Ordered Probit Analysis of Farm-Inn Operations in Japan

Abstract

This study provides a statistical framework for analysing the operation of farm-based accommodations (farm inns). Primary data collected in 1988 from a sample of 388 farm-inn operators located all over Japan were analysed using an ordered probit model. A variety of sample characteristics, such as the number of years in operation, the number of guestrooms, and the type of accommodation, affected respondents' evaluation of farm-based visitor activities and/or the future prospects of their own farm-inn businesses. Operators' attitudes toward management-related issues, such as making serious effort to interact with guests and to acquire a greater number of repeat visitors, also affected their responses. These results contribute to not only the exploration of a useful tool for tourism research based on a questionnaire survey but also the debate among policy makers about incorporating the promotion of farm tourism into agro-environmental policy.