Recent data shows that three quarters of nonresident vacationers to Montana are primarily attracted to characteristics of public lands such as national parks, mountains and forests, and open space. Thirty-five percent of Montana is public land, therefore understanding what values those visitors have for these public lands is very important and has not been analyzed in previous research. This study used panel survey methodology to identify a set of respondents who are not Montana residents but have visited the state. One component of the study used Borrie, Freimund, and Davenports National Parks Values Scale and Winters Natural Area Values Scale, as a basis for determining value statements. A mean value score for each of the 41 values statements relevant to Montanas public lands was identified. The study also identified recreation activity participation and public land visitation. A priori segmentation of user groups based on participation of these activities developed three cluster groups: non-motorized active, motorized, and passive. An analysis of variance identified value differences between the groups. Results indicate most respondents agreed with the value statements from the two scales. However, when the clustered groups were compared, there were 17 value items that showed significant differences. Using the Bonferroni post hoc test, the greatest differences were found between the non-motorized active and passive groups. With nonresident vacationers of 5.1 million visitors per year, identifying the values nonresident visitors have for Montanas public lands are important for understanding how values influence destination decision-making, how values influence recreation activity participation, and how tourism marketers can use values when developing marketing strategies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MONTANA/oai:etd.lib.umt.edu:etd-06132013-105857 |
| Date | 27 June 2013 |
| Creators | Tanner, Megan Michele |
| Contributors | Norma P. Nickerson, Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf, June Ellestad |
| Publisher | The University of Montana |
| Source Sets | University of Montana Missoula |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-06132013-105857/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Montana or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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