Tourists’ behavior for volcanic disaster risk reduction: A case study of Mount Aso in Japan

Abstract

Despite preceding research on the general public's knowledge and perceptions of natural hazards, there remains a lack of information specifically on volcanoes in Japan. This study seeks to determine whether people who had visited Mount Aso—one of the active volcanoes in Japan—had taken any self-protective measures. We asked people who visited the area around the crater of Mount Aso about their thoughts and actions related to volcanic disaster risk reduction. Internet-based questionnaires were disseminated nationally via the Rakuten Research, Inc. platform. The total sample size was 400. The logistic regression analysis shows that on-site information provided near the craters—such as knowledge of past damage, bulletin boards, and broadcasts—had a relatively greater impact on safety-seeking actions than prior checking of websites and the Volcanic Alert Level by tourists. Based on our findings, future evidence-based policies regarding volcanic disaster risk reduction should emphasize on-site efforts together with wide dissemination of publicly available information, including the Volcanic Alert Level.