MCOM / Department of Business Management / Increasingly, third-world countries are relying on ecotourism to boost their economies. Similar to other forms of tourism, ecotourism as a business initiative is perceived to contribute positively to economic development. However, tourism service providers generally do not deliver satisfactory services to ecotourists due to misunderstanding the segment’s needs and the customer traits. In emerging countries such as South Africa, which has a conducive economic environment for tourism businesses, some provincial departments such as the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism has set objectives to make the Limpopo province a preferred ecotourism destination. These have been propagated by service providers who passively participate in ecotourism yet claim to be ecotourism service providers. Moreover, the attitude of passiveness by service providers is derived from insufficient knowledge of the ecotourist. This set the foundation for the current study, which sought to provide detailed profiles of ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality in order to gain a clear understanding of the ecotourists visiting the Limpopo province. The study reviewed theoretical and empirical works conducted by tourism scholars. The study was developed on a descriptive research design and employed a quantitative approach. It made use of self-administered questionnaires with a sample of 295 participants selected from tourism establishments and attractions in the region, utilising convenience and purposive sampling methods respectively. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24 and Microsoft Office Excel was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, cluster analysis and Chi-square tests were conducted to analyse the data of the study. The findings revealed demographic, psychographic and behavioural descriptors associated with the ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality. In addition, information sources preferred by ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality were identified. It is envisaged that the findings of the study will be of value to ecotourism service providers as they will provide a sound understanding of ecotourists and thereby help to deliver satisfactory ecotourist experiences. This will ultimately provide valuable input for the planning of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in promoting the Limpopo province as a preferred ecotourism destination in South Africa.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

As a result of academic research into the effects of mass travel, an industry of alternative tourism has emerged. Application of this research has resulted in myriad forms of tourism, two of these being ecotourism and educational travel. Ecotourism represents a response to what is the destructive nature of the mass tourism industry and its damage to host communities' social, economic and environmental systems. Educational travel is an attempt to use tourism for education, such as trips arranged by university study abroad programs. I contend that both forms of alternative travel represent a reactive approach to mitigating the impacts of mass tourism. The potential of educational travel is not realized as it provides no framework or guidelines as to how students can apply the information and knowledge they have acquired on their trip. I will define a new type of tourism, advocacy travel, which seeks to address the shortfalls of ecotourism and educational travel. Advocacy travel is tourism as a strategy used by activists to educate, promote ideological awareness and motivate participants to work for social change. Global Exchange, a non-profit organization, has been using organized tours as one component of their activist strategy since 1989. Tours to destinations that are politically charged are used as a tactic to create a more politically aware and active citizen from an average person living in the United States. The ultimate goal of the tours is to promote change in the participant that will translate into an increased level of activism around the international issue about which Global Exchange is attempting change. This study is specifically aimed at determining whether tourism utilized in this manner can have a successful outcome for the organization employing it. I developed and distributed a survey questionnaire to Reality Tour participants from both the Cuba and Chiapas programs. Results reveal that the trips do promote an increased awareness of general news and world events and, to a lesser degree, serve to make the participant more politically active overall. However, this result is not equally applied to all participants. Those who indicate a previous awareness of the specific situation of their destination or a more general political knowledge are more likely to report that the Reality Tour inspired them to change. Also, I found that the Reality Tour participant differs greatly from the average US citizen in terms of education level, income, area of residence and occupation. / Graduation date: 2002

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / China Area Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe atliekamas požiūrio į ekoturizmo paslaugas Kauno mieste vertinimas. Pasaulis kenčia vis didesnę taršą: gamta praranda savo naturalų grožį, vertybes, nyksta augalai bei gyvūnai, didele dalimi prie to prisideda masinis turizmas. To pasekoje, kaip alternatyva, išsivysto nauja turizmo kryptis – ekoturizmas, kurio pagalba siekiama sumažinti aplinkai daromą žalą, paskirstyti turistų srautus bei neeikvoti ribotų gamtos išteklių. Darbo objektas – ekoturizmo paslaugos. Darbo tikslas - atskleisti požiūrį į ekoturizmo paslaugas Kauno mieste. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Apibrėžti ekoturizmo paslaugų vietą turizmo rinkos kontekste; 2. Apžvelgti ekoturizmo paslaugas Kaune mieste; 3. Išanalizuoti požiūrį į ekoturizmo paslaugas Kauno mieste. Darbą sudaro: įvadas; 3 skyriai: pirmajame nagrinėjami – ekoturizmo paslaugų teoriniai aspektai, tokie kaip: atsiradimas, bruožai, principai, antrajame – pateikta tyrimo metodika, demografiniai respondentų duomenys, trečiajame – tiriamas kauniečių požiūris į ekoturizmo paslaugas, analizuojami rezultatai, gauti tyrimo metu, jų aptarimas, išvados, literatūros sąrašas bei priedai. Tyrimo apklausoje dalyvavo 100 įvairaus amžiaus respondentų. Išanalizavus gautus duomenis galima teigti, kad apie ekoturizmą žino ar bent yra girdėję maždaug pusė Kauno gyventojų, bet visgi dauguma žmonių įvardina informacijos apie ekoturizmo paslaugas nepakankamumą, taip pat pageidauja žemesnių kainų bei platesnio siūlomų paslaugų asortimento. Beveik... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / -.

Thesis (MMS Tourism and Hospitality Management)--University of Waikato, 2007. / Title from PDF cover (viewed May 1, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-151)