Spatial Distribution of Accommodation Supply in Osaka City – A Policy Perspective
As one of Japan’s most visited urban destinations, the city of Osaka has long faced overcrowding problems in certain areas. More importantly, the popularity is concentrated at only certain areas, leading to the unequitable distribution of socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders. To understand the city’s condition from a viewpoint of the accommodation supply, this study investigates the distribution of accommodations and why the unequal distribution has developed in this city. It further examines the spillover effects observed in the spatial distribution of accommodations using exploratory spatial data analysis and local Moran statistics. Based on the empirical results, the spatial autocorrelation is identified and shown to be closely related to the main public transportation interchanges as well as iconic tourism spots. Areas around main interchanges present the most significant spillover effects on neighboring areas, followed by iconic tourism spots. With these preliminary findings, this study suggests tourist-flow-based destination planning as an alternative to government-centered destination planning.
Keywords: accommodation supply distribution, exploratory spatial data analysis, Moran’s I statistics, Osaka City, policy perspective