This paper evaluates the performance of integrated on-farm tourism activity by focusing on pick-your-own fruit farming activity after rural road building in Gunma, Japan. First, conceptual considerations of the significance of rural road building in the development of on-farm tourism activity indicated that the demand-shift effect was more important than the supply-shift effect. It was considered that the higher the degree of integration of on-farm tourism activity, the greater was the realization of the demand-shift effect. Second, statistical evaluation using GIS data revealed that a distance of 1,000 m from rural roads was a referential benchmark by which to judge the effects of distance from roads on farmers' tourism activity. Third, it was clarified empirically that those farmers with broader perspectives – in terms both of a longer time horizon and consciousness of service marketing management such as diversification of the sales channel and targeted customer services – were more successful in integrating tourism activity.
APO (2006), ‘Concepts and approaches in the development of agro-tourism’, APO Multi-country Study Mission on Agro-tourism for Enhancing Business Opportunities in Rural Areas CD-ROM, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Asian Productivity Organization.
2.
BowenR.L.CoxL.J.FoxM. (1991), ‘The interface between tourism and agriculture’, Journal of Tourism Studies, Vol 2, No 2, pp 43–54.
3.
BrydenJ.KeaneM.HahneU.ThibalS. (1993), Farm and Rural Tourism in France, Germany and Ireland, The Arkleton Trust, Oxford.
4.
BullA. (1991), The Economics of Travel and Tourism, Pitman, Melbourne.
5.
BusbyG.RendleS. (2000), ‘The transition from tourism on farms to farm tourism’, Tourism Management, Vol 21, pp 635–642.
6.
ButlerR.HallC.M.JenkinsJ. (1998), Tourism and Recreation in Rural Areas, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester.
7.
CullenP. (2002), Economics for Hospitality Management, Thomson, London.
8.
HainesM.DaviesR. (1987), Diversifying the Farm Business: A Practical Guide to the Opportunity and Constraints, BSP Professional Books, Oxford.
9.
HallD.RobertsL.MitchellM. (2003), New Directions in Rural Tourism, Ashgate, Hampshire.
HicksJ.R. (1971), The Social Framework: An Introduction to Economics, 4th edition, Oxford University Press, London, pp 28–29.
12.
HillP. (1999), ‘Tangibles, intangibles and services, a new taxonomy for the classification of output’, Canadian Journal of Economics, Vol 32, No 2, pp 426–446.
13.
LeeM.-H. (2005), ‘Farm tourism cooperation in Taiwan’, in HallD.KirkpatrickI.MitchellM., eds., Rural Tourism and Sustainable Business, Channel View Publications, Clevedon, pp 201–224.
14.
LundbergD.StavengaM.H.KrishnamoorthyM. (1995), Tourism Economics, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
15.
McGeheeN.G.KimK. (2004), ‘Motivation for agri-tourism entrepreneurship’, Journal of Travel Research, Vol 43, pp 161–170.
16.
MakJ. (2003), Tourism and the Economy: Understanding the Economics of Tourism, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
OheY. (2003), Economics of Farm and Rural Diversification [in Japanese], Association of Agriculture and Forestry Statistics, Tokyo, pp 27–46.
19.
OheY. (2005), ‘The impact of rural road building on pick-your-own fruit farming in Gunma, Japan’, Japanese Journal of Tourism Studies, Vol 4, pp 13–25.
20.
OheY. (2007), ‘Multifunctionality and rural tourism: A perspective on farm diversification’, Journal of International Farm Management, Vol 4, No 1, pp 1–23.
21.
OheY. (2008), ‘Characteristics and issues of rural tourism in Japan’, in BrebbiaC.A.PinedaF.D., eds, Sustainable Tourism III, WIT Press, Southampton, pp 306–316.
22.
OheY.CianiA. (1995), ‘Integrated activities and structure of agritourism farms: a study of Umbria, Italy’, Tenth International Farm Management Congress Contributed Papers, International Farm Management Association, Reading, pp 354–364.
23.
PageS. (2005), Transport and Tourism, 2nd edition, Pearson Education, Harlow.
24.
PageS.J.GetzD. (1997), The Business of Rural Tourism: International Perspectives, International Thomson Business Press, London.
25.
RobertsL.HallD. (2001), Rural Tourism and Recreation: Principles to Practice, CAB International, Wallingford.
26.
SharpleyR. (1996), Tourism and Leisure in the Countryside, 2nd edition, ELM Publications, Huntingdon.
27.
SharpleyR.SharpleyJ. (1997), Rural Tourism: An Introduction, International Thomson Business Press, London.
28.
SharpleyR.VassA. (2006), ‘Tourism, farming and diversification: An attitudinal study’, Tourism Management, Vol 27, pp 1040–1052.
29.
SinclairM.T.StablerM. (1997), The Economics of Tourism, Routledge, London.
30.
SleeB. (1989), Alternative Farm Enterprises, 2nd edition, Farming Press, Ipswich.
31.
TribeJ. (1995), The Economics of Leisure and Tourism, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
32.
TribeJ.FontX.GriffithsN.VickeryR.YaleK. (2000), Environmental Management for Rural Tourism and Recreation, Cassell, London, 93 pp.
33.
VanhoveN. (2005), The Economics of Tourism Destinations, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
34.
VanslembrouckI.Van HuylenbroeckG.Van MeenselJ. (2005), ‘Impact of agriculture on rural tourism: A hedonic pricing approach’, Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol 56, No 1, pp 17–30.
35.
YoshidaK. (2005), ‘Ordered probit analysis of farm-inn operations in Japan’, Japanese Journal Rural Economics, Vol 7, pp 18–29.
36.
WTO (2004), Rural Tourism in Europe: Experiences, Development and Perspectives, The World Tourism Organization, Madrid.
