A Study on the Behavior and Consciousness of Visitors: Case Study of a Local Morning Fair for Consumption of Local Products

The aim of this study was to clarify the behavior of visitors to a local consumption style morning fair of local products, and factors of the fair. The morning fair studied is held in Kurashiki city to activate the urban center. Questionnaires and transportation research were administered to 318 visitors(3.6% extraction rate)at the Kurashiki morning fair. Based on the results of the survey, the visitors' behavior and fair factors were clarified by a covariance structural analysis and other methods. The main results are as follows:1)The morning fair has a higher percentage of middleaged and older visitors than general shopping. These visitors are either pedestrians or users of public transportation. 2)Accordingly, there are two good points of the morning fair for visitors: “able to buy inexpensive and rare goods” and “able to experience a festive mood”. 3) The morning fair has a strong effect on urban regeneration with average expenditures of nearly 3,000 yen and a high frequency of visitors. 4)There is no cooperation with other tourist attractions in Kurashiki city because the majority of the visitors live in the neighborhood of the morning fair. 5)The existing traffic infrastructure can't cope with the increased visitors from other areas.