The Agriculture-Food-Tourism Industry Cluster in Okinawa, Japan: The Key Role of an Airport in Clustering

Kikuchi examines the impact of placing the construction of an airport ahead of other infrastructure development in the Yaeyama region. The cases of Ishigaki Island and Iriomote Island in the Yaeyama region illustrate the sequence of the economic development policies in the tourism industry clustering implemented after the construction of New Ishigaki Airport. He concludes that, in the case of Ishigaki Island, the next step in the sequence is the development of transportation access from the airport to the center, and that, in the case of Iriomote Island, the next step is to construct a large mall for tourism marketing. The higher priority is given to the construction of New Ishigaki Airport than other infrastructure development in the Yaeyama region.