Camel Genetic Resources Conservation through Tourism: A Key Sociocultural Approach of Camelback Leisure Riding.

Carlos Iglesias Pastrana,Sergio Nogales Baena,Elena Ciani,Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo,Francisco Javier Navas González

doi:10.3390/ani10091703

Abstract

Simple SummaryConsumers’ environmental awareness have appeared on the scene and are bringing nature-based tourism demands to the rise. Related practices have led to camels being used as an income generator for tour companies and locals in exotic appealing destinations. The long-term viability of the respective breeds markedly depends on the fact that the principal income sources for camel breeders in some regions are tourist activities. The present research was intended to outline what are the social and cultural factors that can act as tourism attractions and satisfaction conditioning elements within this particular tourism enterprise. Staff performance, sociospatial motivating factors, diverse and humane close interaction, camel behavior and performance, sociotemporal context, and positive previous experience, are the principal dimensions affecting experiential consumption in camelback riding tours. The understanding of such experiential consumption enables tour operators to customize its camel saddlery offers based on the diverse patterns influencing the buying behavior and general satisfaction of the customers. In its broadest sense, responsible and sustainable camel-based tourism will create positive impacts for destination economies and provide long-term conservation opportunities both at a natural and cultural level.Camels are exotic elements, which can be comprised within adventure travel companies promoting ecotourism activities. Such recreations contribute to sustainable livelihoods for local communities and educational empowerment towards nature and its conservation. At present, some local camel breeds’ survival reduces to this animal-based leisure industry and its reliability to perform and promote customized services accurately. By conducting an on-site questionnaire to customers participating in camelback riding tours, we assessed the motivational factors affecting participation, satisfaction, and loyalty in this tourism segment that may have made it socially differentiated. The sixfold combination of staff performance, culture geography, diverse and humane close interaction, camel behavior and performance, sociotemporal context, and positive previous experience involves the elemental dimensions that explain customer satisfaction and return intention probability within this entertainment business. Customer knowledge is essential for stakeholders to build personalized riding experiences and align profits with environmental sustainability and biodiversity mainstream concerns into their everyday operations. In turn, domestic camel tourist rides could be managed as a viable path to nature conservation by helping endangered local breeds to avoid their functional devaluation and potential extinction.

Highlights

Animal-based tourism is an emerging business around the world, which lets holidaymakers closely view or interact with animals
Tourists parties from foreign countries and national regions where camels are not traditionally reared nor its functional niches are well known (Figure 2 and Table 1), tempted to visit faraway destinations for different reasons [88], are involved in such activities in these places where camels are reared and act as a potential tourism attraction (PC2, Table 3). This finding addresses the fact that camelback riding may not be a major vacation preference to consumers when planning their holidays and tour agencies may not include this entertaining recreation in their tour guides and proposals; as supported by Figure 2, with only one tour group being sampled
Despite this study offers an all-round and overall view of camelback riding as emerging tourist experiences with a large potential to contribute to sustainable socioeconomic development and natural resources conservation, we discuss possibilities for future research within this academic field

Summary

Introduction

Animal-based tourism is an emerging business around the world, which lets holidaymakers closely view or interact with animals. The interaction between animals and tourists may be the basis on which to support conservation and/or an educational purpose [1,2]. The animal species involved, the type of encounter, its surrounding, and animal welfare subjective perception play a pivotal role in the experience making potential or authenticity for visitors [3]. Certain species and naturalness leisure activities are commonly found to be iconic and/or unique for some destinations and often linked to the livelihoods of local communities [4]. In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Sustainable Agri-production and Environment (HAICTA 2011), Skiathos, Greece, 8–11 September 2011; pp.

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