Showing papers in "Journal of Sustainable Tourism in 2014"
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study illustrates a range of justice issues experienced by local Mayan residents in Quintana Roo, Mexico, related to procedural and distributive justice, fairness and equity in the development and marketing of their natural and cultural heritage for tourism, as well as discriminatory and exclusionary practices toward that ethnic minority.
Abstract: While a strong knowledge base has developed in sustainable tourism, theoretical links to justice and ethics have been slow to emerge at the destination level, especially about fairness, equity and justice for disadvantaged local groups, including poor, minority and indigenous populations. This paper draws upon, and justifies the use of several key philosophical traditions and social-political perspectives on justice to tackle this issue. A case study illustrates a range of justice issues experienced by local Mayan residents in Quintana Roo, Mexico, related to procedural and distributive justice, fairness and equity in the development and marketing of their natural and cultural heritage for tourism, as well as discriminatory and exclusionary practices toward that ethnic minority. Together, theoretical and empirical insights corroborate the need for a justice-oriented framework that addresses the social and cultural well-being of disadvantaged populations, and attempts to ensure that the poor are better off...
231 citations
TL;DR: Park tourism is a large and important activity on which a substantial body of research work has been published as discussed by the authors, and there are significant research gaps that urgently need additional work, including visitor use monitoring, 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.
Abstract: 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 ke...
191 citations
TL;DR: The Destination Sustainability Framework (DSF) as discussed by the authors is designed to assess destination vulnerability and resilience, and support successful resilience-building initiatives Holistic in nature, the DSF comprises: (1) the shock(s) or stressor(s); (2) the interconnected dimensions of vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity, and system adaptiveness; (3) the dynamic feedback loops that express the multiple outcomes of actions taken (or not); (4) the contextualised root causes that shape destinations and their characteristics; and (5) the various spatial scales.
Abstract: Tourism is a key driver of global socio-economic progress However, its sustainability is at risk from multiple shocks and hazards that threaten livelihoods Surprisingly little is known about the complex drivers of destination vulnerability, leading to the creation and application of ineffective resilience-building solutions The paper presents the Destination Sustainability Framework (DSF) designed to assess destination vulnerability and resilience, and support successful resilience-building initiatives Holistic in nature, the DSF comprises: (1) the shock(s) or stressor(s); (2) the interconnected dimensions of vulnerability – exposure, sensitivity, and system adaptiveness; (3) the dynamic feedback loops that express the multiple outcomes of actions taken (or not); (4) the contextualised root causes that shape destinations and their characteristics; (5) the various spatial scales; and (6) multiple timeframes within which social-ecological change occurs This innovative framework is significant because i
172 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the relationship between tourism and protected areas is reviewed to assess opportunities for sustainable funding to assure effective stewardship, and a range of innovative and creative alternative funding mechanisms are explored.
Abstract: Many commentators suggest that tourism could help fund the ever growing number of protected areas. The traditional reliance on government sources to support protected areas is increasingly untenable, in both the developed and developing world. This paper reviews the relationship between tourism and protected areas to assess opportunities for sustainable funding to assure effective stewardship. It explores a range of innovative and creative alternative funding mechanisms which could be consistent with a positive evolving relationship between tourism and protected areas. An outline classification of four protected area archetypes for management and funding purposes is suggested, based on a combination of visitation and biodiversity levels. To service the management of those four types, a series of non-government revenue streams are explored such as payments for ecosystem service (ES), environmental mortgages, intrinsic value funding, carbon abatement funding and research dividend funding. Issues discussed i...
141 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the perceptions and experiences of poor people in Sapa, Vietnam, regarding tourism as a means of poverty alleviation and concluded that while an appropriate approach is required to involve local people in tourism, alternative livelihoods other than tourism are also needed.
Abstract: This paper examines the perceptions and experiences of poor people in Sapa, Vietnam, regarding tourism as a means of poverty alleviation. Participant observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted with local people and key informants. The paper indicates that local people perceive poverty as a lack of rice and/or income and attribute it to both internal and external causes. The local tourism sector has primarily benefited the non-poor and tour operators, resulting in conflicts of interest among community members. However, more local people consider tourism a contributor to poverty alleviation than those who do not. All interviewees wish to become homestay owners or tourist guides. The most important barrier to the former is the lack of capital, while foreign language proficiency is the main hindrance to the latter. It is concluded that while an appropriate approach is required to involve local people in tourism, alternative livelihoods other than tourism are also needed. The study suggests tha...
136 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated host community perceptions about obstacles to their participation in tourism development in Lombok, Indonesia, providing new insights into institutional influences on tourism opportunities and issues.
Abstract: The involvement of host communities (or destination residents), particularly in developing countries, is critical to the success of tourism development and to the creation of a “Just Destination”. This paper investigates host community perceptions about obstacles to their participation in tourism development in Lombok, Indonesia, providing new insights into institutional influences on tourism opportunities and issues. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques targeted separate groups of destination residents who live in a developed tourism destination, a less developed tourism destination, a remote rural village far away from tourism destinations, as well as a group of university students. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, qualitative questionnaires and observation, and were analysed using content analysis. Results show three main institutional factors inhibit host community participation in tourism: tourism agencies, private sector providers and tourism infrastructure, and perceptions of ...
134 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an adapted empowerment framework was used to assess community empowerment and its relationship with stakeholders' participation by collecting the views of internal and external stakeholders in indigenous ecotourism.
Abstract: Indigenous ecotourism in the Mayan rainforest has received little research attention. This study examines issues related to the level of empowerment in a Mayan village located near the Palenque World Heritage Site in southern Mexico. An adapted empowerment framework was used to assess community empowerment and its relationship with stakeholders’ participation by collecting the views of internal and external stakeholders in indigenous ecotourism. Using a checklist of 60 empowerment indicators, the study developed a wheel of empowerment tool that graphically illustrates and compares levels of empowerment/disempowerment in local communities. Results indicate that although there is a will from many villagers to participate in tourism, lack of knowledge, limited economic resources and the poor negotiation skills of local leaders have disempowered the community from undertaking ecotourism ventures. Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have not supported the community until recently, the private sector has play...
118 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used an online content analysis based on the International Voluntourism Guidelines for Commercial Operators to understand the use of responsibility as a market signalling tool and found that responsibility is not used for market signalling; preference is given to communicating what is easy, and not what is important.
Abstract: Volunteer tourism has been heavily criticised for its negative consequences on destinations and volunteers, often the direct result of unrealistic demand-led marketing and lack of consideration for the environmental and social costs of host communities. While some industry participants have responded through adherence to best practice, little information or support is available about how to responsibly market volunteer tourism. This research uses an online content analysis based on the International Voluntourism Guidelines for Commercial Operators to understand the use of responsibility as a market signalling tool. Five influential web pages of eight organisations are scored across 19 responsibility criteria and compared against the organisation’s legal status, product type and price. We find that responsibility is not used for market signalling; preference is given to communicating what is easy, and not what is important. The status of the organisation is no guarantee of responsible practice, and price and responsibility communications display an inverse relationship. We conclude volunteer tourism operators are overpositioning and communicating responsibility inconsistently, which highlights greenwashing, requiring at least industry-wide codes of practice, and at best, regulation. This paper reflects on its methodological limitations, and on its practical achievements in encouraging change within some of the organisations examined.
115 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a water management framework for hotels and other types of accommodation that leverages on the concept of innovation, taking into account the various levels of knowledge and technological capabilities in water management, with the addition of another R (Reaching).
Abstract: This paper highlights the global phenomenon of the crisis in the quality and quantity of water supplies and how tourism generally and hotels specifically may have contributed to the situation. The major internal and external barriers for Small Medium Enterprises adopting Environmental Management Systems, including water, are listed. The paper proposes a water management framework for hotels and other types of accommodation that leverages on the concept of innovation. Taking into account the various levels of knowledge and technological capabilities in water management, the framework is developed based on the commonly known 3R approach in environmental management, with the addition of another R (Reaching). It is proposed that hotels can innovate and enhance their water management approaches under these 4Rs: Innovative Reducing, Innovative Reusing, Innovative Reaching and Innovative Recycling. The framework offers examples and strategies about how hotels of different sizes, with differing financial, technic...
115 citations
TL;DR: A review of the 30-year evolution of volunteer tourism as phenomenon, industry, and research area, charting changes in the size, breadth, definition, and perceived positive and negative contributions of the volunteer tourism industry can be found in this article.
Abstract: This paper reviews the 30-year evolution of volunteer tourism as phenomenon, industry, and research area, charting changes in the size, breadth, definition, and the perceived positive and negative contributions of the volunteer tourism industry. Discussion then moves on to how research in volunteer tourism has reflected those changes. Studies have focused on the transition from decommodified to commodified volunteer tourism; participant motivation, including the altruism versus self-development discussion; and the paucity of a unified and cohesive theoretical foundation in volunteer tourism. Fresh debates are now emerging that center upon the potential interface of technology and volunteer tourism, including crowd-sourcing for funding, smart phone apps, and GIS; the importance of monitoring and maintaining quality volunteer tourism experiences through certification and/or other indicators; and the role of religion and spirituality in volunteer tourism. These issues, and others, including the role of trans...
111 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study with passengers on expedition cruises that explored links between aspects of the overall experience including the interpretation provided, tourist perceptions of the benefits of these experiences and their awareness of sustainability values linked.
Abstract: The relationship between tourism and sustainability is complex, with considerable attention paid to ecotourism's potential to positively contribute to sustainability. One way forward could be through using tourist experiences, especially those focusing on interpretation, to activate or change sustainability relevant values, beliefs, attitudes and actions both at places visited and elsewhere. This paper reports on research conducted with passengers on expedition cruises that explored links between aspects of the overall experience including the interpretation provided, tourist perceptions of the benefits of these experiences and their awareness of sustainability values linked. An adapted mean-ends analysis technique was used and found a consistent pattern of relationships between features of interpretive experience, activation of values and intentions to adopt responsible behaviours beyond the cruise. Responses highlighted the importance of staff expertise and dedication, the ability of interpretive staff ...
TL;DR: The authors used 24 stakeholder interviews to evaluate susceptibility to change at multiple scales which could undermine the economic and social longevity of the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier townships in New Zealand's "Glacier Country", neighbouring Westland National Park.
Abstract: The Franz Josef and Fox Glacier townships in New Zealand's “Glacier Country”, neighbouring Westland National Park, are remote tourist attractions facing multiple future sustainability challenges. Despite their distance from their markets, they attract 600,000 visitors annually and are fundamental to the district's economy. However, issues of geographic isolation are compounded by major threats of flooding and earthquake, rising fuel prices and climate change scenarios which imply serious glacier melting. Using 24 stakeholder interviews, this study evaluates susceptibility to change at multiple scales which could undermine the economic and social longevity of this iconic destination. Adopting a human–environment systems perspective, it utilises the concepts of vulnerability and resilience to examine dimensions of change and response that have shaped the community, conservation and tourism in this peripheral region. It finds high levels of vulnerability do not necessarily determine low levels of resilience,...
TL;DR: “关键转折点”和在可持续性旅游研究中的应用最近对于旅_��业关
Abstract: “关键转折点”和在可持续性旅游研究中的应用最近对于旅游业关键转折点的研究对可持续旅游研究产生了重要的影响。可持续旅游的研究经常是基于对现有旅游模式的批判，以此来确保那些完全不同的替代发展方式。这里提到关键转折点研究的原因在于，这个研究为何与可持续旅游有着根本性的联系以及这个研究如何为这个领域提供了新的研究方向。可能的关键点包括：多种资源所带来的分配不均，来自统治者、霸权及异化所带来的压力，惯例特别是那些现有的经验，边缘化且不可靠的价值观念，释放出来的可能性。使用这种方法潜在的危险亦在本文讨论之列。本文提出这种研究方法在经历时日之后已然有所小成，而且这种对于可持续旅游的研究方法在吸取了其他类似观点以及对不同观点采取兼容并包的态度后，将会变得更加完善。本文会提及更多的潜在研究资源。
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the operational role that a network of both internal and external actors may play in piloting tourism initiatives that produce benefits for communities that are unaccustomed to participatory development processes due to various barriers.
Abstract: This paper raises questions concerning the complexity of the term “community” when dealing with community-based tourism initiatives. It highlights the difficulty of translating into practice the paradigm of “community-based tourism”. Through a case study of tourism in the multi-ethnic village of Viscri, Romania, the paper discusses the operational role that a network of both internal and external actors may play in piloting tourism initiatives that produce benefits for communities that are unaccustomed to participatory development processes due to various barriers. The study highlights the key role played by a local leader and an external foundation in building a network that, thanks to the bonding and bridging relations activated, led the community towards a form of sustainable tourism development and a broader amelioration of the social conditions. The network described can be replicated in other geographical contexts, provided there is strong local leadership and also international interests and donors...
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-method approach with the various stakeholders was used to develop a stakeholder map that identifies duty bearers and rights holders, and the benefits and challenges for business are explored.
Abstract: Water is a human right and it is essential to sustain life and livelihoods, as well as the health and happiness of tourists. This paper examines a destination with ample rain, but rapid and unchecked tourism development: Bali, Indonesia. The mismanagement of water resources means underground supplies are polluted and local people suffer from water scarcity. A multi-method approach with the various stakeholders was used to develop a stakeholder map that identifies duty bearers and rights holders. The government is the primary legal duty bearer to provide communities with water, but companies also have unique responsibilities. This paper examines why tourism businesses need to conduct human rights impact assessments. Taking due diligence for human rights can be seen as a business opportunity, leading to reduced operating costs and increased reputational strength. The benefits and challenges for business are explored.
TL;DR: The authors surveyed 610 visitors to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and surrounds in Queensland, Australia about the perceived importance of various attributes of the Eco certification scheme and the perceived performance of operators based on those attributes.
Abstract: Certification is highlighted as a key sustainable tourism management tool. Yet, very little is known about visitors’ perceptions of such schemes. This is an important gap: the success of certification schemes depends on consumers’ confidence in the quality of products and services that the schemes endorse. This paper surveyed 610 visitors to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and surrounds in Queensland, Australia about (1) the perceived importance of various attributes of the ECO certification scheme; and (2) the perceived performance of operators based on those attributes. Data analysis identified aspects of ECO certification and of operator performance that may need improvement. It found that importance of attributes varied across products and visitor groups; at accommodations, most attributes were perceived to be important, Nature (as an aesthetic experience) and Marketing being more important than others, while at attractions and on tours, visitors were indifferent. Younger visitors rated Environmen...
TL;DR: This article explored attitudes to tourism in an emerging destination in a developing country and linked that exploration to a revised stage-based model, using ethnographic data to evaluate responses to recent tourism development in Nicaragua.
Abstract: Many researchers have used stage-based and life cycle models to describe destination development and local residents’ changing reactions to tourism. Typically, they report that resident attitudes towards tourism, and its perceived outcomes for host populations, worsen with increasing experience and involvement in tourism. However, stage-based models traditionally focus on mature destinations in developed countries. In contrast, scholarship on ecotourism derives largely from developing countries and suggests that increased participation leads to more favourable outcomes and attitudes towards tourism. This paper breaks new ground by exploring attitudes to tourism in an emerging destination in a developing country and linking that exploration to a revised stage-based model. It uses ethnographic data to evaluate responses to recent tourism development in Nicaragua. While findings are complex and do not support a linear relationship between the level of experience in tourism and the attitudes of local resident...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors tackle the issue arising from the United Nations World Tourism Organization call for consumers to take climate change into consideration when making travel decisions and show that tourists are unfamiliar with carbon footprint calculators and find them difficult to use and have doubts about their credibility.
Abstract: This paper tackles a key issue arising from the United Nations World Tourism Organization call for consumers to take climate change into consideration when making travel decisions. Some people genuinely want to comply with this request. However, they face the “perplexity of environmental information”, a series of informational barriers to decision-making. Can they assess their travel's climate change impacts easily? Studies were conducted with 261 potential travellers in Australia and Slovenia. Results from an empirical study on using carbon footprint calculators suggest that they cannot: tourists are unfamiliar with carbon calculators and, if alerted to their existence, find them difficult to use and have doubts about their credibility. They are also not good at estimating, without assistance from a carbon calculator, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by different components of their vacation. Tourism industry and public policy makers interested in environmentally sustainable tourism need to ...
TL;DR: In this article, a choice modeling study was conducted to measure the economic value of aviation carbon mitigation and to identify major factors influencing air travellers' voluntary climate action in the aviation sector.
Abstract: Although voluntary carbon offsets have played a key role in the response to addressing climate change in the aviation sector, little is known about consumer preferences for such offsets and their offsetting behaviour in Australia. This paper developed and applied a choice modelling study to measure the economic values of aviation carbon mitigation and to identify major factors influencing air travellers’ voluntary climate action. Results show that respondents have a mean willingness to pay (WTP) of AU$21.38 per tonne of CO2 reduced in the form of voluntary carbon offsets per person. Female travellers might have a higher economic value of carbon mitigation than male counterparts while climate sceptics who are less likely to be carbon offsetters might in fact hold a higher WTP value than non-sceptical travellers. The findings suggest that in terms of WTP the best profile of offset projects might be renewable energy projects in developing countries, of which resulting carbon credits can reduce company legal ...
TL;DR: The World Heritage (WH) brand signals property so irreplaceable that its values must be sustained intact in perpetuity as discussed by the authors, which is the primary function of the WH symbol, one element of the brand, is to prompt positive visitor emotions and behaviors favored by management agencies.
Abstract: The World Heritage (WH) brand signals property so irreplaceable that its values must be sustained intact in perpetuity. A primary function of the WH symbol, one element of the WH brand, is to prompt positive visitor emotions and behaviors favored by management agencies. This paper investigates if the symbol communicates any message to viewers. To determine visitor recognition and recall of the WH symbol tested against a variety of variables, 1827 visitors to five WH sites in Queensland, Australia and 712 visitors to the WH part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, USA were surveyed. Sixty percent of visitors to the Queensland sites and 19% of visitors to the Hawaii site were aware of the site's WH status; 96% of Queensland site visitors, and 99% of Hawaii site visitors could not recall what the WH symbol represented. Park agencies appear to take a laissez-faire attitude to branding, have little interest or capacity to brand properly or have strategically restricted usage of the WH brand to de-clutter their ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a review article advances debate and research on the global-local nexus that shapes, and increasingly determines, the existence of Protected Areas and their function as areas of high conservation value as well as tourism destinations.
Abstract: This review article advances debate and research on the global–local nexus that shapes, and increasingly determines, the existence of Protected Areas (PAs) and their function as areas of high conservation value as well as tourism destinations. The demands on PAs have grown from an initial focus on facilitating recreation experiences and species and habitat protection, to more inclusive and participatory approaches that seek to safeguard ecological services whilst also supporting regional and national livelihoods. We propose that the simultaneous analysis of global and local drivers of change will generate a deeper understanding of impact processes and response implications. To this end, a draft framework for better understanding the global–local nexus of PAs is developed and tested through a Delphi sketching approach to 20 experts in least developed, newly industrialised and developed countries. Key challenges, implications and opportunities for PA management and governance, and for tourism development at...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore ways to improve the educational potential of programs through pre-departure and debrief sessions, and explore the role of volunteer-sending organizations (VSO) in facilitating volunteer understanding of the complex and relational processes of poverty, globalization and inequality.
Abstract: This paper looks at a key problem in some areas of volunteer tourism, a now fast-growing model of alternative tourism and alternative development. Combining volunteering with international travel, cultural exchange and learning objectives, volunteer tourism can educate volunteers and build relationships of understanding between diverse people and places. However, the ways volunteers make sense of their experience may actually reinforce cultural stereotypes that perpetuate colonialistic divisions of “us” and “them”. Some have argued that projects need a more structured educational approach if volunteers are to learn anything of personal or social value. However, little research has studied the role of volunteer-sending organizations (VSO) in facilitating volunteer understanding of the complex and relational processes of poverty, globalization and inequality. This paper explores ways to improve the educational potential of programs through pre-departure and debrief sessions. In-depth face-to-face and email ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a study from the Bavarian Forest National Park (BFNP) showed that the BFNP is an economically favorable land use option under most scenarios at national level, half of the scenarios showed a benefit-cost ratio greater than 1.
Abstract: German national parks are increasingly under pressure from land use change and need objective information on economic values associated with different forms of use to help policy-makers resolve conflicting policy goals. To date, a complete cost–benefit analysis of a German national park has not been undertaken. This paper addresses this gap through a study from the Bavarian Forest National Park (BFNP), the oldest and best known park in Germany. The research questions are: (1) Is the designation of the national park economically justified? and (2) Can revenue from park tourism compensate for its costs? Databases used include a visitor and enterprise survey, qualitative interviews and secondary sources; analyses involved several interrelated environmental valuation methods. Results suggest that the BFNP is an economically favourable land use option under most scenarios. At national level, half of the scenarios show a benefit–cost ratio (BCR) greater than 1. At regional level the park acts as a tool for econ...
TL;DR: In this article, a factor-cluster analysis of potential tourist tourists' motivations identified key volunteer tourist segments and assessed differences in expectations of transformative learning across each segment, and three motivation segments emerged: Volunteers, Voluntourists, and Tourists.
Abstract: Transformative learning (TL) is an important component of sustainable volunteer tourism experiences, potentially reducing unsustainable outcomes, and educating and enlightening volunteers. This paper reviews theories and issues about TL in volunteer tourism, and analyzes data from 1008 useable responses to an online survey of potential volunteer tourists. A factor–cluster analysis of potential volunteer tourists’ motivations identified key volunteer tourist segments and assessed differences in expectations of TL across each segment. Altruism remains the primary motivation, with personal development an expectation, but the study also found desires to experience different cultures, build relationships with family, and to escape one's daily life. Three motivation segments emerged: Volunteers, Voluntourists, and Tourists. Differences in the three clusters’ expectations for TL were assessed through multiple analysis of variance using items representing Taylor's three elements of TL: self-reflection, engaging i...
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative, perceptual study of ski industry stakeholders in Queenstown, New Zealand, addressed perceptions of climate change adaptation by the core industry, wider industry actors, local community and tourists.
Abstract: Climate change is a critical sustainability challenge for alpine tourism and the ski industry. Climate change adaptation is characterised as identifying and taking advantage of new business opportunities plus reducing physical risks. For adaptation strategies to be sustainable they should consider the environment, economy and society. While several adaptive ski industry strategies have been identified, not all can fulfil these criteria; some adaptive strategies could be perceived as unsustainable, or maladaptive. This paper provides a qualitative, perceptual study of ski industry stakeholders in Queenstown, New Zealand, addressing perceptions of climate change adaptation by the core industry, wider industry actors, local community and tourists. It answers two research questions: What are perceived as the main climate change adaptation strategies for Queenstown's ski industry? How do ski industry stakeholders perceive current adaptation strategies in terms of sustainability? It finds snowmaking central to ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an analytical framework aimed at improving the quality of monitoring and evaluation in the volunteer tourism sector, focusing on qualitative, critical approaches to evaluation, and highlighting the important influence of context.
Abstract: The rapid expansion and commercialisation of the volunteer tourism sector and the potential for negative impacts on host communities have put the sector under increasing scrutiny. Monitoring and evaluation are key aspects of sustainable tourism planning and management, and play important roles in the project planning and implementation cycles of volunteer tourism organisations and destination managements. However, they can be both value-laden and politically charged, making an understanding of context, purpose and various approaches to monitoring and evaluation important. Drawing from evaluation and critical management studies, this conceptual paper reviews the literature, presenting an analytical framework aimed at improving the quality of monitoring and evaluation. The paper is positioned within the adaptancy platform and focuses on qualitative, critical approaches to evaluation. The framework highlights the important influence of context (the issue the volunteer tourism programme is addressing, the nat...
TL;DR: The authors explores the power of both traditional culture and modernity, their interaction, and ecotourism as defined and developed in China, and suggests a new framework for ecoteourism policies.
Abstract: This paper explores the power of both traditional culture and modernity, their interaction, and ecotourism as defined and developed in China, and suggests a new framework for ecotourism policies. It argues that issues in ecotourism should reflect scientific and empirical evidence, but also integrate traditional Chinese cultural beliefs, and political and social factors, to achieve sustainability. The protected area system, central to ecotourism in China, was introduced by government to bring modernity and globalization. The management model follows western values, tending to separate humans from nature for conservation purposes, using institutionalized western zoning systems. This approach is inconsistent with millennia-old Chinese cultural values about relationships between nature and humans, centred around tian ren he yi – humans and nature as a unified entity. Instead of managing conflicts, attaining harmony (in a subjective experiential way) is the fundamental Chinese approach. The paper explores conf...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the sustainability of surf tourism in Fiji, utilizing a developing framework for sustainable surf tourism, considering the impact of economic neo-liberalism, the need for coordinated planning and limits to growth, the advantages of systematic attempts to foster cross-cultural understanding, and the social benefits associated with the development of surfing at the village level.
Abstract: In July 2010, the Fijian government issued a decree that liberalized Fiji's surf breaks and deregulated its surf tourism industry. It did this by canceling licenses that granted resorts exclusive use of surf breaks based on indigenous customary ownership of foreshore and fringing reef fishing areas as common pool resources. This paper analyses the sustainability of surf tourism in Fiji, utilizing a developing framework for sustainable surf tourism. Based on broader sustainable tourism theory and empirical research, the framework considers (1) the impact of economic neo-liberalism, (2) the need for coordinated planning and limits to growth, (3) the advantages of systematic attempts to foster cross-cultural understanding, and (4) the social benefits associated with the development of surfing at the village level. The study found that a lack of regulation is compromising the sustainability of Fiji's surf tourism industry in each of these four dimensions. However, evidence of a growing acceptance of the need ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors put the global private protected area into context and quantified the extent to which ecotourism has been adopted as a sustainable land-use practice on private reserves in Brazil.
Abstract: Ecotourism in private reserves combines the establishment of protected areas with an incentive mechanism to conserve biodiversity. Brazil's private reserve system is well-established but little is known about its links to tourism. This study puts the global private protected area into context and quantifies the extent to which ecotourism has been adopted as a sustainable land-use practice on private reserves in Brazil. Our findings demonstrate that small reserves do contribute to conservation and are used for ecotourism. The belief that large reserves are necessary for ecotourism and conservation is challenged. Only 4% (n = 45) of the 1182 reserves are engaged in ecotourism, mainly those within the Atlantic Forest biome and these are generally small in size (<50 ha). Reserves provide modest to basic accommodation as well as education and economic opportunities that include adjacent communities. Hiking and bird watching are the most popular activities but many reserves are threatened by poaching and invasi...
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the claim by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) that its Global Code of Ethics is an important frame of reference for the responsible development of world tourism.
Abstract: This opinion piece reviews the claim by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) that its Global Code of Ethics “is an important frame of reference for the responsible…development of world tourism”. Most of the prescriptions contained within the Code's 10 Articles and accompanying sections focus on human rights, freedoms and benefits and much less on specific aspects of the environment. The Code's overriding anthropocentric tone denies any chance for it to be a truly responsible creed. Being responsible should mean taking care of human needs, and the needs of the millions of animals used in the tourism industry for human enjoyment and benefit. The code fails to be truly responsible: the “frame of reference” is not inclusive or protective of the welfare of those beings who, by their involvement as workers, entertainers and competitors, are an important part of the tourism industry's operations whether acknowledged or not. Animal ethics is an area of scholarship that is virtually terra incognit...