Sam H. Ham

Can Ecotourism Interpretation Really Lead to Pro-Conservation Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour? Evidence from the Galapagos Islands

Proponents of ecotourism within protected areas believe that tour design and interpretation can help mitigate the negative impacts of tourism, human and environmental, and build an educated and motivated constituency that supports environmental conservation and social improvements. However, ecotourisms claims to achieve those objectives are largely untested, and linkages between tourisms operational characteristics and positive changes in tourists” environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviours are largely unexplored. This exploratory research investigated the efforts of one Galapagos National Park tour operator to explore whether a well-conceived interpretation/ecotourism product could influence tourists” educational outcomes and support of environmental conservation. Results suggest that well-designed and delivered interpretation during the ecotourism experience can increase knowledge of the host-protected area, supportive attitudes towards resource management issues facing the host-protected area, general environmental behavioural intentions and philanthropic support of conservation.

Tour Guide Training: A Model for Sustainable Capacity Building in Developing Countries

This paper explains the special role of interpretive tour guide training in the context of sustainable tourism development and management in developing countries. It goes on to examine the interpretive guiding component of a six-week training programme delivered in April and May, 1999 in Panama, together with two shorter, more focused interpretive guiding courses, one in Patagonia, Argentina (March 2000) and one in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (September 2000). The context and process for the development of these courses and the rationale for the selection and development of course content and methods are presented, followed by a description of a multi-level evaluation of the training, including the addition of a training-of-trainers component. These provide the basis for a model approach with recommendations for the design, delivery and evaluation of future interpretive guide training in developing countries. The work is part of a long-term research programme on best practice development in guide training in developing countries.

Intercultural communication and mediation: a framework for analysing the intercultural competence of Chinese tour guides

This paper draws on theories of intercultural communication and mediation to develop a conceptual framework and research approach for examining the intercultural competence (IC) of Chinese tour guides and the relationship of guides’ IC to Chinese tourists’ experiences. The paper begins with a discussion of the importance of the Chinese inbound market globally, and in particular for Australia, and then examines the role of tour guides in intercultural settings. These discussions, which are offered to establish the need for systematic enquiry in this area, are followed by a detailed presentation of a research rationale and conceptual model in which key variables and proposed relationships are discussed, measurement issues are addressed, and implications for research are given.

A planning and decision-making framework for ecological restoration

A broad and objective perspective of ecological and socioenomic knowledge is required to underlie a scientific approach to the problems of terrestrial restoration ecology. Uncertainty associated with limited scientific knowledge highlights the crucial importance of the interaction between science and policy in weighing ecological restoration alternatives in relation to other management options. In this paper, we provide a pragmatic definition for restoration ecology that is suitable for extensive terrestrial applications and present a decision framework to help organize and clarify different phases of the decision process as it is related to ecological restoration. We argue that restoration planning should include a wider spectrum of participants and decisions than have traditionally been employed.

Chapter 3 – Interpretation as the centrepiece of sustainable wildlife tourism

Interpretation is a necessary centrepiece of sustainable wildlife tourism because of its importance in shaping the nature and quality of tourist experiences together with its potential to influence tourists’ beliefs and actions toward wildlife. Tourists interact with wildlife, both captive and free-roaming, in a variety of ways—from physical touching at “petting zoos” to close-up or long-distance observation in the field, to vicarious encounters with animals through stories, photographs and videos. Each interaction is recorded in the tourist’s mind in the form of “experience,” and for some, as relatively enduring beliefs, attitudes and behavioural intentions related to wildlife. Whether this happens is largely dependent on the extent to which visitors feel an intellectual and emotional connection with what they see and experience. Through such connections, tourists may become satisfied customers, thereby contributing to the economic sustainability tourism, and may well develop a commitment to protecting wildlife, thereby contributing to its ecological sustainability.

Ecotour Guide Training in Less Developed Countries: Some Preliminary Research Findings

Ecotourism is increasing throughout the world, especially in less developed countries, where it is often promoted in association with protected areas (Weaver, 1998). Guides have important roles to perform in the ecotourism experience, such as ensuring the safety of the visitor, providing accurate and compelling interpretation of sites, and modelling appropriate environmental and cultural behaviour. To be able to serve this wide range of interests, guides need training that provides them with necessary knowledge and skills. A literature review together with a small pilot study were carried out to identify the types of ecotour guide training currently being delivered in less developed countries, and to highlight some key issues and research priorities for ecotour guide training in the next decade. The results suggest the need for further research in this area.

Reducing Barriers to Environmental Education.

Abstract The slow progress of environmental education in public schools can be attributed to a set of common barriers that inhibits teachers from conducting environmental education. An in-service workshop was designed and implemented specifically to reduce these barriers and to increase the number of teachers conducting environmental education. The workshop consisted of a variety of presentations and hands-on activities. Evaluation of the workshop objectives was accomplished through comparison of pre-test and post-test surveys completed by workshop participants. Results indicated that the workshop was able to reduce some, but not all, of the barriers to EE. Additionally, the workshop did lead to a greater number of teachers conducting environmental education. Suggestions for future workshops and for future research are given.

Child-to-Parent Transfer of Environmental Ideology in Costa Rican Families: An Ethnographic Case Study

Abstract In this study, the authors examined the transfer of environmental information and ideologies from Costa Rican children to their parents. Ethnographic data were collected in two school districts in Costa Ricas Central Valley through (1) interviews with teachers, sixth grade children, and parents; (2) a field pretest-post-test of parents for specific environmental knowledge, which their children were taught in school; and (3) participant observation of families, schools, and communities. The data revealed that although environmental information may be transferred in some families and conditions, this transfer is generally rare and situation-specific, and environmental educators should not assume that adults are routinely reached by information presented to children. The authors recommend that more emphasis be placed on nonformal environmental education programs that target adults. They also suggest ways to increase the likelihood that adults are exposed to environmental information presented to ch...

Development of a Research Instrument for Evaluating the Visitor Outcomes of Face-to-Face Interpretation

ABSTRACT This article details the development, testing, and refinement of a set of indicators and a data collection instrument designed to be used to evaluate the outcomes of face-to-face interpretation across a range of heritage-based visitor settings and experiences. One of a suite of data collection instruments, the self-completing visitor questionnaire incorporates a set of indicators that (a) reflects the types of visitor outcomes that managers actually want from their interpretive programs; (b) is theoretically valid based on what is known about the potential cognitive, affective, and behavioural outcomes of interpretation, and (c) requires minimal effort, expense, and little or no social research expertise to collect and analyse the data, yet produces results with acceptable validity and reliability. While management and industry-driven, the research is underpinned by some thirty years of evaluation theory and practice, and is thus grounded in theories of psychology and human behaviour and methods from the social sciences and from applied program evaluation. This makes the final set of indicators an important contribution to the literature, and the questionnaire itself a useful and practical tool for those whose expertise and responsibilities lie primarily with managing and delivering rather than researching and evaluating the outcomes of interpretation.

Identifying beliefs underlying visitor behaviour: A comparative elicitation study based on the theory of planned behaviour

Abstract Applying Ajzens (1991) theory of planned behaviour to inform a persuasive communication intervention involves a number of phases of field research. While the initial belief elicitation phase is theoretically necessary to inform all subsequent phases, it is often undervalued due to its formative nature. To assess the importance of the elicitation phase, research was undertaken at two national parks to identify the beliefs underlying visitor use of alternative transportations systems (ATS) that have been introduced to reduce the pressures created by growing vehicle numbers. Results indicate that although visitors at the two parks share some beliefs, others are site‐specific. Persuasive communication aimed at encouraging visitor use of ATS at the two parks would therefore need to potentially target different beliefs. The research demonstrates that the elicitation phase was a critical first step in the context of this study, as beliefs cannot be intuited or assumed to be transferable among different populations and behavioural domains. The paper adds to a growing body of literature informing the use of theory‐driven approaches to influence the leisure behaviour of national park visitors.