Paul F. J. Eagles

The Travel Motivations of Canadian Ecotourists

This article reports on the grouped findings of three studies that have taken an in-depth look at the travel motives of Canadian ecotourists. The results from these studies are compared to the general Canadian traveler population. These studies indicate that the ecotourists are much more likely to have social motives that put stress on physical activity, meeting people with similar interests and seeing the maximum possible in the time available, than is the general Canadian traveler. The ecotourist is also much more likely to be interested in the destinations that contain wilderness, lakes and streams, rural areas, parks, mountains and oceanside, than is the general traveler.

Factors Influencing Children's Environmental Attitudes

Abstract In a study of 6th-grade students, it was found that ecologistic and moralistic attitudes toward the environment correlated with talking about the environment at home, watching nature Alms, and reading about the environment. There were no gender differences in ecologistic attitude, but girls showed higher moralistic attitude scores. A week-long Sunship Earth program at a residential camp did not produce any measurable differences in ecologistic or moralistic attitudes. Results suggest that the students entered the camp program with moderate levels of these attitudes, derived from several influences, including family, media, and previous school-based environmental education programs.

The use of importance-performance analysis and market segmentation for tourism management in parks and protected areas: an application to Tanzania's national parks.

This paper presents an application of the IPA technique, coupled with market segmentation, to a sample of visitors to Tanzanias National Parks. The utility of the technique in a protected area context is highlighted, by comparing it with the results from three programme perspectives – non-segmented data (a homogeneous IPA programme), segmented data that look at performance measurements only (a segmented performance-only programme), and segmented data (a segmented IPA programme). A few examples of non-parametric statistical analysis are presented to highlight the flexibility of the technique. When combined with market segmentation, IPA is a superior technique to that of a non-segmented approach, which views the sample as homogeneous and can lead to the displacement of visitors. It is also superior to that of a performance-only approach. The technique is achievable for a protected area agency with limited resources and expertise and is also a good starting point for agencies with suitable resources and expertise.

Trends in park tourism: economics, finance and management.

This paper discusses issues in tourism to protected areas/parks. Emphasis is given to the relationships between the globally growing numbers of parks, the rise in tourism to those parks and its economic impacts, and finance and management policies used within the parks. In-depth consideration is given to park pricing policies, park tourism competencies, the need for better visitation/visitor statistics, and new tourism management structures. The development of parastatal management structures with greater links between tourism competencies and conservation management techniques is seen to be central to the creation of both successful parks and sustainable tourism within those parks.

Defining Canadian ecotourists.

The definition of an ecotourist is an issue of much debate. Many define an ecotourist based on a list of specific requirements that the tourist must meet, such as age, education level, or income level. We propose that while these characteristics may be useful in forming a general description of an ecotourist, they do not necessarily serve as a basis for a prescriptive definition. For the purposes of this study, a set of three criteria is developed based on knowledge gained from studies on known ecotourist groups. A group of Canadian tourists to Kenya is evaluated against these criteria and found to qualify as ecotourists. We propose that such criteria; a social motive (travelling to learn about nature), a site attraction motive (visiting wilderness or undisturbed areas) and time commitment (33% of trip), can be used to define ecotourists.

Governance of recreation and tourism partnerships in parks and protected areas

This paper uses 10 criteria for governance to evaluate the eight management models that most commonly underpin recreation and tourism partnerships in parks and protected areas. The varying financial status, political propensities and history in different countries have led to the development of different approaches to partnership management. When governance criteria were applied to the management models, those with high involvement by nonprofit organizations ranked higher in terms of the ideals of good governance. The highest ranked model was the public, nonprofit combination model. Conversely, those models with high degrees of for-profit operations ranked lower. The lowest ranked model was the aboriginal and government model. The analysis suggests that the 10 criteria for governance are not treated equally in practice; financial efficiency may be a pivotal criterion given more importance.

Research priorities in park tourism

Park tourism is a large and important activity on which a substantial body of research work has been published. This paper reviews that work in the light of the issues now faced by parks and park tourism, and argues that there are significant research gaps that urgently need additional work. The paper outlines 10 such areas, including: visitor use monitoring; park tourism economic impact monitoring; park finance; professional competencies for tourism management; building public support; visitor satisfaction; licenses, permits, leases, and concessions for tourism; pricing policies; management capacity; and park tourism governance. The paper suggests that work in these areas is so important that the long term political and social relevance, effective management and sustainable future of many parks and protected areas depend on the results. It points to the park creation phase being over after about 150 years of growth, and the need to move more effectively into the long-term management phase. A number of key questions arise. The numerous parks must fulfill their conservation mandate and they must be financially secure. They almost certainly must forge links to tourism, yet not be dominated by tourisms demands, creating, therefore, a new and sustainable research-based relationship.

Profiling Taiwanese Ecotourists Using a Self-definition Approach

Numerous studies have profiled ecotourists but these have been done mainly in the context of North American ecotourists. This study provides one of the few examinations of the rapidly developing Asian ecotourism market in the context of domestic visitation to Taiwans Taroko National Park. The study uses an innovative self-defined approach to defining an ecotourist. Findings include demographic results, benefits sought, travel motivation, and activities. Comparisons between Taiwanese and North American ecotourists are also made.

Canadian ecotourists: who are they?

Canadian ecotourists who travel in a group format are a distinct population of travellers. Their primary travel motives concentrate on the natural characteristics of the destination, with wilderness, parks and wildlife highly valued. In contrast, the average traveller travels for social purposes, with family, friends, safety and familiarity. The ecotourists show a high level of interest in their desired attractions, they want efficiency in their travel, meaning a desire to see as much as possible in the time available.These ecotourists tend to be older, more highly educated and have a much higher income than the average traveller. The ecotourists have high levels of travel expenditures with 48% spending inore than

An Analysis of Children's Attitudes toward Animals.

4,000 a year. Demographic analysis suggests that in the future, as more people gain post-secondary education, the ecotourism market will expand accordingly.