Utilizing multi-criteria decision to determine the best location for the ecotourism in the east and central of Fars province,Iran

To reduce the negative effects of tourism on the environment, the importance of ecotourism is increasingly considered because this form of tourism helps to protect the environment and sustainable development of an area. So, it is important to determine suitable places for tourism to better manage the study area. The aim of this study is to identify potential ecotourism sites using ordered weight averaging (OWA) and fuzzy quantifier algorithms in the east and central of Fars province, Iran. Required spatial data such as geology, soil, slope land, topographic roughness index (TRI), vegetation, surface water, elevation, protected area, climate, distance to road, and distance to the village were utilized. To prepare ecotourism maps with different confidence levels, eleven ordered weights were applied corresponding to the eleven parameters that were rank-ordered for each parameter after the modified factor weights were applied. Also, the feature selection algorithm (random search and genetic search methods) was used to select the most important parameters to determine the ecotourism map. The results showed that, with decreasing risk (α = 0), almost all of the study area was unsuitable for ecotourism while, with increasing risk (α = 20), all of the study areas were suitable for ecotourism. One of the ecotourism maps prepared with different confidence levels can be suggested based on the different conditions of tourists so that, if the tourist has a limited time, ecotourism maps with a higher degree of confidence levels are recommended and vice versa. This is one of the innovations of the present research. Also, the results of the random search method with the least error show that slope, elevation, climate, distance to river, and distance to road parameters are the most important parameters in preparing the ecotourism map of the region. So, using the results of the research, many economic problems, such as unemployment, will be solved by managers by preparing tourism maps and creating service jobs for tourists. With the OWA method, tourism zoning maps can be controlled by managers in order to provide better services and social and economic justice.     

论森林环境建设与生态旅游业的持续发展

森林环境和生态旅游都是当今国际社会普遍关注的问题。本文就森林环境，生态旅游的概念、利弊和全球发展态势，森林环境与生态旅游的关系以及生态旅游业的持续发展战略措施进行了讨论。     

An Exploratory Examination of Service Quality Attributes in the Ecotourism Industry

This study explores service quality attributes of ecolodges in Australia. In-depth interviews were used to develop service quality dimensions that ecotourists believe to be of importance when visiting ecolodges. The performance-based measure of service quality (SERVPERF) was adapted as a generic measure of service quality in order to investigate whether the SERVPERF instrument is applicable to the ecolodge industry. Findings indicate that three additional dimensions are specific to the ecolodge sector: eco-friendly practices, eco-activities, and eco-learning. The findings are significant in assessing guests’ perceptions of service quality in the ecotourism area and can serve as a framework for further empirical research.     

Indigenous and democratic decision-making: issues from community-based ecotourism in the Boumā National Heritage Park,Fiji

Participatory development literature involving community-based ecotourism management (CBEM) has only recently addressed issues pertaining to indigenous governance and decision-making systems. This paper contributes to sustainable tourism by presenting local decision-making practices and issues arising from the perspective of the members of one village in the Boumā National Heritage Park, Fiji. It shows that introduced democratic decision-making systems may not contribute to political empowerment in CBEM and can cause difficult situations. It is argued that greater attention to local systems of governance is required if tourism practitioners are to fully understand decision-making and participation in CBEM. The paper also offers a culturally appropriate methodology that may produce more meaningful outcomes for sustainable tourism research in indigenous Fijian contexts, and in other contexts worldwide. It argues that levels of empowerment should not just be treated as the outcome but as a part of the process of tourism development. It explores the core Fijian cultural concept of vanua as a way of life, involving interrelated social, ecological and spiritual elements. An emic perspective utilising informal talanoa (discussions) is used and examined, along with the roles of kin groups, village spokesmen and clan systems, and their relationship with western business decision-making practices.     

Encouraging sustainability beyond the tourist experience: ecotourism,interpretation and values

The relationship between tourism and sustainability is complex, with considerable attention paid to ecotourism's potential to positively contribute to sustainability. One way forward could be through using tourist experiences, especially those focusing on interpretation, to activate or change sustainability relevant values, beliefs, attitudes and actions both at places visited and elsewhere. This paper reports on research conducted with passengers on expedition cruises that explored links between aspects of the overall experience including the interpretation provided, tourist perceptions of the benefits of these experiences and their awareness of sustainability values linked. An adapted mean-ends analysis technique was used and found a consistent pattern of relationships between features of interpretive experience, activation of values and intentions to adopt responsible behaviours beyond the cruise. Responses highlighted the importance of staff expertise and dedication, the ability of interpretive staff to provide security, to assist people to make personal connections and to elicit participant trust. A Value Model of Interpretation (VMI) was developed, integrating theories of effective interpretive practice and connecting interpretation to the activation of sustainability values. The VMI offers new areas for guides to consider, shifting the focus from the transmission of information and towards the facilitation of mindfulness and reflective engagement.     

The Moral Authority of Ecotourism: A Critique

The paper argues that in debates on the role of tourism in bringing about development in the developing world, ecotourism has acquired a certain moral authority. It is often compared favourably to other categories of tourism, most notably mass tourism, based on its ability to combine conservation and development, categories that are often considered to exist in an antagonistic relationship. The paper seeks to challenge this moral authority. Others have attempted to do this, typically arguing that ecotourism can lead to mass tourism and consequently the same destructive tendencies, or that it is simply conscience salving for the western middle class. However the argument put forward here is a different one – that ecotourism as a tool for integrated conservation and development, widely advocated within conservation non-governmental organisations (NGOs), ties communities’ development prospects to a pre-existing relationship with their immediate natural environment. Basing development upon this relationship may offer some benefits to local communities, but at the same time the championing of such eco-development precludes a discussion of thoroughgoing economic development, development that would transform this relationship. The paper concludes that the championing of ecotourism reflects low horizons for development and that its moral credentials are highly questionable.     

The community participation process in ecotourism development: a case study of the community of Sogoog,Bayan-Ulgii,Mongolia

Theories on community participation in ecotourism development advocate obtaining maximum levels of both community control and benefit to achieve sustainable tourism. This paper explores issues in community-based ecotourism development in a small, remote community in western Mongolia. It assesses the community's desire to develop ecotourism, their understanding of the issues involved and the feasibility of the process in a poor herding community, where 63% are herdsmen, frequently absent with their herds. Using responses from 100 participants together with interviews with key stakeholders, it describes and analyzes the difficulties in establishing community participation and ecotourism implementation. Findings revealed that long-term viable community-based ecotourism development in remote areas requires close collaboration and sustained support from trusted community leaders and from knowledgeable and committed outside stakeholders. Approaches need to be carefully tailored to local circumstances, not “one size fits all”. Key areas of concern were environmental and cultural, including fears that their tradition of hospitality might be compromised, perceptions of the local NGO's benefits to the community and local, often naïve, expectations of ecotourism development. Despite fears, over 90% of those interviewed were willing to participate in an ecotourism project in this high-risk, unforgiving economic and climatic setting.     

基于TPB扩展模型的生态旅游行为影响因素实证研究

生态旅游是以自然环境为基础的旅游形态,而生态旅游行为也是环境保护行为之一。基于计划行为理论(TPB),加入道德规范与环境关心两个变量形成扩展的TPB理论模型,选择南京钟山风景区(国家森林公园)的生态旅游者为样本,通过结构方程模型验证各变量之间的因果关系,并探讨游客生态旅游行为的影响因素。研究发现,道德规范需要透过态度的中介才能正向影响行为意图;环境关心直接或间接地透过主观规范影响行为意图;影响实际生态旅游行为频率的主要变量,依序为行为意图与知觉行为控制。因此,提升道德规范可以使旅游者的生态行为和态度更正面,而提升旅游者的环境关心程度尤为重要。     

A framework toward sustainable ecotourism value chain in the Philippines

Philippine tourism growth is largely driven by visits to natural attractions. Addressing concerns on sustainability, environmental conservation, and local community involvement has become increasingly challenging. We identify the critical players in the industry and create a value chain framework for Philippine ecotourism that incorporates the quadruple bottom-line strategy to understand how sustainable tourism is being practiced among value chain participants. Findings have implications in the pursuit of sustainable ecotourism development in the country.     

Identifying and mapping forest-based ecotourism areas in West Virginia – Incorporating visitors' preferences

This study identifies and maps forest-based ecotourism areas in West Virginia by incorporating visitors' preferences. Relative weights for ecotourism destination criteria were obtained using the Analytic Hierarchy Process based on a survey of 777 participants. The study classified the state into five levels of naturalness with areas under Class I being the least natural and Class V being the most natural. The presence of wildlife was found to be the most important criterion and slope was found to be the least. Results also showed significant variations in visitors' preferences. Areas under Class IV and Class V in both weighted and unweighted ecotourism maps covered more than half of the state's area, suggesting high prospects for promoting forest-based ecotourism in the state. The results further showed that each class changed in size when visitors' preferences were applied. The ecotourism maps created provide useful insights for visitors, destination managers, and decision makers.