This paper examines the Swedish travel agencies that offer voluntary carbon offsetting to their costumers. Tourism is expanding in a fast rate globally with international arrivals predicted to reach 1,8 billion by 2030 (UNWTO, 2008). Economic development and more availability of individual free time are two of the most significant drivers to this growth in tourism. Globalization has also resulted in the growth and increase of mobility on a global scale (Harvey, 2000). The reduction of cost and time of mobility in space, driven partly by technological innovation in the transport sector has resulted in the increase of mobility (Harvey, 2000). Tourism is inseparable with transport; an increase in tourism therefore results in an increase of emissions related to tourism transports (Duval, 2007). One of the most alarming challenges facing tourism is the increase of green house gases. A number of Swedish travel agencies are offering voluntary carbon offsetting to their costumers as a way of tackling the problem off the increase of emissions related to tourism. This study however shows that the interest and motivation to buy voluntary offsetting from travel agencies are low, and gives some incentive to why that’s the case. Swedish travel agencies effort to sell voluntary carbon offsetting to their costumers must be seen as a failure, both in numbers and in doing any significant impact on the mitigation of climate change related to tourism.

Many view tourism as a tool for community development. Especially in the rural areas experiencing economic hardships, tourism often is considered an instrument for revitalization of a local economy helping to improve quality of life and protect natural and cultural resources. However, many researchers have raised concerns about an overly optimistic view by asserting that tourism development inevitably affects the corresponding community. Empirical studies suggest that development of tourism brings environmental, sociocultural, and economic changes to the community where it is developed. Thus, it is important that planners look at the attitudes of local people towards tourism development in their community before an actual development takes place. The conceptual basis of this study is development and change theory and empirical findings of tourism impact research. This study provides information to assist in understanding questions related to the rural communities’ tourism planning process in a development context, and residents’ perceptions of the impact of tourism and its further development. A self-administered mail-back survey was administered to see how the residents of Brewster County, Texas perceive tourism development in the region. Considering the 43% of the Hispanic population in the area, both English and Spanish versions of the questionnaires were sent to the possible respondents. The overall response rate was 37% after two rounds of survey administered during January and February of 2006. The structural model confirmed that people’s value orientation regarding nature was an important variable that explained residents’ community attachment, which influenced their attitudes toward tourism through attitudes toward local participation. The results indicated that residents’ values were oriented toward nature and that they were highly attached to their communities. In addition, their tourism attitudes were varied based on the types of tourism impacts they were expecting. Although they were supportive of tourism related development, they felt that certain types of tourism development were more appropriate for their community. Specifically, “medium impact” tourism development were perceived to be desirable for the northern part of the region, whereas low impact development options were perceived to be more acceptable for the southern part of the region by their residents.

The purpose of this research was to assess the potential impact of climate change on the western Newfoundland tourism industry. Western Newfoundland was chosen as it has a variety of recreational activities that attract tourists. To this end, a mixed methods approach was deemed most appropriate. It allowed for the use of the qualitative procedures of interviews and document analysis as well as the quantitative procedures of statistical climate modeling. The qualitative research demonstrated that there was a desire for further growth in the tourism industry and a general lack of concern for the affects of climate change. The quantitative methods projected that three different recreational and tourism activities studied in this thesis could be altered by climate change. Of the tourism industries examined, snowmobiling was projected to suffer shortened seasons, skiing was projected to see slight losses or to maintain its current season length, and golf was projected to extend its season and increase the number of playable rounds. When the two methods were integrated, there was a gap between the potential changes in the tourism industry and the lack of adaptation plans from the province or the tourism sector. Based on these findings, a series of recommendations were made to the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and various tourism operators. This research will contribute a new perspective to the substantial existing literature on tourism, to the growing research on climate change, and to the essential research on Newfoundland and Labrador.

The purpose of this research was to assess the potential impact of climate change on the western Newfoundland tourism industry. Western Newfoundland was chosen as it has a variety of recreational activities that attract tourists. To this end, a mixed methods approach was deemed most appropriate. It allowed for the use of the qualitative procedures of interviews and document analysis as well as the quantitative procedures of statistical climate modeling. The qualitative research demonstrated that there was a desire for further growth in the tourism industry and a general lack of concern for the affects of climate change. The quantitative methods projected that three different recreational and tourism activities studied in this thesis could be altered by climate change. Of the tourism industries examined, snowmobiling was projected to suffer shortened seasons, skiing was projected to see slight losses or to maintain its current season length, and golf was projected to extend its season and increase the number of playable rounds. When the two methods were integrated, there was a gap between the potential changes in the tourism industry and the lack of adaptation plans from the province or the tourism sector. Based on these findings, a series of recommendations were made to the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and various tourism operators. This research will contribute a new perspective to the substantial existing literature on tourism, to the growing research on climate change, and to the essential research on Newfoundland and Labrador.

Many view tourism as a tool for community development. Especially in the rural areas experiencing economic hardships, tourism often is considered an instrument for revitalization of a local economy helping to improve quality of life and protect natural and cultural resources. However, many researchers have raised concerns about an overly optimistic view by asserting that tourism development inevitably affects the corresponding community. Empirical studies suggest that development of tourism brings environmental, sociocultural, and economic changes to the community where it is developed. Thus, it is important that planners look at the attitudes of local people towards tourism development in their community before an actual development takes place. The conceptual basis of this study is development and change theory and empirical findings of tourism impact research. This study provides information to assist in understanding questions related to the rural communities’ tourism planning process in a development context, and residents’ perceptions of the impact of tourism and its further development. A self-administered mail-back survey was administered to see how the residents of Brewster County, Texas perceive tourism development in the region. Considering the 43% of the Hispanic population in the area, both English and Spanish versions of the questionnaires were sent to the possible respondents. The overall response rate was 37% after two rounds of survey administered during January and February of 2006. The structural model confirmed that people’s value orientation regarding nature was an important variable that explained residents’ community attachment, which influenced their attitudes toward tourism through attitudes toward local participation. The results indicated that residents’ values were oriented toward nature and that they were highly attached to their communities. In addition, their tourism attitudes were varied based on the types of tourism impacts they were expecting. Although they were supportive of tourism related development, they felt that certain types of tourism development were more appropriate for their community. Specifically, “medium impact” tourism development were perceived to be desirable for the northern part of the region, whereas low impact development options were perceived to be more acceptable for the southern part of the region by their residents.

Knowledge of visitor impacts is critical for sustainable tourism management in national parks. The focus of past tourism impact research on national parks is either on bio-physical impacts (conducted as recreation ecology research) or on social impacts (human dimensions, including environmental perception and crowding). Research integrating these two dimensions has been rarely conducted. This research aims to fill this gap through the integrative approach that attempts to understand current biophysical impacts of visitor activities in a national park, and it examines how visitors perceive these impacts. The primary objectives of this dissertation are 1) to provide a synthesis of existing of bio-physical impacts of visitor activities in the Khao Yai National Park (KYNP) and 2) to examine visitors’ perception of those impacts. Also, the factors affecting visitors’ perception are analyzed. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this study. Previous impact studies conducted in KYNP were reviewed. A visitor survey was conducted between December 2008 and February 2009. The questionnaires were distributed to 628 domestic and 40 international visitors. The 38 KYNP official interviews were completed. Based on previous impact research in KYNP, the most common bio-physical impacts include soil compaction, removal of humus layer, erosion, plant damage, soil and root exposure, water quality deterioration, disturbance and feeding wildlife. Other environmental impacts include noise pollution and garbage accumulation. The results indicate that more than 30 percent of visitors do not recognize the negative results of their activities. With the exception of vegetation and water impacts, overall, visitors perceive the impacts as less severe than the actual impacts. Environmental impacts are rated differently by the KYNP officials, domestic, and international visitors. Also, significant differences were found among birders, hikers, and campers. The key factors influencing impact perceptions include income level, education level, residential location, park visitation experience, length of stay in KYNP, recreation activity, frequency of activity, group type, and group size. It is suggested that both the quality and the quantity of visitor impact research are needed to construct the body of knowledge of impacts in KYNP. A long-term impact monitoring is required to sustain the ecological integrity in KYNP.

<p>Руралне области имају посебно место као предели изузетних вредности, као еколошке оазе,&nbsp; центри&nbsp; традиционалне културе и разноврсности етно-културне баштине. Понуда руралног туризма Србије је слаба, готово у самом повоју и неравномерно распоређена. У раду је дат приказ проучавања релевантне литературе и анализа досадашњих&nbsp; сазнања као и тренутна ситуација везана за&nbsp; рурални туризам и квалитет смештајних капацитета на подручју Републике&nbsp; Србије.&nbsp; У раду је урађена и компаративна&nbsp; анали између руралних подручја&nbsp; Србије,&nbsp; Хрватске и Словеније. У методолошком&nbsp; делу приказани су инструменти, процедура&nbsp; и&nbsp; узорак истраживања, а постављене су и хипотезе&nbsp;рада. Кроз резултате и дискусију, хипотезе су потврђене, делимично потврђене или&nbsp;оповргнуте, уз помоћ статистичких прорачуна и других метода провере, док су у&nbsp;закључку рада представљени научни и практични допринос теоријског и теренског&nbsp;истраживања, као и ограничења истраживања.</p> / <p>Ruralne oblasti imaju posebno mesto kao predeli izuzetnih vrednosti, kao ekološke oaze,&nbsp; centri&nbsp; tradicionalne kulture i raznovrsnosti etno-kulturne baštine. Ponuda ruralnog turizma Srbije je slaba, gotovo u samom povoju i neravnomerno raspoređena. U radu je dat prikaz proučavanja relevantne literature i analiza dosadašnjih&nbsp; saznanja kao i trenutna situacija vezana za&nbsp; ruralni turizam i kvalitet smeštajnih kapaciteta na području Republike&nbsp; Srbije.&nbsp; U radu je urađena i komparativna&nbsp; anali između ruralnih područja&nbsp; Srbije,&nbsp; Hrvatske i Slovenije. U metodološkom&nbsp; delu prikazani su instrumenti, procedura&nbsp; i&nbsp; uzorak istraživanja, a postavljene su i hipoteze&nbsp;rada. Kroz rezultate i diskusiju, hipoteze su potvrđene, delimično potvrđene ili&nbsp;opovrgnute, uz pomoć statističkih proračuna i drugih metoda provere, dok su u&nbsp;zaključku rada predstavljeni naučni i praktični doprinos teorijskog i terenskog&nbsp;istraživanja, kao i ograničenja istraživanja.</p> / <p>Rural areas occupy a special position as areas of exceptional value, ecological oases, traditional culture centres, and ethno-cultural heritage variety in rural tourism of Serbia. The offer of rural tourism in Serbia is weak, at its earliest phase and unevenly distributed. The paper reviews the relevant literature and analyses former knowledge as well as&nbsp; current situation with regard to rural tourism and quality of accommodation in the Republic of Serbia. The paper renders comparative analysis between rural areas of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. Methodological part includes instruments,procedure and sample of the research, with the main&nbsp; hypotheses of the&nbsp; paper. Within the results&nbsp; and the discussion parts the hypothesis, were confirmed, partially confirmed or discarded, by means of&nbsp; statistical calculations and other methods. Finally the conclusion part brings forth the scientific and practical contribution of theoretical and fieldwork and the restrictions of the research.</p>

Tourism has significant economic, physical, and social impacts. Goyangyi Island, asmall island situated along the south west coast of Myanmar, has rapidly gainedpopularity among domestic travelers due to its distinct, pristine, and untouchednatural scenery. The development of tourism in the area has provided jobopportunities and increased income for the local community. However, therehas been no previous research conducted on the impact of tourism on thisdestination. Through the qualitative study, perception of local community on thesocio-economic and environmental impact of tourism on the destination wasexplored. The findings show that local people are supportive of the developmentof tourism in their area as they see that there is more benefit than cost to thecommunity. Meanwhile, prevailing political situation, which lacks effectivegovernance and management for the destination, also pose challenges for thelocal community in sustaining their tourism activities. Thestudy also suggests localcommunity to engage and work together with other stakeholders for thesustainable development of the destination.

No description available.

Coastal tourism is one of the most important way of leisure and entertainment in the world, which brings impact in varying degrees to the tourism destination. These effects relate to economic, social, and environmental aspects. With the concept of sustainability being widely used, sustainable tourism has received more attention. However, most studies focus on the tourism impact on the coastal environment, while the social and economic aspects were sparse explorations. Therefore, this research applies the qualitative method to explore the social and economic impact of tourism on the coastal city, Kalmar. Furthermore, the perspective of residents and business owners is the main way to reflect these effects. According to the results of the study, the development of the tourism industry will indeed bring some impact to the coastal city on economy and society. However, due to differences of cultural background and actual situation, these effects are not always the same. For example, for the economic impact of tourism business, the impact on the hotel is more noticeable than the impact on restaurants and bars.