Remote areas devoid of roads and tourist transport infrastructure are increasingly appreciated in urbanized countries because they provide the opportunity to experience tranquillity, solitude, and ...pristine nature, which are recreational qualities that contrast with the stress of urban life. In Switzerland as a whole, larger roadless areas are rare, but they are still common in southern Switzerland as the "inventory of remote areas," which was established in this study, shows. A crucial dilemma for tourism development in remote areas is the paradoxical situation that the installation of tourism facilities and services can reduce the experiential qualities of these areas that attracted the tourists in the first place. This study seeks possible solutions for this dilemma by analyzing the attitudes of 230 visitors to 2 remote areas of southern Switzerland with a questionnaire-based survey. The case study areas represented one "moderately remote" area (Val Cama) and one "extremely remote" area (Val di Lodrino). The respondents were divided into 3 different visitor types along the "purism scale": purists, neutralists, and nonpurists. The percentage of purists was 45% in the "extremely remote" Val di Lodrino versus 24% in the "moderately remote" Val Cama. There was a consensus among all visitor types that the existing traditional cultural landscape and the path network should be preserved and that the construction of new road or cable-car access should be avoided. The development of new huts, paths, and services was found to be controversial. A major policy recommendation of the study is to gear tourism supply in remote areas to the needs of different visitor types by carefully assessing the impact of measures on remoteness and concentrating new facilities and services in the more accessible parts of a remote area, while preserving more remote conditions in the other zones.
Place attachment to protected areas has been associated with pro-environmental behaviour and visitor loyalty. It is therefore worth gaining insight into the factors that play a role in explaining ...attachment to nature-based tourism destinations. Various studies indirectly suggest that wildlife experiences play a role in visitor attachment to protected areas. Our paper explores the relationship between wildlife and overnight visitors' emotional attachment to a nature-based tourism destination in the Netherlands, the Lauwersmeer area. Our results demonstrate that motives centring on seeing wildlife, the perceived intensity of wildlife experiences, and an interest in guided wildlife encounters significantly explain emotional attachment to the Lauwersmeer area. However, since the majority of our respondents visit the Lauwersmeer area to see wildlife, it is likely that their pre-disposed emotions towards wildlife steer the relationship between wildlife experiences and emotional attachment. Facilitating and improving (guided) wildlife experiences may therefore be reinforcing, rather than increasing, emotional attachment to the Lauwersmeer area.
This paper addresses the need for a better understanding of why people purchase nature-based tourism activity products as a basis for management decisions. In order to satisfy the tourist's needs, ...wants and goals, businesses must first understand the tourist's motivations for purchasing such products. A factor-cluster segmentation approach was employed for a survey among members from two of Norway's largest nongovernmental outdoor recreation organisations. Four motivation factors: quality improvement, skill development, new activity and social, and five segments: Want-it-all, Try new activity, Social, Performer and Unexplained were identified. These segments differed in terms of their purchase motivation, socio-demographic characteristics and travelling behaviour. Understanding the differences in these segments will help managers of nature-based tourism businesses to target more profitable segments, develop products that better satisfy the needs in targeted segments, and to develop better market communication.
This article will discuss the ways in which landscapes have been conceptualised in current literature building on notions of escape to and well-being with nature, and how the tourist has been placed ...in that context. Drawing among other things on Gadamer’s understanding of the concept of the horizon, as well as Deleuzian understandings of relationality, we argue that landscape is simultaneously an effect of gathering deep-seated emotions and experiences and an open-ended and forever unfinished story. Due to the irreducibility of the landscape to its terms, a landscape is something that can be shared. We will outline how current practices of tourism marketing and promotion in Iceland could in effect mediate landscape experiences in a way that recognises the tourist as an author of his or her own experiences, rather than a predefined stereotype as in much tourism literature. Recognising the tourist as potentially inspired by landscape, we argue, commands the attitude of respect that is a necessary precondition to any ethical notions of hospitality, altering the preconditions of marketing practices using the landscape to their ends.
Tourism directed at bird watching (avitourism) has become increasingly popular. In many lower and middle-income countries, including South Africa, avitourism is being applied in an effort to ...simultaneously achieve community development and biodiversity conservation. This paper presents the results of an exploratory investigation of 11 community-based avitourism projects in South Africa. Conservation benefits were measured with the Threat Reduction Assessment tool. We calculated the Gamma (G) correlation coefficient to explore the relationship between conservation and income benefits and project characteristics. The projects were successful at reducing threats to sites where conservation was an explicit objective (n=11, G=0.609,P=0.03). The level of income benefits did not correlate with success in reducing threats to conservation. Once involved in avitourism projects, the average monthly income earned by local bird guides increased from USD 114 to USD 362. The extent of income benefits was positively related to the extent of support to projects (n=10, G=0.714,P=0.01). Participants in the projects reported substantive capacity building and empowerment benefits. Success in delivering conservation, income and empowerment benefits was challenged by the local guide’s limited previous exposure to tourism and business, the guide’s lack of self assurance, cultural differences, and a requirement for sustained mentorship and support to overcome these barriers. We conclude that with adequate long-term support, avitourism projects can be a cost-effective way to create jobs and deliver conservation and human development benefits.
Tourism plays an important role in economic and human development in the Pacific. These benefits are at risk from the impacts of climate change, threatening the sustainability of the Pacific tourism ...sector. We assess the vulnerability and resilience of nature-based tourism in Vava’u, Tonga, using the Destination Sustainability Framework of Calgaro (2014) modified for a climate change focus. Our empirical assessment indicates that the following factors increase vulnerability levels in Vava’u: strong seasonality, dependency on air access, remoteness, limited connectivity of Vava’u from national decision makers and limited human and financial resources. Resilience levels in Vava’u are heightened by a high awareness of climate change, the resilient nature of Tongans and strong family and social networks. In conclusion, we recommend a set of adaptation strategies to further improve resilience levels, namely improving climate change education, increasing product and market diversification, strengthening institutional capacities and mainstreaming adaptation in national policies.
As more people visit natural areas for tourism and recreation purposes, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the value they place on these natural resources. Specifically, tourists to ...Florida have been increasingly interested in visiting natural areas, forests, parks, and preserves—highlighting the importance of this new and growing phenomenon. We analyze visitors’ demand for nature-based recreation in the Apalachicola River region of Florida using the travel cost method. The results from a count data regression model reveal that on average visitors would pay $74.18 per visit-day for nature-based recreation resulting in a total economic value of $484.56 million attributable to nature-based recreation in the Apalachicola River region. Results of this study provide useful information for natural resources management in the region and a rationale to preserve Florida's unique ecosystems.
Purpose - The essence of the demand for nature-based tourism is an important issue seen from both an academic and practitioner's perspective. One approach to understanding it is to examine the ...relationship between tourists' travel motivations and activities. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical study of the links between travel motivations and travel activities within the nature-based tourism context.Design methodology approach - Performing a series of logistic regression analyses, the authors have adopted this approach to empirically investigate the travel motivations and activities (participated planned to participate) of a sample of nature-based tourists in Northern Norway.Findings - The study clearly confirms the strong link between travel motivations and activities. More specifically, the study findings are moderated by the fact that "Novelty", "Prestige", and "Physical activity" are the main sources of motivation for participating in whale safaris, fishing and hiking respectively. Furthermore, the findings show that non-Norwegian tourists are considerably more likely than Norwegians to participate in these nature-based activities. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are also provided.Research limitations implications - The survey was conducted in a limited geographical area, and the results should accordingly be tested in several places. Analysis of other motives and activities will provide further information.Practical implications - Knowledge about factors motivating tourists to participate (or not) in certain nature-based activities is of value to the industry, both in marketing and providing service to the customers.Originality value - The paper adds useful knowledge to the relationship between nature-based tourists' travel motivations and activities.
The nascent ecotourism market in Hong Kong has much potential for development which could benefit from research findings. This study evaluated the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for ecotourism activities ...in protected conservation areas and assessed the potential for ecotourism development in Hong Kong. Our questionnaire surveys gathered data from 960 general tourists at four popular tourism hotspots and 456 nature tourists at four ecotourism hotspots. Both groups were willing to pay more for ecotourism activities in the protected areas. Nature tourists would pay 40% more than general tourists and preferred high-quality products. The mean WTP of general tourists and nature tourists was, respectively, HK$167.3 and HK$223.6 (US$1.00 = HK$7.80) to participate in ecotourism activities, being 39% and 86% above the average price of a general tour (HK$120) offered by travel agents. Younger tourists, better education, and higher income raised the WTP for ecotours. The results were compared and contrasted with cognate overseas studies. The findings highlighted the need to improve service quality, pricing structure, and product differentiation. They allowed ecotourism operators to understand the market, formulate development strategies, and optimize the service to meet divergent and changing client expectations. The income generated by ecotourism services could enhance protected area management and conservation.
This study explores into Japanese cultural meaning of nature. The paper studies Japanese domestic tourists to a mountain trail near Tokyo. East Asian concept of nature distinctively identifies itself ...as a unity between nature and humanity. To gain a more defining understanding of Shintoism-inspired meaning of nature, we surveyed on the meaning of nature, experiences and benefits sought and type of things they wanted to see during their visit. Two-stage content analysis identify two themes that are indicative characteristics of Shintoism; woods/forests and Kami (gods). While there is shared notion of nature within the East Asian meaning of nature, Japanese appear to have Shintoism-influenced concept of nature, distinct from other East Asian countries. Implications for future research are provided.
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