japan

Abstract

In the past decades, global tourism has grown significantly. Sustainable tourism has become a buzzword and contains several offshoots: green tourism, ecotourism, among others. One facet that has been given less attention is rural tourism, and within rural tourism other forms exist, such as village tourism and agriculture tourism. Regardless of the type of traveling, the tourism industry requires those working in it to possess at least the environmental knowledge to be able to teach travelers the important parts of where they are working, not to mention English skills in order to be able to guide potential travelers adequately. In most areas this aspect is well-known, but in many countries, very little data on the environmental awareness and English ability tourism and ecotourism employees can be found. To fill this gap, the author conducted a study on the environmental awareness and English background of ecotourism employees in the Hitoyoshi Kuma Region, Kumamoto, Japan. Results found that 69% felt English ability is somewhat important. Other results show 62% of respondents think learning about the environment is very important. Of the 69% of respondents born in Hitoyoshi Kuma, 41% feel that Hitoyoshi Kuma is an interesting place to visit.