Why public–private cooperation is not prevalent in national parks within centralised countries

ABSTRACT

Shared governance between the public and private sectors can contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of park management and to the fulfilment of its triple mandate of recreation, conservation, and economic pursuits. Nevertheless, park authorities in centralised countries are reluctant to introduce public–private partnerships on a wide scale. This qualitative study is to explore the reasons why public–private cooperation is not widespread within national parks in Vietnam and China. The findings show that both countries have made some sophisticated management choices in relation to public–private cooperation. The adaptive implications are discussed at the end of the paper.     

Politics of memories: Identity construction in museums

This paper adopts collective memory theory to reveal processes through which heritage tourism stakeholders (re)construct contested national identity. Theoretically sensitised to identity crisis, the study analyses how Hong Kong and Macao heritage managers utilise complex transnational memories to (re)construct an identity aligned with, yet distinct from, that of China. Through a critical discourse analysis of interviews and discursive exhibition and museum texts, the article reveals that museum managers formulate heritage imaginings and a sense of belonging(s) through defining the collective memory for “Self” and “Other”. The article concludes that, by collective memory-building, museum professionals make tangible statements of national identities through legitimating negotiations and resistance in heritage tourism discourse. Implications for heritage tourism studies and museum management are also discussed.     

Visitation at capacity-constrained tourism destinations: Exploring revenue management at a national park

This study explores issues related to the introduction of revenue management principles in the mechanism of allocating permits to visitors. Specifically, the study looks at ways in which backcountry hikers in Grand Canyon National Park, a World Heritage Site listed among America’s most visited tourism attractions, value a particular allocation mechanism for a permit application. From a stratified random sampling scheme with a 76% response rate, over 1400 overnight backcountry hikers reported the potential for considerable increased revenues. At the same time the findings indicate that certain demographics and user groups will not participate in the modifications, and thus, may be less likely to get a permit when they apply for one. Any policy implementation from such an analysis needs to consider the implications of privileging those who are both willing and able to pay more for access, and effectively excluding others from the same opportunity.     

Examining eco-environmental changes at major recreational sites in Kenting National Park in Taiwan by integrating SPOT satellite images and NDVI

The integration of remote sensing data and vegetation indices can enable the investigation of dynamic changes in ecological environments. This study utilized SPOT satellite images from different periods as raw materials and combined geographic information system (GIS), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and related statistical analyses to examine the condition of the ecological environment at the main terrestrial attractions of Kenting National Park in Taiwan. The results showed that changes in the ecological environment at the main attractions are presented to varying degrees on spatial-temporal scales. The changes are also relevant with respect to the numbers of artificial facilities and tourists. Moreover, change analysis via RGB WFM (write function memory insertion) can create spatial layouts for management. Well-conserved natural resources for sustainable development play a key role in attracting tourists. This study's investigation of the change in the main terrestrial attractions in the ecological environment of Kenting National Park may facilitate the preservation of natural resources.     

Evaluating Internet Portals—An Empirical Study of Acceptance Measurement Based

SUMMARY

Due to the great importance of the “information business” in the tourism industry, the Internet has seen increasing use in this field. This paper deals with the evaluation of Internet portals based on the example of the Austrian National Tourist Office, Austria's largest tourism service organization. The empirical analyses performed on the basis of 172 useable questionnaires demonstrate the high significance of the Internet in the work processes of tourism professionals. In this context, significant differences were identified between the four user groups examined in the B2B field (provincial tourism organizations, hotels, travel agencies/operators and associations) and between age groups and genders in the various dimensions of Internet portal evaluation. Usability and content play the most critical role as factors influencing the appeal of Internet portals, the users' satisfaction with them, and their frequency of return visits to a portal. The design of a portal has a significantly lower influence.     

To Hell and Back: towards protecting our natural assets through tourism?

We have neglected our past and present, so that the future of our natural and built heritage is uncertain. Recent and current work, including an EU-supported joint project between the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos National Trust and UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum, are providing a future for natural and historical assets. We can now contemplate our future with a sense of optimism. We can imagine grandparents walking with their grandchildren, telling them tales of how their ancestors built forts with only their hands; school teachers leading trails of excited children through forests that have provided ecosystem services to generations.

The approach is to improve facilities for conducting ecologically sustainable visitor tours, with trained staff generating self-sustaining income; to provide and implement environmental educational and public awareness material, involving local consultations and designed to provide information to decision-makers, developers and planning authorities; and to implement conservation measures to provide increased protection for key vulnerable ecosystems.

In Cayman, one can send a postcard from a town called Hell. The preservation and sustainability generated through these projects is bringing the natural and built heritage a future, perhaps on a route to Hell and Back.     

Online destination image: Comparing national tourism organisation's and tourists' perspectives

This study examines the perceived and projected online destination images (DI) manifested in tourist-generated content (TGC) and national tourism organisation (NTO) generated content. Through visual content analysis and mise en scène analysis of photographic data as well as content analysis and perceptual mapping analysis of textual data, the differences between perceived and projected online DI of Eastern Taiwan were explored. TGC and NTO contents were both found to have similarly represented Eastern Taiwan as a destination abounds with “natural environment”, “infrastructure”, “specific activities”, and “tourist attractions”. However, several important DI dimensions were under-represented in the NTO content, for example, “food and beverages”, “transportation”, “information” and “accommodation”. The findings further reveal that the TGC textual content tended to outperform NTO textual content in reflecting affective DI; and photographic content, in general, was more effective in conveying affective attributes. The findings provide useful insights for practice and future research in DI management.     

A new visitation paradigm for protected areas

Current “second generation” approaches to visitation in higher order protected areas are based on biocentric management and monitoring that positions visitors as an inherent threat. The result is suboptimal sustainability outcomes of coexistence and possibly increased conflict in an era of escalating demand, reduced public funding and growing threats to global and local biodiversity. A “third generation” model is therefore required that repositions visitors as an inherent opportunity, and augments management and monitoring accordingly with visitor motivation and mobilisation for mass participation in on-site park enhancement activities. Strategies and issues for implementation - including the model's dialectical underpinnings and its relationship to a broader context of people-focused park management -are considered, toward achieving optimal sustainability outcomes of park/visitation symbiosis.     

工业工程(IE)在大型医院的应用

观察了病人在大型医院就医的现状。运用工业工程(IE)的“5W1H”提问技术分析了其中存在的问题,主要表现在：科室和窗口布置紊乱、看病程序繁杂、无效时间多等。在此基础上,运用IE的取消、合并、重排、简化(ECRS)四大原则对医院的现状进行了改进,简化了看病程序。大大缩短了看病时间。提高了医院的服务效率。     

黔东南苗岭国家地质公园的旅游地质资源开发与保护

本文对黔东南苗岭国家地质公园的旅游地质资源开发的可行性和制约因素分析,并且提出了:进一步加快地质公园区的科学研究,加快园区的建设规划工作;结合特色,加大宣传力度,加大资金投入,加快基础设施建设;加强利用的环境影响科学评价,加强监测;结合资源特色,市场为主导的综合开发原则,加快地质旅游产品开发;加强培训和引进人才,提高整体素质,提高管理水平;加快地质公园数据库的建设;协调处理好多头共管理关系等开发与保护对策。