The perceived value of the rural tourism stay and its effect on rural tourist behaviour

Rural tourism (RT) constitutes a valuable tool for the sustainable development of rural areas. This paper explores issues of tourist motivation in RT and develops a specially tailored perceived value (PV) scale for the RT sector. Special attention is given to links between tourists’ motivations, perceived values, and the service and actions by RT providers leading to the sustainability of rural life, culture, economies and environment. Following a literature review, qualitative and quantitative surveys developed a 27-item scale, exploring both the functional and the affective components of the scale. Seven research hypotheses were then tested by quantitative survey work. It was proven that the activities undertaken by the rural enterprise leading to greater rural sustainability are reflected in the PV scale through higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty of the rural tourists. The results of the study reveal that the RT sector has specific characteristics that tourists greatly value and that other specialist tourist markets cannot offer, as highlighted in the contribution made by RT enterprises to rural sustainability. This knowledge can help tailor product development and destination design to suit specific demands and influence communication and promotional activities.     

Burgers for tourists who give a damn! Driving disruptive social change upstream and downstream in the tourist food supply chain

Using the theoretical lens of social capital, this paper examines the role of small tourist food businesses and their impact on the sustainability of the destination and local food supply chains. The paper analyses the experiences of small business owner-managers highlighting the complex and subtle nature of the socially responsible strategies used to progress sustainability in a tourist destination. The findings show that authentic lifestyles, motivated by intrinsic not just extrinsic rewards, are driving disruptive social change upstream and downstream in the tourist food supply chain. Small food business owner-managers are catalysts for “common” good, and as supporters for ethical and sustainable food chains have considerable local tourism influence and impact. Social capital strengthens their sense of destination ownership and fuels an obligation to protect their fragile tourist resources. The intersection between social capital, authenticity and responsibility among small food businesses in the tourist industry is demonstrated.     

江苏省乡村旅游地空间分布及其影响因素研究

本文以江苏省657家星级乡村旅游地为研究样本,综合运用最邻近指数、核密度估计、缓冲区分析、地理探测器等多种空间分析与统计方法,探究江苏省乡村旅游地空间分布特征及其影响因素。研究结果表明：（1）江苏省乡村旅游地呈集聚分布,在苏北地区呈单核心空间分布,在苏中、苏南地区连绵呈环状分布格局。（2）江苏省乡村旅游地具有“沿路傍水” “环城近景”的分布特征,100万城镇人口是乡村旅游地集聚发展的门槛,大城市周边更容易形成乡村旅游地聚集区。（3）单因子探测结果发现,江苏省乡村旅游地空间分布受多种因素的综合影响,其中经济因素影响程度最高,其次是自然因素和社会因素。（4）双因子交互探测结果显示,经济、社会、自然因素间的交叉作用显著性突出,空气质量与第一产业是乡村旅游地发展的前提条件,交通运输是基础性保障因素,邻近拥有富裕客源的大城市是促使乡村旅游地集聚发展的根本原因。研究结果可为区域乡村旅游产业的布局优化与可持续发展提供参考。     

Using multiple indicators to evaluate the sustainability of dolphin-based wildlife tourism in rural India

Abstract

Assessing wildlife tourism sustainability in developing countries is crucial, but few studies analyse the sustainability of dolphin-based wildlife tourism in this context. We measure multiple indicators within the human dimensions of wildlife tourism, including tourist visitation numbers, satisfaction, preferences, perceptions, background and specialisation, to ascertain the extent to which the dolphin-watching industry at Chilika Lagoon, in rural India might be considered sustainable. Our methods included participant observation, tourist surveys, and the use of secondary data on visitation over 10 years. We found that the growth rate of tourist visitation over 10 years was beginning to decline. Tourists were mostly inexperienced, and dissatisfied with their dolphin-watching experience. Tourist preferences and perceptions showed useful insights and shortcomings in the way in which the industry was being conducted and managed, and reflected the expectations of non-specialist visitors. Our study highlights drawbacks in the way that wildlife tourism is managed in a rural, developing world context, which draws the sustainability of the dolphin-watching industry in Chilika into question. Future development of an early warning system that addresses combined governance or managerial, social, economic and ecological indicators, and an integrated management plan for conservation and wildlife tourism could contribute to the sustainable management of such industries.     

Tourist practices in the circular economy

Circular economy theory offers a business- and solution-oriented approach to environmental sustainability. However, in the context of tourism, it ignores the central role of tourists in the production of tourism experiences. This article discusses how tourists' practices may sustain the development of circular economy in tourism, applying a practice theory that emphasises changes in what tourists do rather than in tourism products and services. To determine which tourist practices might support a circular economy, we used the Delphi and future workshop methods. Our findings reveal several potential tourist practices, but also highlight inherent paradoxes within these practices, a lack of consensus about them among experts, and questions about how they may develop.     

Human resources development for tourism in rural communities: A case study of Kerala

Considering the relative backwardness of rural areas, human resources development (HRD) seems to have a very important role in rural tourism development. However, tourism HRD in rural communities is affected by a number of drawbacks. In the absence of any significant private sector presence, especially during initial stages, the public sector need to take the initiative in equipping and empowering the local community to meaningfully participate in tourism. This paper suggests a multi‐pronged approach to educate and empower the members of the host community, the tourism industry personnel, and visitors to facilitate rural tourism development, which is sustainability‐oriented and can help localize the benefits. The experience of Kerala provides an example of how the public sector initiated HRD activities could contribute to the development of rural tourism, especially in engendering local entrepreneurial endeavors and giving tourism a higher profile. The Kerala experience represents some of the issues in HRD for rural tourism and suggests potential strategies for other rural communities involved in tourism development.     

Food and tourism: an effective partnership? A UK-based review

This paper focuses on the role of food tourism in delivering sustainability agendas by examining how the agriculture and tourism sectors have struggled to realise measurable successes because of constraints, conflicting ambitions and low levels of social capital. It focuses on the United Kingdom, which has tasked regional development agencies to adopt food tourism as a means to grow local economies, create jobs and improve natural resources and diversify. In 2009/10, 16 interviews and six workshops were conducted with stakeholders to gauge industry challenges and needs in implementing food tourism. Based on qualitative findings, a model was developed which maps five emergent themes (knowledge exchange, the supply chain, fear of change, regionalisation and marketing) alongside five sustainability principles (strong and just society, good governance, sustainable economy, working within environmental limits and using sound science responsibly). The paper argues that if food tourism is to deliver its purported sustainable benefits, the policy environment must cultivate significant social capital through the cooperation of different industries with varying needs, motivations and challenges through joint marketing schemes, more localised distribution channels and enhanced policy engagement. Scotland and Wales are more successful than England, but overall food and tourism are not yet in effective partnership.     

旅游地意象、地方依恋与旅游者环境责任行为——以浙江省旅游度假区为例

文章综合旅游地意象、地方依恋及环境责任行为理论,将旅游地意象分为5个要素,将地方依恋分为2个要素,并构建了旅游地意象、地方依恋与旅游者环境责任行为之间的关系模型。研究发现:(1)景观意象、设施意象、服务意象及安全意象均直接影响情感意象。设施意象与服务意象不仅直接影响地方依赖,且通过情感意象来实现。安全意象和景观意象间接影响地方依赖。安全意象、服务意象及景观意象不仅直接影响地方认同,且通过地方依赖来实现。设施意象间接影响地方认同。服务意象不仅直接影响旅游者环境责任行为,且通过地方依恋来实现。景观意象、设施意象及安全意象间接影响旅游者环境责任行为。(2)情感意象直接影响地方依赖,间接影响地方认同与旅游者环境责任行为。(3)地方依赖直接影响地方认同和旅游者环境责任行为,且通过地方认同间接影响旅游者环境责任行为。     

旅游地域系统演化研究综论

旅游业是一个与空间紧密相连的产业,从地理学角度研究处于一定地域空间的旅游系统形成、演化的过程以及系统结构与功能所表现出的阶段性特征,对于推动区域旅游业发展具有重要作用.基于对旅游地域系统的界定,文章从旅游流空间分布及其集聚扩散、系统空间组织形态、系统演化模式及演化机制等方面对国内外旅游地域系统演化的相关文献进行了系统回顾,并提出了现有研究存在的不足和研究趋向,以期为区域旅游可持续发展研究提供有益的参考.     

Geography of taste and local development in Abruzzo (Italy): project to establish a training and research centre for the promotion of enogastronomic culture and tourism

Food is not merely a source of nourishment but also one of survival for human beings. Depending on production methods, food can also become a cultural reference point, an element of regional development and a tourist resource. This occurs with “local” food, representing a model of production and consumption that suggests a strong link with the region in which the food is produced. Over the last few years, the field of geographical studies has seen the rise of a specialised branch – the geography of taste – concerned with the study of links between the production of food, seen as a phenomenon of organisation of production, and the territory of reference. The production of food with these qualitative characteristics engages all five senses, assumes cultural significance and thus represents an element of emotional richness – the “gaze” – capable of being transformed into the tourist attraction defined in this paper as the “taste of geography”. These phenomena have been studied in a region of Italy – Abruzzo – in order to obtain the necessary data to plan a training and research centre for the promotion of enogastronomic culture and tourism.     

国际乡村旅游发展的政策经验与借鉴

乡村旅游是新世纪我国乡村发展、旅游产业发展的重要组成部分。本文以乡村旅游的国际研究为背景，以澳大利亚酒店业旅游和台湾观光农业发展为案例，以国际乡村旅游发展政策为核心，全面综合研究了国际乡村旅游发展的政策经验，主要政策领域包括政府干预乡村旅游发展、乡村旅游与区域结构调整、乡村旅游与乡村社区变革及发展、乡村旅游统一协调的合作机制、乡村旅游的政策工具。在此基础上，结俣我国实际情况，以乡村旅游可持续发展为指导，提出了我国乡村旅游在替代产业、旅游基地、主题工作组、社区参与、合作组织和法规体系6个领域的政策经验借鉴。     

Sustainable rural tourism in Iran: A perspective from Hawraman Village

This paper discusses issues of sustainability and rural tourism within the context of Iran. Using a qualitative research approach, it investigates the experiences of one particular village which is already popular with visitors and has featured in official tourism development plans. The focus is on the reactions of residents and their perceptions of tourism impacts and formal policies. Findings indicate that villagers are concerned about the use of local natural and cultural resources for tourism purposes, recognising negative consequences which seem to them to outweigh positive effects. Participation has been very limited in government rural tourism initiatives which are felt to yield few benefits for village inhabitants. Current policies thus appear ineffective and reforms are necessary if the potential for sustainable rural tourism, embracing community engagement, is to be realised.     

Local discourses and international initiatives: sociocultural sustainability of tourism in Oulanka National Park,Finland

National parks have become important tourist attractions and tools for regional development. New international initiatives, such as PAN (Protected Area Network) Parks in Europe, now promote sustainable tourism in protected areas. This paper examines the sociocultural sustainability of tourism perceived by local stakeholders of Oulanka National Park in northeastern Finland. The central question concerns the role of PAN Parks certification in community and tourism development. Four discourses were identified, based on 40 semi-structured interviews exploring different views on sociocultural development pertaining to tourism in the national park: (1) integrating nature-based tourism and conservation, (2) defending the rights of local people, (3) stressing the economic utilization of nature and (4) accepting tourism development and the national park. Although local stakeholders mostly have a positive perception of tourism in the park, it cannot be concluded whether the park facilitates development in a sustainable manner or not. Key problems identified are lack of participation opportunities and contradictions with traditional subsistence economies. The various positions of stakeholders in these discourses tend to influence their views on sustainability. Findings imply the necessity to monitor the distribution of benefits and burdens of park development holistically to multiple stakeholders.     

An ecologically and socially inclusive model of agritourism to support smallholder livelihoods in the South Pacific

The neglect and marginalisation of smallholders in economic and development policy contributes to increasing vulnerability of rural communities. Underinvestment in agriculture, climate change impacts and growing competition for land and water places further pressure on smallholders. In this context, this paper examines the current focus in the South Pacific on strengthening the linkages between tourism and agriculture through agritourism. The paper seeks to merge multiple discourses, by firstly reviewing the development model that is driving tourism and linkages to agriculture in the South Pacific. Secondly, agritourism as it is conceptualised in the tourism literature and thirdly sustainable tourism discourse, to identify economic activities within agritourism that contribute to enhancing smallholders’ livelihoods in the South Pacific. An ecologically and socially inclusive model of agritourism is put forward based on principles of sustainable tourism and agroecology – referred to as agroecological tourism. Agroecological tourism strengthens the linkages between tourism and agriculture while fostering sustainability principles.     

WWOOFing in Australia: ideas and lessons for a de-commodified sustainability tourism

This paper considers Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOFing) as a form of sustainable tourism with particular focus on its social and cultural dimensions and the means by which deep engagement in these appear to lead participants to a better awareness or understanding of ecological sustainability issues. It draws upon a grounded theory-based exploration of the perspectives and interactions of WWOOFers and WWOOF hosts in Australia, using 323 formal written surveys of hosts and 188 surveys of WWOOFers, together with 16 in-depth unstructured WWOOFer interviews, which collectively enhances understanding of WWOOFing as an emerging, unique and valuable form of sustainable tourism. By virtue of the highly engaged and symbiotic basis of the exchange involved, WWOOFing is commonly perceived to facilitate a transcendence of the role of tourist. The research indicates this is the product of a unique relationship forged in the WWOOFing context, which differs markedly to relationships forged in more typical fee-for-service tourism contexts in which there is a different relationship at play between power, authenticity and sustainability. This relationship is outlined in order to articulate the notion that WWOOFing represents a type of “sustainability tourism” that is unexplored in the sustainable tourism literature.     

Opportunity or threat? Finnish hunters’ attitudes to hunting tourism

This article examines elements of the social sustainability of hunting tourism development by scrutinising Finnish hunters’ opinions on three possible scenarios related to hunting tourism: the threat of an exclusion of local hunters, the threat of rising rents of hunting land and the threat to Finnish hunting customs and practice due to increasing numbers of foreign hunting tourists. Hunters’ positions on these three issues are mapped and the determinants of their attitudes are analysed using unique national survey data on Finnish hunters and their attitudes (N= 1193). The results show a clear ambivalence to hunting tourism among hunters. While a majority of hunters tend to view hunting tourism as a threat, a large minority relate to it more positively. These attitudinal patterns can be explained only partly by socioeconomic factors, whereas factors pertaining to hunting experience and hunting profile play a somewhat more prominent role in understanding the legitimacy that hunting tourism enjoys in the eyes of hunters in Finland. Age, rural residence and participation in wildlife management are also found important for some issues. The ambiguities revealed could pose major problems for social sustainability and hunting tourism management and development.     

旅游驱动乡村社会重构的特征与机制研究——以湖州顾渚村为例

乡村旅游是推动乡村重构的重要驱动力量,乡村社会重构是乡村重构研究的重要内容。本文以典型旅游村落湖州市顾渚村为案例地,从乡村居民视角出发,分析乡村社会重构的特征,并通过扎根理论方法构建了旅游驱动下乡村社会重构机制理论模型。结果表明：（1）乡村旅游发展改变了乡村居民的原有身份,乡村居民从农民、打工者转变为旅游经营者,实现了社会身份的重构。（2）乡村旅游发展带来了大量外来人员进入乡村,乡村社会关系格局逐渐从“差序格局”转变为“多元格局”,实现了社会关系的重构。（3）乡村旅游发展使乡村居民与乡村环境之间的关系发生改变,乡村从传统乡土社区转变为旅游服务社区,实现了社会空间的重构。（4）旅游要素的介入是旅游乡村社会重构最重要的驱动力量,乡村经济重构、乡村空间重构、资源环境驱动、旅游市场驱动、政策制度驱动、行为主体参与6个方面分别构成了乡村社会重构的空间载体、物质基础、支撑机制、引导机制、促进/约束机制和引擎机制,各作用机制之间相互影响、动态耦合共同推动了乡村社会的重构。     

Social-ecological resilience and community-based tourism: An approach from Agua Blanca,Ecuador

Socio-ecological resilience (SER), as a theoretical framework, provides an original approach to the study of socio-ecological sustainability, affirming that sustainable development can only be achieved in sufficiently resilient socio-ecosystems. Sustainability is one of the major challenges facing tourism. Therefore, the exploratory application of this theoretical approach to tourist contexts could be particularly apt. Practically all current modes of tourist operation profess a commitment to sustainability, but this is much more significant in experiences of community-based tourism (CBT). This paper presents an ethnographic case study in Agua Blanca, an Ecuadorian community that engages in turismo comunitario, a community-based tourism development strategy. The study explores the expediency of studying socio-ecological resilience in tourist research and attempts to open up new pathways for analytical and methodological development.     

旅游吸引物权不可统一立法之辨析

旅游吸引物在旅游学上属于一个集合概念, 在法律上没有相关规定, 但不同属性的旅游吸引物作为个体在《物权法》上的权属性质往往是有法可循的。文章运用物权法理论, 结合新颁布的《旅游法》, 分析几个典型旅游吸引物的权属, 试图澄清几个与此相关的问题, 论证设立旅游吸引物权、为之统一立法的不合理性和不可行性, 并进一步提出充分运用《合同法》、《旅游法》以及相关法律解释等现有法律规定, 解决农村土地旅游开发中社区权益保护问题, 而不是简单地采取修改法律的方式解决此类问题。