Megha Budruk

Urban Green Spaces: A Study of Place Attachment and Environmental Attitudes in India

Urban green spaces are critical to urban sustainability yet receive little scientific or political attention. This study explored the effect of place attachment on environmental attitudes among urban green space users in India. Data were collected via an on-site survey administered in March 2006. Among the English-speaking subsample (n = 219; adjusted response rate 87.6%), respondents had moderate levels of place identity and place dependence and exhibited a tendency toward pro-environmental attitudes. Additionally, stronger place identity was significantly associated with greater agreement regarding the balance between humans and nature as well as with weaker support for the domination of humans over nature. No significant relationships between place identity and ecological limits or place dependence and environmental attitudes emerged. Results suggest emotional connections with places contribute toward pro-environmental attitudes. Enhancing such connections is therefore likely to lead to increased environmental care and concern.

Motive-Based Tourist Market Segmentation: An Application to Native American Cultural Heritage Sites in Arizona, USA

This paper utilises a motive-based segmentation to understand tourists to cultural heritage sites in Arizona, USA. The data for this study were collected through mail survey from a representative sample of 671 tourists to three Native American cultural heritage sites. Using cluster analysis based upon motives for cultural history learning, three distinct segments were found: (1) ‘culture-focused,’ (2) ‘culture-attentive’ and (3) ‘culture-appreciative’ tourists. These groups differed significantly in terms of behaviour, experience and interpretation. The culture-focused segments spent longer at the sites, stayed more nights away from home, considered visiting archeological sites as their primary activity, and placed more importance on interpretation. In addition, the culture-focused groups were more satisfied with their trip, appreciated the preservation of archeological resources and reported more learning experiences. Overall, the study supports the notion that heterogeneity exists within cultural heritage tourist markets. Implications of these findings in conceptualisation, management and marketing cultural heritage tourism are discussed.

Connecting Visitors to People and Place: Visitors’ Perceptions of Authenticity at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona

This study examines the effect of visitors’ characteristics, motivations and sense of place attachment on perceptions of authenticity at a cultural heritage site. Data were collected in summer and fall 2006 through an on-site survey questionnaire administered to a random sample of visitors to Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona ( n = 379; 76% response rate). The most important motives for visiting were ‘To enjoy nature’ and ‘To experience Navajo culture’. Additionally, visitors perceived a strong sense of place identity but a weaker sense of place dependence. Preservation of the archaeological resources was the most important contributor towards an authentic experience, followed by learning about customs and values of local people, meeting local people and visiting with an authorised Navajo guide. Attending interpretive programmes contributed the least. Results show that motivation to experience Navajo culture, the place identity dimension of place attachment, educational attainment, age and past experience at the monument had significant effects on the perception of an authentic experience at the monument. Place identity emerged as the strongest predictor of perceptions of authenticity, suggesting that a strong emotional bond is an important factor in visitors perceiving a site to be authentic. As visitor motivations for learning about the Navajo culture increased, so did perceptions of authenticity. Higher age also led to increased feelings of authenticity. As education levels and prior experience increased, perceptions of authenticity decreased.

Quality-of-life community indicators for parks, recreation and tourism management

Acknowledgements. Contributing Authors. Introduction. Part I: The Context of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management and Quality of Life. Part II: Quality of Life, Indicators and Parks and Recreation. Part III: Quality of Life and Tourism. Summary. Index.

Crowding and Experience-Use History: A Study of the Moderating Effect of Place Attachment Among Water-Based Recreationists

Effective recreation resource management relies on understanding visitor perceptions and behaviors. Given current and increasing pressures on water resources, understanding crowding evaluations seems important. Beyond crowding, however, variables that possibly relate to or influence crowding are of interest and in particular, place attachment and experience-use history (EUH). As EUH is related to place attachment and likely affects crowding, this study explored the moderating effect of place attachment dimensions on the relationships between EUH and visitor crowding evaluations. Water based recreationists at a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site were contacted onsite and asked questions related to experience-use history, crowding evaluations, place attachment, and activity participation. Anglers and campers at the site identified similar crowding perceptions and place attachments. Only one of eight models tested revealed a moderating effect. Specifically, place identity moderated the relationship between the total times visited in the past twelve months and expected crowding among anglers. As such, the quest continues to understand the relationship among these important variables.

Research to support management of visitor carrying capacity of Boston Harbor Islands.

Abstract Visitor carrying capacity has been a long-standing issue in management of parks and protected areas. Contemporary carrying capacity frameworks rely on formulation of indicators and standards of quality to define and manage carrying capacity. This paper describes a program of research to support management of carrying capacity of the Boston Harbor Islands national park area, a recent addition to the national park system. Research included: (1) an inventory and analysis of recreation-related resource impacts on selected islands, and (2) surveys of visitors to islands open to public use. Study findings are being incorporated into a visitor carrying capacity management plan through formulation of indicators and standards of quality for the parks natural resources and visitor experience.

Stakeholders’ Perspectives of Sustainable Tourism Development A New Approach to Measuring Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to examine the perspectives of tourism stakeholders regarding sustainable tourism outcomes in protected areas. We compared the responses of residents with residents, and tourists with tourists, in two protected areas of Nepal, namely, the Annapurna Conservation Area and Chitwan National Park. Tourism sustainability was evaluated with six tourism impact subscales measuring negative and positive ecological, economic, and social impacts. Data were collected using the survey method. Respondents included 230 residents and 205 tourists in Annapurna, and 220 residents and 210 tourists in Chitwan. Data analysis involved a series of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses with Annapurna and Chitwan as comparison groups and tourism impact subscales as latent constructs. Results revealed that residents and tourists perceive positive and negative impacts differently across protected areas. This suggests that the form of tourism development affects the sustainability outcomes in protected areas. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are discussed.

Differentiating Place Attachment Dimensions Among Proximate and Distant Visitors to Two Water-Based Recreation Areas

People–place studies suggest that groups have varied bonds to a resource and that these bonds likely vary by residential proximity; however, previous research that explored these differences by residence treated place attachment as unidimensional. Therefore, this study differentiates two place attachment dimensions (place identity and place dependence) among distant (nonresidents) and proximate (community residents) visitors to two water-based resources in Illinois. Findings reveal both similarities and differences among visitors. Although proximate and distant visitors exhibited overall similar patterns in the place attachment scales, results delineate place identity as the differentiating place attachment dimension for this resource. Specifically, place identity was stronger and significantly different for proximate versus distant visitors. Findings suggest that recreation settings offer proximate as well as distant visitors the opportunity to develop meanings with a place and highlight the importance of examining differences in place attachment dimensions among proximate and distant visitors.

The moderating effect of nationality on crowding perception, its antecedents, and coping behaviours: A study of an urban heritage site in Taiwan

Due to the significant increase in international tourism arrivals, academic attention that addresses the heterogeneity among nationals with respect to the congestion impact at attraction sites is called for. This study evaluates the moderating effect of nationality on crowding perception, its antecedents, and coping behaviours in order to identify the sensitivity of user groups towards crowding issues. A Taiwanese urban historical site was selected as a case study to assess the differences among domestic Taiwanese, mainland Chinese, and foreign visitors in response to an increase in use pressure. Results supported the moderating effect of nationality on all crowding relationships, and indicated that Taiwanese and foreign visitors were more crowd intolerant and had a higher tendency to engage in coping behaviours than those from mainland China. Good crowding perception, social norms for acceptable behaviours, travel format, and bilateral sociopolitical relationships are suggested as explanations for user differences.

South Asian heritage tourism: Conflict, colonialism, and cooperation

Section 1: Heritage Issues and Challenges in Developing Regions 1. Introduction: Heritage Tourism and the Less-Developed World 2. Protecting the Past: Challenges and Opportunities 3. The Politics of Heritage 4. Heritage Tourism and Its Impacts Section Two: Heritage Issues and Challenges: Regional Perspectives 5. The Meanings, Marketing and Management of Heritage Tourism in South East Asia (Joan Henderson) 6. Heritage and Tourism in East Asias Developing Nations: Communist-Socialist Legacies and Diverse Cultural Landscapes (Dallen Timothy, Bihu Wu, and Oyunaa Luvsandavaajav) 7. Heritage Tourism in the Pacific: Modernity, Myth and Identity (Michael Hall) 8. South Asian Heritage Tourism: Conflict, Colonialism and Cooperation (Gyan Naupane and Megha Budruk) 9. Heritage Tourism in Southwest Asia and North Africa: Contested Pasts and Veiled Realities (Dallen Timothy and Rami Daher) 10. Tourism and Africas Tripartite Cultural Past (Victor Teye) 11. Heritage Management and Tourism in the Caribbean (Leslie-Ann Jordan and David Duval) 12. Heritage Tourism in Latin America: Can turbulent times be overcome? (Regina Schluter) 13. Heritage Tourism in Central and Eastern Europe (Duncan Light, Craig Young, and Mariusz Czepczynski) 14. Heritage tourism in the Developing World: Reflections and Ramifications