Dorothy Fox

Evolutionary and socio-cultural influences on feelings and attitudes towards nature: a cross-cultural study

ABSTRACT Mounting environmental issues have prompted reconsideration of the human–nature relationship. Accordingly, attitudes to nature, as an important dimension of human–nature interactions, have become a research focus. How feelings and attitudes towards nature are influenced by evolutionary and social-cultural constructions, and whether there is variation between different cultural groups, demands more attention. Using a survey of visitors to two very different National Parks, the New Forest National Park, England and Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, China, this paper shows that of nationality and living environment, differences between the two nationalities were significant in respect of both attitudes and feelings. Specifically, it demonstrates that the biophilia thesis, which purports that people have an innate and a genetically inherited need for affiliation with nature, is influenced by their socio-cultural environment, in particular their national culture, but also by their current living place. The study contributes to our understanding of sustainable tourism in natural areas.

Study on Chinese Tourism Web Sites' Distribution and Online Marketing Effects

As a platform and carrier of tourism information, tourism Web sites (TWs) and online tourism marketing have deeply affected the tourism industry. The authors adopt a geographical perspective to analyze the distribution of Chinese tourism Web sites (CTWs), and statistical analysis with SPSS 16.0 was conducted to explore the online marketing effects of CTWs. Some meaningful results were produced: (a) The number of CTWs generally decreases from eastern China to central and western China and are especially dominant in tourism developed provinces. (b) The number of tourists has strong statistical correlation with the number of CTWs. (c) The strongest correlation for inbound tourists is with hotel Web sites, and the highest correlation coefficient is 0.807 between the number of domestic tourist and resort Web sites. Both inbound and domestic tourists have a low correlation coefficient with travel agency (TA) Web sites. (d) There exist some statistical models between tourist numbers and different kinds of CTWs. The results clearly unveil the marketing effects and correlation of CTWs and are helpful for further online marketing strategies.

Employing the grand tour approach to aid understanding of garden visiting.

Amidst claims that the use of mixed methods research is in the ascendancy (Brannen, 2005) much has been written defining mixed methods research itself, defining the types of mixed methods research and arguing the case for or against it. However, perhaps because academic journals tend to be discipline-based and often incline towards particular research paradigms, there are few examples demonstrating how the elements of a mixed method design were selected. In this chapter it is shown how a proposed two-phase mixed methods study was subsequently adapted to four phases to meet the changing circumstances of a cultural tourism research project. In doing so, a novel approach to interviewing was required and the method selected, drawn from ethnography, is described in detail.

Human Dimensions of Wildlife Gardening: Its Development, Controversies and Psychological Benefits

A prevalent social discourse concerning climate change, loss of biodiversity and the importance of nature to human health currently dominates news articles, television programmes and political comment. These anthropogenic impacts on the natural environment question humankind’s predominant relationship with nature; particularly in western developed cultures where people are usually perceived as separate from nature rather than part of it. Whilst the world’s declining iconic species catch media attention, it is often local and indigenous wildlife that become the focus of communities at a local level. As a result, conservation organisation membership has increased over the last 5 years alongside a strong retail sector which encourages people to purchase, for example, wild bird food, bird feeders and nest boxes. As interest in feeding the wild birds that visit gardens has increased, so too has an appreciation of the need to conserve the wider aspects of the ecosystem such as plants, insects and amphibians which attract and support the birds and mammals that have become more welcome visitors to our gardens. There is also increasing recognition of the health and psychological benefits that wildlife gardening can bring to individuals and communities. Many prominent garden attractions and horticultural shows in England and throughout the world have developed a wild theme into their garden design which has captured the imagination of garden visitors who wish to marry their love of horticulture with their interest in wildlife. Such naturalistic and wild flower planting has thus become a more common element of home garden design reflected in the retail sector, media programmes and garden magazines and books.

The institutional sustainability in protected area tourism - case studies of Jiuzhaigou National Scenic Area, China and New Forest National Park, United Kingdom.

This article considers sustainable tourism development in two protected areas, Jiuzhaigou National Scenic Area in China and the New Forest National Park in the United Kingdom. An inductive approach is used to explore the “fourth component” of sustainable tourism development that is institutional sustainability. Primary data from in-depth interviews, together with a range of secondary data sources, are analyzed to understand the governance and management of each area. These reveal that whilst each area is committed to sustainable development, their approaches differ because of the political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts. The implications for policy and practice are then discussed.

The Contribution of Rose and Rosewater Tourism and Festival to the Destination Image

This study seeks to explore rose and rosewater tourism and festival to understand how tourist attitudes to the festivals contribute to their image of the destination. To achieve this, a survey of domestic tourists was undertaken in the Kashan region of Iran. The results provide some original insights into the selection of destinations that are of value to academics, industry practitioners, tourism planners, and policymakers. It confirms that events and festivals cannot develop or grow without the support of the hospitality and tourism industries. Some of the cultural limitations of undertaking the research, together with suggestions for future research, are also discussed.

Leisure time preference: the influence of gardening on garden visitation

ABSTRACT Leisure preferences have been accounted for by a variety of variables, including gender, age and race; and by personality and other internal attributes. It could be hypothesized therefore that there would be a relationship between the different but associated leisure activities chosen by people. However to date, little attention has been paid in this area. This study uses a survey of residents in southern England (n = 397) to identify the preferences for visiting and revisiting a garden that is open to the public, (i.e. a visitor attraction), based on the respondents interest in gardening. Logistic regression was used first to identify which factors best predict the likelihood that the respondents would report that they had a visited a garden in the year of the study. It was then implemented to identify whether they sometimes like to revisit a garden. Three predictor (independent) variables were assessed in each case. First, whether the respondent has access to a garden space; secondly, their level of enthusiasm for gardening as a hobby and thirdly, how enjoyable they thought a visit to a garden attraction would be. The results show that both models were statistically significant, (chi square = 43.460, p = 0.000 with df = 6 and chi square = 36.488, p = 0.000 with df = 6). In respect of visiting a garden, the respondents’ enthusiasm for amateur gardening made a statistically significant contribution to the model. Respondents who quite liked gardening were slightly less likely to visit a garden than the enthusiastic gardeners. The strongest predictor of making a visit was perhaps unsurprisingly, those that thought a visit would be very enjoyable. This had an odds ratio of 2.01 indicating that these respondents were twice as likely to visit as those who thought a visit would be only quite enjoyable or quite or very unenjoyable. However, the result was not statistically significant, which suggests the presence of an omitted variable. The figure rose to six times more likely in respect of revisiting the same garden and this was statistically significant (p = 0.041). In light of these important results, further analysis was undertaken to establish the characteristics of the respondents based on the two key variables and why they might revisit. To conclude, an interest in gardening is not the most important factor in predicting garden visiting.

External agents of change: a 10-year trend study of garden visitor behaviour in England

ABSTRACT Changes in people’s behaviour over time can be understood through three distinct elements: their age, a period of time and their birth cohort. Age is a key demographic in many leisure studies but less frequently a period of years is used in longitudinal studies. Changes to a birth cohort (a term often used synonymously with a generation) are rarely examined. This study adopts all three measures to demonstrate the complexity of change over time and also offers a greater understanding of change in people’s leisure behaviour, specifically those who visit gardens in England. A trend study consisting of two cross-sectional studies, 10 years apart, was undertaken through resident surveys (n = 341 and 392). These examined factors external to the individual which might influence their behaviour. The results demonstrate that changes in environmental, social and technological factors such as the weather, family and friends and the Internet have impacts that are complex and which are sometimes concealed within different age groups and cohorts over the decade. Notably, no single factor was identified where there was change across the period, all the age groups and all five cohorts, confirming that any change in people’s behaviour is not universal.