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Attitude of tourists visiting nature reserves in China
Tourism Management Perspectives 5 (2013) 1–4
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Tourism Management Perspectives journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tmp
Attitude of tourists visiting nature reserves in China Chunyu Liu a, Wen Xiao b, Junsheng Li c, Peter Pechacek c,⁎ a b c
Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research of Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671000, PR China Institute of Environmental Ecology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES), No. 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District,100012 Beijing, PR China
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 21 June 2012 Accepted 25 September 2012 Keywords: Biodiversity Conservation message Education center Improvement Personal satisfaction Visitors
a b s t r a c t Nature reserves introduce biodiversity to visitors for their enjoyment by pursuing the goal of raising awareness for conservation. It is often hoped that satisfied visitors are likely to adopt the conservation message. This study is about tourists visiting Cangshan Mountains Nature Reserve (CMNR), China and their satisfaction. From a sample of 50 such visitors, 74% expressed satisfied, but an improvement of the tourist provisions would generate the willingness to pay a 3–10 times higher entrance fee. For example, 94% of tourists would appreciate an education center featuring ecological protection and local ethnic culture. We concluded that establishment of an education center on-site in addition to distribution of flyers and signposts would improve satisfaction with the visit, and thus better promote a conservation message. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction Nature reserves are established to protect the biodiversity of regions that are of significant value for human society (Daily, 1997; Daily & Matson, 2008; Kremen, 2005). By offering visitors an opportunity to experience nature it is hoped that tourists will then (1) come to appreciate the functions that biodiversity provides (Kimmel, 1999; Orlovic-Lovren, 2011) and (2) transfer this message beyond the border of the nature reserves. The ultimate goal is to raise awareness that biodiversity needs to be protected because of its intrinsic and monetary values to the mankind (Spangenberg & Settele, 2010). Nature reserves can deliver the conservation message by promoting ecotourism (Luo & Deng, 2008). Ecotourism provides a perfect demonstration of direct monetary values provided by biodiversity (Hein, 2011; Lindsey, Alexander, du Toit, & Mills, 2005; Ormsby & Mannle, 2006; Tobias & Mendelsohn, 1991). However, ecotourism managers need to undertake efforts to obtain information about tourist's expectations, and thus create favorable conditions for sending the conservation message. It has been suggested that the satisfaction of visitors is a direct precursor of their willingness to adopt conservation awareness (Theodori, Luloff, & Willits, 1998; Zaradic, Pergams, & Kareiva, 2009). The aim of our study was to obtain information on personal satisfaction of tourists with their visit in Cangshan Mountains Nature Reserve (CMNR). Our objectives were to survey (1) basic demographic
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +86 10 8491 0906. E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] (P. Pechacek). 2211-9736/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2012.09.003
data, (2) information on tourist's knowledge about the site prior visiting, and (3) assessment of personal satisfaction including evaluation of condition of the visit and of possible improvements.
2. Methods 2.1. Study area We carried out the study in Cangshan Mountain and Er'hai Lake National Nature Reserve (CMNR) in Yunnan Province, China (Fig. 1). CMNR was established in 1994 to protect key national and provincial species, cultural relics, natural landscapes, geological relics, and mineral and water resources (Sun, 2008). We limited our study to the 577.1 km 2 of protected forest ecosystems of the reserve (Fig. 2).
2.2. Data collection We conducted personal interviews with visitors to CMNR at four locations popular with tourists. Tourists were selected based on their acceptance to participate in our research. We considered only those people for interviews that were travelling independently from each other. In case of groups, (15% of all cases) we therefore noted answers provided by a group representative (usually one or two group members). We explained prepared questions in the course of the interview which averaged between 4 and 6 min. We were confident of securing a serious response on the part of informants and being able to classify their answers into appropriate categorizations congruent with the research purposes.
2
C. Liu et al. / Tourism Management Perspectives 5 (2013) 1–4
Fig. 1. Spectacular scenery of Cangshan Mountain and Er’hai Lake National Nature Reserve (CMNR) in Yunnan Province, China.
3. Results 3.1. General conditions of the visit Our 50 interviewees equally represented males and females mostly (90%) coming from China (Table 1). The main reasons for making a visit to the site was an interest in the natural landscape (50%)followed the site's reputation (46%). However, in spite of its fame, only 32% of the
tourists knew that the area is protected as a national nature reserve because of its outstanding biodiversity and landscape features (Table 2). Tourists equally ride the cable car (34%), hiked (30%), and did a combination of both (36%) to reach the scenic spots located about 0.5 h walking distance (one way) up in the mountains. When we asked those who took a cable car to justify their decision, 8 claimed limited sightseeing time and the rest (9 tourists) wanted either a relaxed trip or did not know about the existence of the hiking trail.
Fig. 2. Our study was limited to the forest ecosystems of the reserve.
C. Liu et al. / Tourism Management Perspectives 5 (2013) 1–4 Table 1 Demographic characteristics of the visitors (n = 50) to Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR). Age
b25
25– 55 >55
%
28
60
Sex %
M
F
54
46
12
Education
High school and below
%
36
Undergraduate 60 Graduate and higher
4
Area of residence
Yunnan 42 province (excluding Dali) Other 38 provinces Abroad 10 Dali
Total 100
100
%
100
10 100
Total spending on travel/ year (Yuan)
%
b1000
26
1000– 3000 3001– 6000 >6000
34
Table 3 Suggestions of visitors (n = 50) that would improve quality of their visit to Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR). Multiple answers by each visitor allowed. Suggestion
16 100
Of the sample, 74% recorded degrees of personal satisfaction with the visit. Additionally, most visitors (82%) felt that the entrance fee of 30 Yuan was moderate, and they would have been willing to pay a fee 3–10 times higher than the current fee of 30 Yuan subject to the proviso that significant improvements were made for tourists. Dominant issues included poor infrastructure and accommodation facilities as well as outdated overall management abilities (altogether 74.3%) that were directly associated with poorly perceived quality of the trip (Table 3). The specific amount of the WTP a higher entrance fee was related to the individual annual spending on tourist activities (Table 4). Signposts and boards provided by CMNR were noticed and read by 70% of visitors. Forty visitors (80%) found such data generally interesting, however, 38 (95%) of them felt that the provided information did not meet their needs. It was also found that 94% of the tourists would have liked to have an opportunity to visit an enhanced education center featuring an exhibition on ecological protection and local ethnic culture, but only 17% of them would have been willing to pay a limited entrance fee (Table 5) for that facility, the majority feeling that it should be present as a matter of course. 4. Discussion Protected status of the area was unknown to 68% of the visitors to CMNR. Although 74% were personally satisfied with the visit, further improvement of the tourist provisions would generate the WTP a 3– 10 times higher entrance fee than currently charged. The vast majority of tourists (94%) would appreciate an education center for free. A feature peculiar to China was the low willingness of visitors to hike outdoors, and accept low standard traditional accommodation in privately rented local homes. Only 30% of the interviewees wanted to walk during the trip, and no tourist opted for home-stay in local villages. The prevailing reason for this attitude was little enjoyment of outdoor
Table 2 Knowledge of visitors about the status of Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR).
Well maintained tourism infrastructures (e.g. hiking trails, trash bins, toilettes, etc.) Provision of information introducing CMNR, ecology of the region, etc. Better accommodation facilities Increased amount of sites for picnic and resting Up-to-date overall management ability of the CMNR Total answers (n = 70)
55.7 25.7 11.4 5.7 1.4 100.0
exercise, and the wish to have a comfortable trip without abandonment of civilization amendments. Managers of CMNR would have to consider this attitude when further developing ecotourism capacities although it arguably somewhat contradicts traditional features of ecotourism known from other countries (e.g. explicit enjoyment of nature through travelling to undisturbed areas, hiking, outdoor adventure (Ballantine & Eagles, 1994; Ferreira, 1998; Martin, 2004)). Knowledge of visitors about the protective status of CMNR, and thus about the ultimate value of biodiversity in the region was decreasing with increasing distance from the reserve. We therefore felt that investment in advertisement is crucial. Advertisement could attract more people to come in addition to 418,000 tourists reported in 2011 (Lichun Yang, CMNR administration office, personal communication). It could also further enhance the reputation of the site (Litvin & Mouri, 2009) provided that advertised information later complies with the impression of visitors (Ziegler, Dearden, & Rollins, 2012). Satisfaction of visitors was found of major importance for successful transfer of conservation message (Beaumont, 2001; Peake, Innes, & Dyer, 2009; Powell & Ham, 2008). Although almost 75% of the visitors to CMNR were personally satisfied, we found that numerous improvements could be attempted by the CMNR. Some relatively easily to be accomplished measures included erection of small pavilions for tourists to rest, increasing the number of rest spots equipped with up-to-date kiosks selling meals and snacks, and more generous provision of trash bins along the trails. Visitors to CMNR seemed to be interested in reading signpost and various kinds of information as demonstrated by 70% who actually read them, however more than 75% felt that the provided information which mostly covered rules for visiting did not meet their needs. Hence, CMNR should put effort in distribution of signposts and flyers introducing nature reserve and its biodiversity. Over 90% of tourists would like to visit an education center which would provide information about nature and landscape. However, the WTP to enter such center was very limited (17%). This suggested that the management of CMNR should pursue establishment of an education center for free in addition to distribution of signposts and flyers.
Table 4 Willingness to pay (WTP) hypothetical entrance fee for Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR) with respect to visitor's individual annual spending on travel. WTP is based on the assumption that visitor's suggestions to improve quality of their visit to CMNR are fully implemented. Total spending on travel/year (Yuan)
Area of residence
Did you know that this Yes 6 No 15 is a national nature reserve? Total 21
Percent (of 70 responses)
24
3.2. Evaluation of the visit
Yunnan province excluding Dali
3
Other Abroad Dali Total provinces 1 18
5 0
4 1
16 34
19
5
5
50
Amount (Yuan)
b100 100–300 >300 Total
b1000
1000–3000
3000–6000
>6000
Total
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
4 8 1 13
30.8 61.5 7.7 100.0
0 10 7 17
0.0 58.8 41.2 100.0
1 4 7 12
8.3 33.3 58.3 100.0
0 0 8 8
100.0 100.0
5 22 23 50
4
C. Liu et al. / Tourism Management Perspectives 5 (2013) 1–4
Table 5 Tourist's willingness to pay (WTP) for visiting imaginary education center in Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR) featuring ecological protection and local ethnic culture. Entrance fee (Yuan)
Percent (of 47 positive responses)
0 10 20 >20 Total
83.0 10.6 6.4 0.0 100.0
5. Conclusion Lacking provision of information about nature and landscape of CMNR left vast space to improve the delivery of the conservation message. We felt that the awareness of visitors towards conservation and biodiversity could be well raised as documented by visitor's keen interest (80%). Areas for short-term improvement included advertisement, and distribution of flyers and signposts. In a mid-term, establishment of an education center on-site would greatly improve possibilities to transfer the conservation message.
Powell, R. B., & Ham, S. H. (2008). Can ecotourism interpretation really lead to proconservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour? Evidence from the Galapagos Islands. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 16, 467–489. Spangenberg, J. H., & Settele, J. (2010). Precisely incorrect? Monetising the value of ecosystem services. Ecological Complexity, 7, 327–337. Mt. Cangshan Chronicle. Sun, M. (Ed.). (2008). China: The National Publishing House of Yunnan [609 pp. (in Chinese)]. Theodori, G. L., Luloff, A. E., & Willits, F. K. (1998). The association of outdoor recreation and environmental concern: Reexamining the Dunlap-Heffernan Thesis. Rural Sociology, 63, 94–108. Tobias, D., & Mendelsohn, R. (1991). Valuing ecotourism in a tropical rain-forest reserve. Ambio, 20, 91–93. Zaradic, P. A., Pergams, O. R. W., & Kareiva, P. (2009). The impact of nature experience on willingness to support conservation. PLoS One, 4, e7367. Ziegler, J., Dearden, P., & Rollins, R. (2012). But are tourists satisfied? Importanceperformance analysis of the whale shark tourism industry on Isla Holbox, Mexico. Tourism Management, 33, 692–701.
Chunyu Liu, MSc, is a MSc student at the University of Freiburg, Germany and is interested in various areas of biodiversity conservation. Contact address: Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]
Acknowledgments We thank Mr. Lichun Yang (Cangshan Mountain Protection and Management Administration) for local support. Funding for the project (No. 2010KYYW13) was kindly provided by the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES). The study was also supported by a Public Welfare Scientific Research Project, Ministry of Environmental Protection, China (Grant No. 201209028). The Mueller-FahnenbergFoundation of the University Freiburg, Germany supported CL. Support for PP was provided by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH — Centrum fuer internationale Migration und Entwicklung (GIZ-CIM), Germany.
Wen Xiao, PhD, is Director of the Institute for EasternHimalaya Biodiversity Research at Dali University. His areas of focus include wildlife conservation and sustainable development in rural China, especially in northwest Yunnan. Contact address: Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research of Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671000, PR China, E-mail: [email protected]
References Ballantine, J. L., & Eagles, P. F. J. (1994). Defining Canadian ecotourists. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 2, 210–214. Beaumont, N. (2001). Ecotourism and the conservation ethic: recruiting the uninitiated or preaching to the converted? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9, 317–341. Daily, G. C. (1997). Nature's services: Societal dependence on natural ecosystems. Washington: Island Press. Daily, G. C., & Matson, P. A. (2008). Ecosystem services: From theory to implementation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 105, 9455–9456. Ferreira, G. (1998). Environmental education through hiking: A qualitative investigation. Environmental Education Research, 4, 177–185. Hein, L. (2011). Economic benefits generated by protected areas: The case of the Hoge Veluwe forest, the Netherlands. Ecology and Society, 16, 13 [[online] URL: http:// www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol16/iss2/art13/] Kimmel, J. R. (1999). Ecotourism as environmental learning. The Journal of Environmental Education, 30, 40–44. Kremen, C. (2005). Managing ecosystem services: What do we need to know about their ecology? Ecology Letters, 8, 468–479. Lindsey, P. A., Alexander, R. R., du Toit, J. T., & Mills, M. G. L. (2005). The potential contribution of ecotourism to African wild dog Lycaon pictus conservation in South Africa. Biological Conservation, 123, 339–348. Litvin, S. W., & Mouri, N. (2009). A Comparative Study of the Use of “Iconic” versus “Generic” Advertising Images for Destination Marketing. Journal of Travel Research, 48, 152–161. Luo, Y., & Deng, J. (2008). The new environmental paradigm and nature-based tourism motivation. Journal of Travel Research, 46, 392–402. Martin, P. (2004). Outdoor adventure in promoting relationship with nature. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 8, 20–28. Orlovic-Lovren, V. (2011). The role of education in protected area sustainable governance. Management of Environmental Quality, 22, 48–58. Ormsby, A., & Mannle, K. (2006). Ecotourism benefits and the role of local guides at Masoala National Park, Madagascar. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 14, 271–287. Peake, S., Innes, P., & Dyer, P. (2009). Ecotourism and conservation: factors influencing effective conservation messages. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 17, 107–127.
Junsheng Li, PhD, is professor at the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Institute of Environmental Ecology in Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES). His research interest includes biodiversity conservation and nature reserves management. Junsheng is also interested in ecological effects of climate change. Contact address: No. 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District, 100012 Beijing, PR of China, E-mail: [email protected]
Peter Pechacek, Dr.rer.silv., is currently working as senior advisor for international research at the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Institute of Environmental Ecology in Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES). He is conservation biologist and associate professor at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Peter is involved in a variety of activities related to application of scientific knowledge into management of species, and developing policies on wildlife and land management. Contact address: No. 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District, 100012 Beijing, PR of China, E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Tourism Management Perspectives journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tmp
Attitude of tourists visiting nature reserves in China Chunyu Liu a, Wen Xiao b, Junsheng Li c, Peter Pechacek c,⁎ a b c
Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research of Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671000, PR China Institute of Environmental Ecology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES), No. 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District,100012 Beijing, PR China
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 21 June 2012 Accepted 25 September 2012 Keywords: Biodiversity Conservation message Education center Improvement Personal satisfaction Visitors
a b s t r a c t Nature reserves introduce biodiversity to visitors for their enjoyment by pursuing the goal of raising awareness for conservation. It is often hoped that satisfied visitors are likely to adopt the conservation message. This study is about tourists visiting Cangshan Mountains Nature Reserve (CMNR), China and their satisfaction. From a sample of 50 such visitors, 74% expressed satisfied, but an improvement of the tourist provisions would generate the willingness to pay a 3–10 times higher entrance fee. For example, 94% of tourists would appreciate an education center featuring ecological protection and local ethnic culture. We concluded that establishment of an education center on-site in addition to distribution of flyers and signposts would improve satisfaction with the visit, and thus better promote a conservation message. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction Nature reserves are established to protect the biodiversity of regions that are of significant value for human society (Daily, 1997; Daily & Matson, 2008; Kremen, 2005). By offering visitors an opportunity to experience nature it is hoped that tourists will then (1) come to appreciate the functions that biodiversity provides (Kimmel, 1999; Orlovic-Lovren, 2011) and (2) transfer this message beyond the border of the nature reserves. The ultimate goal is to raise awareness that biodiversity needs to be protected because of its intrinsic and monetary values to the mankind (Spangenberg & Settele, 2010). Nature reserves can deliver the conservation message by promoting ecotourism (Luo & Deng, 2008). Ecotourism provides a perfect demonstration of direct monetary values provided by biodiversity (Hein, 2011; Lindsey, Alexander, du Toit, & Mills, 2005; Ormsby & Mannle, 2006; Tobias & Mendelsohn, 1991). However, ecotourism managers need to undertake efforts to obtain information about tourist's expectations, and thus create favorable conditions for sending the conservation message. It has been suggested that the satisfaction of visitors is a direct precursor of their willingness to adopt conservation awareness (Theodori, Luloff, & Willits, 1998; Zaradic, Pergams, & Kareiva, 2009). The aim of our study was to obtain information on personal satisfaction of tourists with their visit in Cangshan Mountains Nature Reserve (CMNR). Our objectives were to survey (1) basic demographic
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +86 10 8491 0906. E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] (P. Pechacek). 2211-9736/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2012.09.003
data, (2) information on tourist's knowledge about the site prior visiting, and (3) assessment of personal satisfaction including evaluation of condition of the visit and of possible improvements.
2. Methods 2.1. Study area We carried out the study in Cangshan Mountain and Er'hai Lake National Nature Reserve (CMNR) in Yunnan Province, China (Fig. 1). CMNR was established in 1994 to protect key national and provincial species, cultural relics, natural landscapes, geological relics, and mineral and water resources (Sun, 2008). We limited our study to the 577.1 km 2 of protected forest ecosystems of the reserve (Fig. 2).
2.2. Data collection We conducted personal interviews with visitors to CMNR at four locations popular with tourists. Tourists were selected based on their acceptance to participate in our research. We considered only those people for interviews that were travelling independently from each other. In case of groups, (15% of all cases) we therefore noted answers provided by a group representative (usually one or two group members). We explained prepared questions in the course of the interview which averaged between 4 and 6 min. We were confident of securing a serious response on the part of informants and being able to classify their answers into appropriate categorizations congruent with the research purposes.
2
C. Liu et al. / Tourism Management Perspectives 5 (2013) 1–4
Fig. 1. Spectacular scenery of Cangshan Mountain and Er’hai Lake National Nature Reserve (CMNR) in Yunnan Province, China.
3. Results 3.1. General conditions of the visit Our 50 interviewees equally represented males and females mostly (90%) coming from China (Table 1). The main reasons for making a visit to the site was an interest in the natural landscape (50%)followed the site's reputation (46%). However, in spite of its fame, only 32% of the
tourists knew that the area is protected as a national nature reserve because of its outstanding biodiversity and landscape features (Table 2). Tourists equally ride the cable car (34%), hiked (30%), and did a combination of both (36%) to reach the scenic spots located about 0.5 h walking distance (one way) up in the mountains. When we asked those who took a cable car to justify their decision, 8 claimed limited sightseeing time and the rest (9 tourists) wanted either a relaxed trip or did not know about the existence of the hiking trail.
Fig. 2. Our study was limited to the forest ecosystems of the reserve.
C. Liu et al. / Tourism Management Perspectives 5 (2013) 1–4 Table 1 Demographic characteristics of the visitors (n = 50) to Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR). Age
b25
25– 55 >55
%
28
60
Sex %
M
F
54
46
12
Education
High school and below
%
36
Undergraduate 60 Graduate and higher
4
Area of residence
Yunnan 42 province (excluding Dali) Other 38 provinces Abroad 10 Dali
Total 100
100
%
100
10 100
Total spending on travel/ year (Yuan)
%
b1000
26
1000– 3000 3001– 6000 >6000
34
Table 3 Suggestions of visitors (n = 50) that would improve quality of their visit to Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR). Multiple answers by each visitor allowed. Suggestion
16 100
Of the sample, 74% recorded degrees of personal satisfaction with the visit. Additionally, most visitors (82%) felt that the entrance fee of 30 Yuan was moderate, and they would have been willing to pay a fee 3–10 times higher than the current fee of 30 Yuan subject to the proviso that significant improvements were made for tourists. Dominant issues included poor infrastructure and accommodation facilities as well as outdated overall management abilities (altogether 74.3%) that were directly associated with poorly perceived quality of the trip (Table 3). The specific amount of the WTP a higher entrance fee was related to the individual annual spending on tourist activities (Table 4). Signposts and boards provided by CMNR were noticed and read by 70% of visitors. Forty visitors (80%) found such data generally interesting, however, 38 (95%) of them felt that the provided information did not meet their needs. It was also found that 94% of the tourists would have liked to have an opportunity to visit an enhanced education center featuring an exhibition on ecological protection and local ethnic culture, but only 17% of them would have been willing to pay a limited entrance fee (Table 5) for that facility, the majority feeling that it should be present as a matter of course. 4. Discussion Protected status of the area was unknown to 68% of the visitors to CMNR. Although 74% were personally satisfied with the visit, further improvement of the tourist provisions would generate the WTP a 3– 10 times higher entrance fee than currently charged. The vast majority of tourists (94%) would appreciate an education center for free. A feature peculiar to China was the low willingness of visitors to hike outdoors, and accept low standard traditional accommodation in privately rented local homes. Only 30% of the interviewees wanted to walk during the trip, and no tourist opted for home-stay in local villages. The prevailing reason for this attitude was little enjoyment of outdoor
Table 2 Knowledge of visitors about the status of Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR).
Well maintained tourism infrastructures (e.g. hiking trails, trash bins, toilettes, etc.) Provision of information introducing CMNR, ecology of the region, etc. Better accommodation facilities Increased amount of sites for picnic and resting Up-to-date overall management ability of the CMNR Total answers (n = 70)
55.7 25.7 11.4 5.7 1.4 100.0
exercise, and the wish to have a comfortable trip without abandonment of civilization amendments. Managers of CMNR would have to consider this attitude when further developing ecotourism capacities although it arguably somewhat contradicts traditional features of ecotourism known from other countries (e.g. explicit enjoyment of nature through travelling to undisturbed areas, hiking, outdoor adventure (Ballantine & Eagles, 1994; Ferreira, 1998; Martin, 2004)). Knowledge of visitors about the protective status of CMNR, and thus about the ultimate value of biodiversity in the region was decreasing with increasing distance from the reserve. We therefore felt that investment in advertisement is crucial. Advertisement could attract more people to come in addition to 418,000 tourists reported in 2011 (Lichun Yang, CMNR administration office, personal communication). It could also further enhance the reputation of the site (Litvin & Mouri, 2009) provided that advertised information later complies with the impression of visitors (Ziegler, Dearden, & Rollins, 2012). Satisfaction of visitors was found of major importance for successful transfer of conservation message (Beaumont, 2001; Peake, Innes, & Dyer, 2009; Powell & Ham, 2008). Although almost 75% of the visitors to CMNR were personally satisfied, we found that numerous improvements could be attempted by the CMNR. Some relatively easily to be accomplished measures included erection of small pavilions for tourists to rest, increasing the number of rest spots equipped with up-to-date kiosks selling meals and snacks, and more generous provision of trash bins along the trails. Visitors to CMNR seemed to be interested in reading signpost and various kinds of information as demonstrated by 70% who actually read them, however more than 75% felt that the provided information which mostly covered rules for visiting did not meet their needs. Hence, CMNR should put effort in distribution of signposts and flyers introducing nature reserve and its biodiversity. Over 90% of tourists would like to visit an education center which would provide information about nature and landscape. However, the WTP to enter such center was very limited (17%). This suggested that the management of CMNR should pursue establishment of an education center for free in addition to distribution of signposts and flyers.
Table 4 Willingness to pay (WTP) hypothetical entrance fee for Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR) with respect to visitor's individual annual spending on travel. WTP is based on the assumption that visitor's suggestions to improve quality of their visit to CMNR are fully implemented. Total spending on travel/year (Yuan)
Area of residence
Did you know that this Yes 6 No 15 is a national nature reserve? Total 21
Percent (of 70 responses)
24
3.2. Evaluation of the visit
Yunnan province excluding Dali
3
Other Abroad Dali Total provinces 1 18
5 0
4 1
16 34
19
5
5
50
Amount (Yuan)
b100 100–300 >300 Total
b1000
1000–3000
3000–6000
>6000
Total
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
4 8 1 13
30.8 61.5 7.7 100.0
0 10 7 17
0.0 58.8 41.2 100.0
1 4 7 12
8.3 33.3 58.3 100.0
0 0 8 8
100.0 100.0
5 22 23 50
4
C. Liu et al. / Tourism Management Perspectives 5 (2013) 1–4
Table 5 Tourist's willingness to pay (WTP) for visiting imaginary education center in Cangshan Mountain Nature Reserve (CMNR) featuring ecological protection and local ethnic culture. Entrance fee (Yuan)
Percent (of 47 positive responses)
0 10 20 >20 Total
83.0 10.6 6.4 0.0 100.0
5. Conclusion Lacking provision of information about nature and landscape of CMNR left vast space to improve the delivery of the conservation message. We felt that the awareness of visitors towards conservation and biodiversity could be well raised as documented by visitor's keen interest (80%). Areas for short-term improvement included advertisement, and distribution of flyers and signposts. In a mid-term, establishment of an education center on-site would greatly improve possibilities to transfer the conservation message.
Powell, R. B., & Ham, S. H. (2008). Can ecotourism interpretation really lead to proconservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour? Evidence from the Galapagos Islands. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 16, 467–489. Spangenberg, J. H., & Settele, J. (2010). Precisely incorrect? Monetising the value of ecosystem services. Ecological Complexity, 7, 327–337. Mt. Cangshan Chronicle. Sun, M. (Ed.). (2008). China: The National Publishing House of Yunnan [609 pp. (in Chinese)]. Theodori, G. L., Luloff, A. E., & Willits, F. K. (1998). The association of outdoor recreation and environmental concern: Reexamining the Dunlap-Heffernan Thesis. Rural Sociology, 63, 94–108. Tobias, D., & Mendelsohn, R. (1991). Valuing ecotourism in a tropical rain-forest reserve. Ambio, 20, 91–93. Zaradic, P. A., Pergams, O. R. W., & Kareiva, P. (2009). The impact of nature experience on willingness to support conservation. PLoS One, 4, e7367. Ziegler, J., Dearden, P., & Rollins, R. (2012). But are tourists satisfied? Importanceperformance analysis of the whale shark tourism industry on Isla Holbox, Mexico. Tourism Management, 33, 692–701.
Chunyu Liu, MSc, is a MSc student at the University of Freiburg, Germany and is interested in various areas of biodiversity conservation. Contact address: Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]
Acknowledgments We thank Mr. Lichun Yang (Cangshan Mountain Protection and Management Administration) for local support. Funding for the project (No. 2010KYYW13) was kindly provided by the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES). The study was also supported by a Public Welfare Scientific Research Project, Ministry of Environmental Protection, China (Grant No. 201209028). The Mueller-FahnenbergFoundation of the University Freiburg, Germany supported CL. Support for PP was provided by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH — Centrum fuer internationale Migration und Entwicklung (GIZ-CIM), Germany.
Wen Xiao, PhD, is Director of the Institute for EasternHimalaya Biodiversity Research at Dali University. His areas of focus include wildlife conservation and sustainable development in rural China, especially in northwest Yunnan. Contact address: Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research of Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671000, PR China, E-mail: [email protected]
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Junsheng Li, PhD, is professor at the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Institute of Environmental Ecology in Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES). His research interest includes biodiversity conservation and nature reserves management. Junsheng is also interested in ecological effects of climate change. Contact address: No. 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District, 100012 Beijing, PR of China, E-mail: [email protected]
Peter Pechacek, Dr.rer.silv., is currently working as senior advisor for international research at the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Institute of Environmental Ecology in Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES). He is conservation biologist and associate professor at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Peter is involved in a variety of activities related to application of scientific knowledge into management of species, and developing policies on wildlife and land management. Contact address: No. 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District, 100012 Beijing, PR of China, E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]