投稿の詳細: グリーンツーリズム先進地　Front Runner of Green Tourism

今日も畑の作業は
お手伝いの方々にお願いして
飯田へグリーンツーリズムの
視察研修に行ってきた。

一月前に決まった視察で、
例年ならとっくに袋掛けまで
終わって安気に出かけられた
はずなのだが…。

南信州観光公社と三和
観光農園を訪ねた。

年間修学旅行の農家民泊受け入れ
７０校で学生10,500人、体験プログラム
体験者数60,000人（内農業関係60％）の実績を誇る
現在の南信州観光公社のスタートが
実は農業ではなく、アウトドア体験の
修学旅行向け売り込みから始まったという
話は興味深かった。公社支配人の高橋さん
の話はまるで、NHKの「プロフェッショナル」
のナレーションを聞いているように
感動をもたらした。

「地元にある本物を普段どおりに」
という哲学があり、「ありのままの体験」
プログラムを提供し、受け入れ農家に
無理強いをさせないという所に
ここまで発展してこられた成功の一端があるようだ。
関係者の努力や地元の協力が広がったという
幸運もある。現在では受け入れている数と同数程度の申込を
断らざるをえない状況だという。

その後、地元で観光農園として成功している
所を訪ね社長さんから話を伺い、アップルパイ
つくり体験もした。お宅では民泊学生も受け入れていて、
前向きな考え方と行動力が頼もしい楽しい話の
方だった。5ヘクタールの農園からの生産物を
自前で販売するという、農家の理想の形がある。
誰でもができるわけではないというのは簡単だが、
際立って奇抜なことをしているわけではない。
常日頃からの思索と努力の賜物のようだ。

両方で感じたことだが、いずれもすごく特別な
事をしているとは思えないのだ。ただ、よくお客さんの
要望・要求を満たすような努力をしていると強く
感じた。迎合しているのではなく、楽しいと思える
体験を提供しているのだ。そしてそれは
そこの人達の普段の生活の一部であったり、
そこの生産物を利用して作るものだったりしている
だけなのだが・・・。だけ、と言うのは簡単だが、
また簡単に見えるのだが、それをやり遂げるには
かなりのパワーが必要なのは間違いない。

そのような楽しさを別な形で提供しているのが
帰りに寄った長野県で一番の直売所で年間5億円を売り上げる
グリーンファームにもあった。農業版ドンキホーテ
といった感じの直売所だ。ここの社長さんの
講演会については以前に触れたが、これが
その実物か～。ちょっとシャビーな感じだが、
お買い得ぞろいという気持ちを起こさせるものが
あった。

I joined an excursion to
Iida region for Green Tourism
study leaving vineyard operation with
the helpers.

This excursion was arranged one month
ago and I should have been very easy to
participate in the tour but actually I was
not because the Kyoho operation was much
delayed beyond the usual year's schedule.

We visited Minami Shinshu Sightseeing Cooperation and
Sanwa Farm.

Mr. Takahasi, the Manager of Minami Shinshu Sightseeing Cooperation
outlined the history and the development of its business with
the local people which is now well known for its successful
agritourism business model receiving students excursion trips
from 70 schools with 10,500 students and having around 60,000
people participating in its activities programs.
It was very much interesting to know that the beginning of
the business was to organise outdoor activities for school
excursion trips though current program is based on agriculture.
It was as if I was watching an NHK program "Proffessionals".

He stressed the phylosophy of providing
these people with the 'local real things
as they are and as the local people always do'.
He would not impose demands on the farmers but
respect their convenience. It seems one of the
reason of the success. He said he was lucky
to receive the cooperation from the local
community. Of course his efforts should have
drawn such cooperation. Because of their
success, he has no choice but to turn down
the inquiries from the schools of which number
is equivalent to the number of schools they
can accept every year.

After this cooperation, Mr. Takahashi took us
to a tourist's farm which is quite successful
and the president explained us what he was doing.
He and his family accepts studens home stay,too.
He is talkative and seems to be very active and
innovative. He can sell all the produce from his
5ha of farms which is the ideal sales conditions
to all the farmers even though it is not so easy.
He is doing so but he does not seem to do any
very special things. His success should be
because of his daily efforts and endless thinking.

This is the similar feeling that I felt at the
both places that they did not very special things
but both seemed to try to cater the customers'
desires or demands. They are not treating their
customers like a treasure but they are providing
opportunities and experiences that they would
enjoy very much. And these enjoyable things are
merely a part of their daily life and the things
that uses their products. It's easy to tell like
this but extraordinary power and efforts should
have been needed.

On the way back to Suzaka, we dropped by at the
Green Farm farmers' shop of which annual sales
mounts to 500million JPYen and the biggest farmers'
direct shop in Nagano. This shop also provides
a kind of joy of shopping. It is like a Don Qihote
of agricultural products. The lecture by its president
was introduced in this blog before. The real shop looks
a bit shabby but the shop make the cutomer enjoyable in
finding out bargain items. There seems full of bargain
items.