Brijesh Thapa

The Effect of Risk Perceptions on Intentions to Travel in the Aftermath of September 11, 2001

Abstract This study examined the relationship between perceived risk and travel intentions among residents in the New York City area. The timing of the survey (November 2001) provided opportunity to examine the effect of perceived risk on travel intentions during the period of aftershock following September 11, 2001. The study found that intentions to take a pleasure trip in the next 12 months (at the time of the survey) was related to safety concerns, perceived social risk, travel experience and income. Results from the study hold potential for better understanding risk perceptions and their impact on travel behavior and in the marketing of travel services during periods of uncertainty like that following September 11, 2001

Evaluation of Ecotourism: A Comparative Assessment in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Nepal

Ecotourism has become an alternative approach for overcoming the problems of traditional tourism with the assumption that there will be minimum negative impacts and maximum benefits for the local people and their environment. This study offers a comparative evaluation of the perceptions of environmental, economic and socio-cultural impacts between residents of a traditional tourism area and a recently created ecotourism area, both located within the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Nepal. Data were collected on-site among local residents in both areas. Overall, this study concluded that residents of the ecotourism area perceived fewer negative and positive impacts (environmental, economic, socio-cultural) as a result of tourism than the residents of the traditional tourism area.

The Mediation Effect of Outdoor Recreation Participation on Environmental Attitude-Behavior Correspondence

Outdoor recreation participation has increased over the past decades and is projected for further growth. Given the increase, it is important to assess recreationists’ environmental values, activity style, general, and site-specific attitudes and behaviors to promote environmental stewardship, and to develop effective strategies in natural resource management and public policy. This study explored recreationists’ environmental attitude-behavior relationship and the impact of outdoor recreation activity orientation (as a mediator variable) on attitude-behavior correspondence. Overall, attitudes exhibited stronger direct relationships with behaviors, when compared to the effect of participation on behaviors. The influence of activity participation on attitude-behavior correspondence was not significantly demonstrative. The association between participation in outdoor recreation and environmentalism is complex, and there is a need for additional research to better understand the relationship.

Environmentalism: The Relation of Environmental Attitudes and Environmentally Responsible Behaviors Among Undergraduate Students

The growing collective consensus among the public is to possess environmental attitudes, as the majority consider themselves to be “environmentalists.” However, does the public’s environmental attitudes or concern translate into environmentally responsible behaviors? This study sought to verify among undergraduate students the level of environmentalism—the relation of environmental attitudes and responsible behaviors. College students were targeted because they will be the future custodians, planners, policy makers, and educators of the environment and its issues. Environmental attitudes were analyzed using the revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale, and behaviors were measured with the Environmentally Responsible Behavior Index. Overall, college students in this sample were sympathetic toward the environment, and they supported the NEP ideology. However, except for recycling, students were not very participative in various environmentally responsible behaviors. Additionally, consistent with previous studies, the attitude-behavior relations were weak or modest at best.

Quality of Life, Event Impacts, and Mega-Event Support among South African Residents before and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup:

The purpose of the study was to explore the role of mega-event impacts on perceived satisfaction with quality of life and support among South African residents before and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Limited research has empirically tested whether quality of life (QOL) is perceived as an exchange benefit that facilitates resident support of mega-events. Intercept data were collected from residents in five host cities three months before (March 2010) and eight months after (March 2011) the event (N = 3,789). Results indicate significant differences in perceived impacts before and after the event. Before the event, the influence of political impacts, psychological impacts, and social benefits on perceived QOL was significant, while QOL mediated the relationships between political, psychological, and social benefit impacts and resident support. After the event, economic impacts emerged as a significant predictor of QOL in contrast to the preevent sample.

Moderator and Mediator Effects of Scuba Diving Specialization on Marine-Based Environmental Knowledge-Behavior Contingency.

Given the growth in scuba diving activities and the importance of environmental education programs to alleviate the potential impacts on coral reef ecosystems, there is a need to better understand the diving community, its environmental knowledge, and subsequent behavioral actions. The purpose of this study was to explore the role or influence of specialization in scuba diving (as a moderator and mediator) on the relationship between marine-based environmental knowledge and behavior. Four hypotheses were formulated and empirically tested. Data from 370 scuba divers were collected (May-September 2002) in the St. Petersburg/Sarasota region of southwestern Florida. Marine-based environmental knowledge (11 items) and behaviors (16 items) were employed, along with recreation specialization (17 items) adapted from the literature. Specialization in scuba diving acted as a strong partial mediator but failed to be significant when tested as a moderator. Among scuba divers, marine-based knowledge did predict overall and specific proenvironmental behaviors; however, the level of specialization played a strong role in mediating the relationship.

Specialization and marine based environmental behaviors among SCUBA divers.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between recreation specialization and marine based environmental behaviors among SCUBA divers. Additionally, the study compared relationships with various types of environmental behaviors employing an overall multiple-item index and individual dimensions of recreation specialization (behavioral, cognitive and affective). Data (n = 370) were collected (May-September 2002) in the St. Petersburg/Sarasota region of southwest Florida, USA. Measures of environmental behaviors (16 items) and recreation specialization (17 items) were adapted from the literature. This study identified a positive association between the level of specialization and marine based environmental behaviors; as specialization in SCUBA diving increased, environmentally responsible behaviors also increased. In addition, individual specialization dimensions revealed more explanatory detail for the three distinct behavioral dimensions. Implications for further research and marine resource management are discussed.

Attitudes and opinions of local and national public sector stakeholders towards Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana

Local and national public sector stakeholders are considered to be primary stakeholders and their knowledge and support for conservation initiatives of transfrontier parks are important for sustainable management of resources. Hence, it is critical to assess the attitudes and opinions of a major stakeholder group in order to establish partnerships between protected areas (PAs), adjacent communities and other management agencies. This study employed a qualitative inquiry to identify and assess factors that influence public sector stakeholder support for community-based ecotourism (CBE) development and for conservation of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP). In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to solicit data from 15 local and national representatives who have worked or resided in the Kgalagadi region for a period of at least 6 months. Findings revealed variations in opinion between local and national representatives in relation to collaboration and partnership initiatives, conservation projects, park management, tourism development and park benefits to local communities. There was overall uncertainty with respect to the designation of the KTP, since it had generated unfavourable conditions for adjacent local people, local authorities and village leaders. Nearly all local representatives indicated an imbalance with regard to resident collaboration and partnership in KTP conservation-related projects, and the general management activities. The contentions included concerns about land ownership and control, human–wildlife interactions, perceptions about communication with park authorities, lack of transparency with respect to activities and inequality of park benefits. Two major policy concerns were a low level of community participation in park activities and a lack of collaboration and communication between management and residents.

Perceptions of environmental impacts of tourism: A case study at ACAP, Nepal

Tourism development and associated environmental impacts are evident in various regions of the world as communities struggle to find an optimal balance between economics and conservation. The growing pains of tourism development have usually fragmented local residents with respect to their perception of impacts and support for tourism. Empirical research has analyzed resident perception and attitudes towards tourism impacts but has largely focused on economic and socio-cultural impacts in mass tourism destinations and rural areas. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of environmental impacts of tourism between residents and managers within a protected area, i.e. Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), Nepal. Data were collected on-site among local residents and managers. Environmental impacts of tourism were operationalized using 13 items on a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree). Overall, on comparison of descriptive and statistical analyses, local residents were consistently more likely than managers to perceive fewer negative and greater positive impacts of tourism on the environment.

The power of sport to unite a nation: the social value of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

For a number of years, economists have questioned the aggregate economic value of mega sporting events, arguing that fiduciary benefits rarely materialize for host cities and/or nations. In response, governments have made stronger claims about social impacts derived from such events [e.g., Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, Olympic Games, etc.]. Applying social identity and social capital theories, we examined the influence of national identity on social capital and tested whether the 2010 FIFA World Cup positively influenced the national identity of South African residents. Residents (N=3769) from five World Cup host cities in South Africa were sampled before and after the event, using a pre-experimental design consisting of a one-group pretest–posttest protocol (O–X–O). The results demonstrated that: (1) national identity was a statistically significant (albeit modest) predictor of social capital, and (2) the World Cup minimally influenced the varying components of resident national identity, both negative and positive.