Planning for Sustainable Ecotourism: The Case for Research Ecotourism in Developing Country Destinations

Research ecotourism is a relatively new component of activities within the ecotourism industry, providing research opportunities for visitors focusing on aspects of the natural environment which are principally located in developing countries. This paper is directed towards identifying the nature and causes of socio-cultural impacts of this strand of ecotourism using a case study from Indonesia. The positive nature of socio-cultural impacts perceived by host communities alongside the irregular nature of economic benefits to host communities is analogous with the altruistic surplus theory of individual recognition of communal benefits. Certain characteristics of research ecotourists are identified as contributing towards host reactions towards visitors which reinforce the contention that this is a desirable form of ecotourism in similar locations.     

Marketing Ecotourism Through the Internet: A Case of Ecotourism Business in Thailand

The advance of Internet technology is having a profound impact on the traditional modes of selling tourism products and contributing to the growing importance of online marketing of the travel and tourism industry. In the case of ecotourism, studies examining Internet-based ecotourism marketing are still limited. This study aims to examine how ecotourism business is marketed through the Internet by focusing on Thai ecotourism business. Subjects investigated are travel business members listed on the website of the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association (TEATA). Data are qualitatively analyzed using content analysis to examine marketing and ecotourism web-based context promoted through the Internet. The results indicate that the travel companies examined in this study provide a variety of products and services to meet the diverse travel needs and preferences of tourists. When examining the web-based ecotourism marketing, most businesses provide insufficient marketing and ecotourism information to promote ecotourism experience. In particular, ecotourism messages they provide are only partially aligned with ecotourism principles. Recommendations are given for improving online ecotourism marketing to better satisfy tourists' needs and expectations.     

生态旅游环境教育效果评价实证研究

环境教育研究是生态旅游研究领域的重要主题之一,而生态旅游环境教育的效果评价是该领域的一个富有挑战性的研究议题,研究结果将对生态旅游环境教育的开展和效果的优化具有重要的启示意义.文章采用实验对比法,设计实验组与对照组两个样本组,对前者在实验控制的状态下施加事先设计好的环境教育干预,对后者,使之处于惯常情况下:然后运用前期研究成果来测量和评价生态旅游环境教育干预的成效.实验结果表明:在宏观尺度即第一层指标中,实验组综合得分的平均分、中位数、标准差、最高分、最低分均高于对照组,其中平均分的等级高出对照组将近2个级差;实验组对环境教育的满意度也明显高于对照组;实验组的旅游者“生态旅游者程度”自我评价情况要远远优于对照组.在中观尺度第二层中的7个二级指标中,实验组除在技能、行为、意愿3项指标上微高或稍高于后者外,在知识、意识、伦理观念、评价与建议4项指标均上明显或非常明显高于后者.上述结果均在一定程度上印证了环境教育干预的积极作用.多因素方差分析表明,环境教育干预、样本个体的受教育程度、旅游动机和“游前”旅游经历4个因素是造成上述差异的主要因素.     

Stakeholder Subjectives Toward Ecotourism Development using Q methodology: The Case of Maha Ecotourism Site in Pyeongchang,Korea

Ecotourism needs ecological sensitivity and respect for the ecological culture of local residents. From this perspective, listening to the opinion of local residents, collaborating with the local residents in conjunction with an appropriate governance structure, is of prime importance in ecotourism. However, many ecotourism sites have numerous problems because of conflicts among stakeholders such as local government and local residents. This study investigates the conflicts and the stakeholders’ subjectives in the case of Maha ecotourism site in Pyeongchang-gun, the site of the 2018 Winter Olympic games. Before the analysis, the conflicts seem to be caused by the different attitudes of government officials and local residents’ representatives. From the analysis of subjectives, the difference in attitudes is caused by generation gaps. Young people show relatively uniform attitudes, where different occupation sectors exert little influence. It means that conflicts can be decreased if more opportunities for council participation are allowed. Young people have few consideration about ecology and tradition. The ecological and traditional lessons of the older generation are needed for young people. This study shows that conflicts between development and conservation are caused by the different attitudes represented in different generation, and hence plans for harmonizing different generation should be considered.     

Small firms embracing technology and tourism development: evidence from two nations in Central America

This research note reports the findings of a study that explored the types of technology used within hospitality-related small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The study investigated the perceptions of value and the levels of awareness of entrepreneurs and managers regarding various technologies commonly used in similar organizations in the United States. The results suggest that there are minimal technology applications in back-office and front-office processing activities in SMEs in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The evidence further suggests that the levels of awareness of entrepreneurs and managers concerning these applications are practically non-existent.     

The Effects of Ecotourism in Developing Nations: An Analysis of Case Studies

One class of tourism that attempts to minimise the negative effects of traditional tourism is ecotourism. Much of the current ecotourism planning is only guesswork because few studies on the various impacts of ecotourism have been undertaken. This review collected data from ecotourism articles and scored each on seven separate ecotourism effect criteria to be used for analysis. Of the factors analysed, geographic location had a significant effect on tourism impacts while date and ownership of the conservation area did not. Ecotourism projects would benefit by using these criteria to quantitatively measure the state of their area. The results of this review illustrate that while ecotourism planning is in its infancy, ecotourism projects have the potential to be tools for sustainable development.     

公众参与旅游规划的思考——来自香港大澳的调查启示

本文通过问卷调查方法研究分析了居民、实际消费者、潜在消费者3个公众群体对于香港大澳生态旅游发展规划成果方案的支持意愿、了解程度以及焦点问题等方面的后期评价,进而探讨了其与大澳生态旅游发展规划公众参与工作实施的因果关系,认为合理的参与时限、专业人员的作用、主体多元化、持续动态参与对于提升公众参与规划的实际效果具有现实的作用。     

Exploring the Role of Part-time Ecotourism Guides in Central Southern England

This paper discusses issues relating to the role of ecotourism guides and considers the relative roles of ecotourism in developed and developing countries. The results of a pilot project are briefly described. The project was designed to establish a register of ecologists and conservationists able to act as paid, part - time ecotourism guides in central southern England and to promote and trial a guide service during the summer of 1999. The results demonstrated the availability of suitable guides but do not suggest that such guides have a significant new role to play at present in this region.     

乡村旅游创业动机的性别差异研究——以台湾为例

以往有关乡村旅游经营者创业动机的研究主要局限于拉力创业动机和不同性别创业者拉力创业动机研究。旅游研究学者提出应该对乡村旅游经营者动机进行更为理论化和系统的研究,并对乡村旅游经营动机的性别差异做进一步的探讨。该研究以台湾地区为例,比较性别差异下中小型乡村旅游经营者的创业动机模式。探索性因子分析结果显示,乡村旅游经营者拉力创业动机包括善用农业资源、社交、更换工作与政府政策鼓励等4个因子;推力创业动机则包括工作压力、自我压力与生活压力等3个因子。后续的多元方差分析(MANOVA)结果表明,女性的拉力创业动机明显高于男性,而男性的推力创业动机则明显高于女性。研究表明,女性从事乡村旅游产业经营主要是为了追求理想的生活方式与获得利益,而男性从事乡村旅游产业经营主要是因为对过去生活不满意。     

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Marine Tours: A Case Study of Australian Tour Boat Operators

This paper estimates the overall and per capita energy costs and GHG contributions associated with tour boat operations in Australia, a country with a 35,000 km coastline and world class marine attractions. Using a comprehensive database of Australian tour boat operators, 145 face-to-face interviews or completed postal survey questionnaires and 45 in- situ audits, the overall GHG emissions for this industry sector was estimated conservatively at 70,000 tons CO2-e or 0.1% of the transport sector in Australia, the fastest growing sector in terms of GHG outputs. On average, this translated into an extra 61 kg CO2-e per tourist if their travel itineraries included a trip on a boat with a diesel engine, or 27 kg CO2-e for a trip on a boat with a petrol engine – the equivalent of a single person driving 140 km or 300 km, respectively, in a standard passenger vehicle. Information obtained from Australian tour boat operators, however, indicated a range of technical and operational opportunities for reducing GHG emissions. In the light of Australia’s anticipated growth in domestic and international visitors, the importance of reducing tour boat GHG outputs, is stressed.     

生态旅游地发展的模型研究

这篇文章运用生态-经济的理论,利用系统动力学的方法,将生态旅游的一些零散论述加以系统化,并通过建立生态旅游的结构模型,探讨生态旅游发展中生态、社会和经济系统之间的结构和行为关系.生态旅游发展的模型涉及了物质资源、文化资源、基础设施、工作市场、游客和财务促销等6个部分,模型的模拟功能有助于理解旅游发展的复杂结构.模型得到验证后,可以成为评价旅游发展政策的工具.     

Managing Tourism in Small Islands: The Case of Pulau Ubin,Singapore

Pulau Ubin is one of the few Singapore offshore islands relatively untouched by development and provides a striking contrast with the main island in terms of the natural and man-made environment. As such, it has a special appeal for residents and tourists who have been attracted there in increasing numbers. Current activity remains on a restricted scale, however, and impacts experienced to date have been limited although of growing concern to some environmentalists. Conditions are now changing as Pulau Ubin has been identified by the government, official bodies and the private sector as a suitable location for tourism and, in the longer term, urbanisation. This paper examines the management of the island and explores the proposals put forward by the various agencies involved and their implications, suggesting that it is in danger of losing those qualities which have made it a unique natural and cultural attraction. Whilst recognising the particular circumstances of the case, more general issues relating to the challenges of managing small island tourist destinations and achieving sustainability are also illustrated by the example.     

Tourism Sustainability and Health Impacts in High Altitude Adventure,Cultural and Ecotourism Destinations: A Case Study of Nepal's Sagarmatha National Park

Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) is an ACE (adventure, cultural and ecotourism) high altitude destination. Many researchers argue that tourism development in the region is not sustainable and does not comply with ecotourism concepts. They report that SNP suffers considerable environmental, sociocultural and economic impacts. Health issues, despite the number of ailments commonly experienced by tourists, remain neglected in tourism literature. This study aims to investigate the health consequences of visiting SNP. Seven hundred and fifty questionnaires were given out during three separate seasons in 1999, of which 448 completed usable questionnaires were returned giving a 59.7% response rate. The results showthat despite good travel preparation, the majority of tourists (89.4%) suffer some form of health ailment. The most common ailments are mountain sickness, musculoskeletal pain, diarrhoea and respiratory infection. The study also shows several significant relationships between the incidence of health ailments and demographic profiles, motivation and satisfaction. It proposes that for high altitude ACE destinations like SNP, health issues should be a core component of destination management in order to ensure the sustainability of tourism development. High risk groups should be identified and tourism education should be targeted to both tourists and locals.     

基于行为与态度的生态旅游市场构成研究--以太白山国家森林公园为例

生态旅游者作为生态旅游活动的主体，其行为特征的研究至关重要。本文以太白山森林公园为例，对旅游者行为特征进行了调查研究，将其划分为一般生态旅游者和比较严格的生态旅游者，并对二者特征进行了对比研究，提出了与周边行政区联合开发等策略。     

旅游小企业的创业机会识别研究——桂林阳朔西街案例

旅游小企业由于其生活方式动机而区别于其他行业企业,现有的创业机会识别模型的解释力度有待进一步验证.文章通过对阳朔西街36家旅游小企业创业者的半结构性访谈资料的质性编码,发现旅游小企业的创业机会识别经历了机会感知、识别和创造三个过程,机会评价贯穿于机会识别过程的始终.环境因素是旅游小企业创业机会识别的动力源泉,先前知识经验及社会网络的影响突出.创业动机不同,机会识别过程的考虑因素也有所不同.生活方式型创业者注重自身兴趣爱好及经验知识的运用,追求精神回报;维持生计型创业者属于市场追随者;商业型创业者注重投资回报率,会进行一定的分析考察.但是,旅游小企业创业者的机会识别过程并不是一个简单的线性过程,它更大程度上是基于创业者个人及亲戚朋友的知识经验进行的思想分析.     

Assessment of natural resources for nature-based tourism: : the case of the Central Coast Region of Western Australia

Resources for development of a nature-based tourism industry were identified and assessed in the Central Coast Region of Western Australia. The assessment framework developed used both qualitative and quantitative techniques to establish levels of attraction, accessibility, presence of infrastructure and the level of environmental degradation. Data were gathered using a checklist approach to quantify characteristics of sites. Resource assessment was completed using matrices with relevant indicators incorporating weighting techniques. Sixty-five potential nature-based tourism resource sites were identified. The attraction diversity in the Region is high, although the resources were associated with poor accessibility, low levels of tourism infrastructure and moderate levels of environmental degradation. Results from this research were presented to government authorities and incorporated into the planning process. This paper highlights some of the difficulties associated with establishing objective resource evaluation techniques for nature-based tourism, as well as key findings from the research.     

An Empirical Study of Behavioral Intentions in the Food Festival: The Case of Macau

The behavioral intentions of visitors play an important role in predicting future profits in the food festival. The purpose of this study is to identify the dimensions of festival quality and examine the interrelationships between behavioral intentions and the other constructs related to behavioral intentions as perceived by visitors to the food festival using structural equation modeling (SEM). The dimensions of festival quality are built and a multi-dimensional and hierarchical model is used as a framework to synthesize the effects of festival quality and visitor satisfaction on behavioral intentions of visitors to the Macau Food Festival (MFF). The findings of this study are based on SEM analysis of a convenience sample of 428 respondents. The findings reveal that there are four primary dimensions and 11 sub-dimensions of festival quality in the MFF.     

Encouraging Sustainable Business Practices in a Non-regulatory Environment: A Case Study of Small Tourism Firms in a UK National Park

This paper presents an empirically based, qualitative insight into the attitudes and response of a sample of small tourism firms in a UK national park to the challenges of sustainable tourism. The findings offer some explanation for the limited action taken by firms of this kind to improve their environmental performance and suggest that firms can be categorised according to their attitudes to sustainability. A conceptual model is developed to encapsulate the complex range of factors that underpin the different behaviour of individual firms. Implications for policy makers committed to a policy of encouraging voluntary action on sustainability are offered.