Perceptions Of Ecotourism Research Articles

Multiple Drivers Influencing Residents’ Perception of Ecotourism in a Biodiversity Rich Forest Protected Area of Bangladesh

Local people have both positive and negative attitudes towards ecotourism. It is because they are the beneficiaries of ecotourism, though they are sometimes the victims of its activities. Expression of the residents’ perception depends on multiple drivers. This study assesses the drivers influencing local peoples’ perception of the impacts of ecotourism in Satchari National Park (SNP) - a biodiversity rich forest protected area and famous ecotourism spot in Bangladesh. Interview surveys on local people of purposely selected four villages in and around SNP supplemented by the questionnaire were conducted from September to October 2022. This study reveals that socio-cultural aspects secured higher ranks by processing higher mean values, which follow economic and environmental elements. It was also found that local people’s attitudes towards ecotourism vary with the variation in education, occupation, and income. Policymakers and forest department officials should take the necessary actions to solve the negative impacts of ecotourism. The negative impacts of ecotourism were ‘increased noise pollution and waste’ and ‘overcrowding’.

Analyzing the Local Communities and Tourist Perception of Ecotourism in the Munsyari Area of Uttarakhand, India

Analyzing the Local Communities and Tourist Perception of Ecotourism in the Munsyari Area of Uttarakhand, India

Public Perceptions of Ecotourism in Bagek Kembar Mangrove Essential Ecosystem Area, Sekotong, West Lombok

Bagek Kembar mangrove ecotourism is a new tourist destination. Therefore, further management is needed by involving the public and related parties. In this regard, a study aimed to analyze public perceptions of ecotourism in the mangrove in Bagek Kembar. Public perception data was collected through a questionnaire combined with interviews. Respondents were determined by purposive technique and grouped into the general public, ecotourism managers, and tourists. Research data were analyzed descriptively and inferential statistics. Interpretation of the average value of respondents' perceptions of the Bagek Kembar mangrove ecotourism is grouped into four categories: low, moderately low, moderately high, and high. The results showed that the public perception of the Bagek Kembar mangrove ecotourism is moderately high (average score of 0.60). Meanwhile, the increase in facilities and infrastructure, as well as access to ecotourism, was perceived by respondents as moderately low, with an average score of 0.49 (facilities and infrastructure) and 0.48 (road access to ecotourism). All respondents (100%) stated that the Bagek Kembar mangrove ecotourism must be further managed and developed. Although most respondents (75%) stated that the Bagek Kembar mangrove ecotourism had been well managed

Environmental Awareness, Ecotourism Awareness and Ecotourism Perception of Tourist Guides

The tourism sector operates intensively in the ecological environment with tourist guides, who are accepted as the guiding recreation leader within the scope of outdoor activities. From this point of view, it is aimed to determine the ecotourism perception and environmental awareness of tourist guides by determining the criteria affecting the perception of ecotourism. Within the scope of the research, 336 answers were obtained by asking questions to the professional tourist guides who are actively operating throughout Turkey. In the light of the research data, mostly positive relations were determined by the correlation analyses for the environmental awareness dimensions. In the regression analyses conducted to explain the relationship between the perception of ecotourism and the awareness of ecotourism, it was concluded that the effects of the awareness and ecotourism knowledge dimensions on the economic contribution of ecotourism were significant. This research, aims to contribute to the relevant scientific field via the evaluation of environmental awareness and ecotourism awareness in a sustainable context. In the context of environmental sustainability, the research tries to eliminate the lack of knowledge in the relevant literature by revealing the ecotourism awareness and approaches of tourist guides. In addition, it is recommended to conduct more research on the subject by drawing attention to the relationship between the ecological environment and tourism sustainability.

Perceptions towards ecotourism practice and the willingness to pay: Evidence from Chilika coastal wetland ecosystem, Odisha

Empirical studies show that biodiversity conservation, ecotourism development, livelihoods of local people and ethnicity in protected areas significantly impact society's well-being. However, achieving the aforementioned goals is extremely difficult without strong support, commitment from host communities, and effective coordination among ecotourism stakeholders. This study sought to explore the perceptions of various stakeholders regarding the impacts and importance of ecotourism and their willingness to pay for ecotourism development and biodiversity conservation at Chilika Lake, Odisha. We conducted semi-structured interview of 250 respondents in different areas adjacent to Chilika Lake such as Balugaon, Barakul, Pathara and Khalikot. To grasp the above objectives, we used the contingent valuation method (CVM) and the Double Hurdle Model to identify the determinants of willingness to accept (WTA) and willingness to pay (WTP). Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyse the perception of ecotourism impacts. The study found that local people in the study region perceived both positive and negative impacts of ecotourism. There was sufficient evidence of conflicts of interest in resource use, limited community involvement in ecotourism planning and decision-making, and low economic benefits. However, the study also found that instead of a range of negative impacts, a variety of stakeholders expressed a willingness to develop ecotourism with the prospect of improving their various needs. The results of the empirical double hurdle model showed that the variables of education, total income, importance of the lake, level of awareness, and occupation significantly impacted the willingness to accept the offered payment. On the other hand, age, marital status, education, total income, importance of the lake, and level of awareness have a significant influence on the willingness of different stakeholders to pay the offered amount. A detailed understanding of ecotourism, consideration of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, and the development of ecotourism products and services enables various stakeholders to adjust their behaviour towards sustainability, and can contribute to an effective information and planning process which may lead to greater promotion of ecotourism.

Community preferences for participating in ecotourism: A case study in a coastal lagoon in Colombia

Ecotourism is grounded in the concept of socio-environmental sustainability. However, the literature needs more clarification on the determinants of ex ante determinants for community participation in ecotourism in coastal lagoon ecosystems. This paper aims to analyze community-based ecosystem management through participation in ecotourism. After a case study design, a survey-like method was used to identify the social willingness to engage in ecotourism and the benefits that the participants preferred as a result of participating. The results show that most respondents believe that ecotourism would promote environmental conservation in the area and also considered their participation essential to ensure the success of ecotourism. Therefore, this research emphasizes the importance of identifying local perceptions of ecotourism before its implementation, evaluates the willingness of locals to participate in this strategy to highlight community agency, and investigates how participation could be achieved. These results are useful for future research and studies on the willingness to take part in ecotourism studies and the understanding of the relationship between society and ecosystems.

Development of Mangrove Ecotourism Based on the Tourist Perspective in Lembung Village, Indonesia

Ecotourism development can be carried out using the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) method. The community perception of ecotourism is very important in its development with the hope that involvement in the management will increase business opportunities and income. Furthermore, the community can preserve local arts and culture, as well as reduce the destruction of mangrove forest areas. The perception of tourism objects is very important in developing the Lembung Mangrove Ecotourism, especially the improvement of infrastructures such as suspension bridges and cleaning facilities. The recommendations for development strategies include (1) completing the supporting infrastructure for natural tourism activities, such as roads, bridges, cleaning facilities, and others. (2) carrying out intensive promotions (3) making special policies in the development of ecotourism, (4) synergizing with traditional arts and culture, as well as (5) empowering local communities in its activities. The Lembung Mangrove Ecotourism has a good natural potential as a tourist destination, and the availability of a fairly dense mangrove forest is the main factor for visit to this place. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the level of tourists' satisfaction using the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) method, and to determine the Lembung Mangrove Ecotourism Development Strategy.

Mangrove conservation efforts with the ecotourism development in the Cengkrong Mangrove Ecotourism, Trenggalek District, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Kurniawati B, Sulistyaningrum N, Nugroho GD, Sunarto, Kusumaningrum L, Rahawarin YY, Flores AB, Yap CK, Setyawan AD. 2022. Mangrove conservation efforts with the ecotourism development in the Cengkrong Mangrove Ecotourism, Trenggalek District, East Java, Indonesia. Intl J Bonorowo Wetlands 12: 75-81. For mangrove conservation efforts, it is necessary to develop ecotourism so that people can also take advantage of the existence of mangrove forests. Analysis of the role mangrove ecosystem is carried out to develop a mangrove conservation strategy and the concept of sustainable development. This research examined conservation and ecotourism efforts by the community around the Cengkrong Mangrove Ecotourism and social perceptions of ecotourism based on mangrove development. The research was conducted in June 2022 at Mangrove Cengkrong Ecotourism, Karanggandu Village, Watulimo Sub-district, Trenggalek District, East Java, Indonesia, by conducting interviews with 50 respondents. Data was collected through field observations and interviews with ecotourism administrators and residents around the location. The results of this study indicate that the conservation efforts carried out are protecting, conserving, and utilizing mangroves by seeding, planting, managing, and monitoring mangroves. The POKMASWAS or the Community Monitoring Group manages the Cengkrong Mangrove Ecotourism area. However, the utilization of mangrove forest resources that have economic value by the community around the Cengkrong Mangrove Ecotourism area is still low because it is only limited to the cultivation of crabs, shells, making mangrove syrup, cakes and chips. In addition, the place is quite crowded with tourists. Indeed, area development still lacks preservation, utilization, and conservation for the management, surrounding communities, and tourists. Limited facilities and infrastructure are a challenge for the sustainable development of mangrove ecotourism. In addition, increasing community involvement and collaboration with institutions and the government in mangrove management must also be improved so that all the surrounding communities can also benefit. With the increasing economic benefits of mangrove ecotourism management, the community around the mangrove forest will participate in maintaining and preserving the mangrove forest ecosystem.

Perception of local people and visitors towards ecotourism development in Jagadishpur reservoir

Ecotourism promotes stewardship of natural and cultural resources. However, local people and tourists' opinions are necessary to promote ecotourism development. This study attempts to identify prospective ecotourism products and assess local and visitor perceptions towards ecotourism development in the Jagadishpur reservoir. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 50 local households, 65 visitors, and 7 key informants. We used Friedman's rank test to determine the preferences for ecotourism products, and Fisher's exact test to quantify locals and visitors' perceptions of ecotourism. The findings showed that lakes/scenic beauty, and bird watching are the highest rated ecotourism products by locals and visitors, respectively. Local people and visitors perceived picnic spots and view towers as additional ecotourism products for ecotourism development, respectively. The perceptions of locals and visitors showed no significant difference that the area is suitable for ecotourism, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood promotion of locals. However, a significant difference was found in the perception between locals and visitors of the culture and tradition. The study showed that local people and visitors both are positive for ecotourism development in terms of suitability, livelihood, and biodiversity conservation. Detailed understanding and prioritized ecotourism products can contribute to ecotourism promotion more effectively. Furthermore, more research on the feasibility of identified ecotourism products and the effectiveness of fund allocation for ecotourism products are urgently needed to develop wetland tourism in a sustainable way.

Conservation-based ecotourism development at Pasir Putih Prigi Beach, Trenggalek District, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Sulistyaningrum N, Kurniawati B, Nugroho GD, Sunarto, Kusumaningrum L, Sujarta P, Nisyawati, Thenya T, Setyawan AD. 2022. Conservation-based ecotourism development at Pasir Putih Prigi Beach, Trenggalek District, East Java, Indonesia. Indo Pac J Ocean Life 6: 29-35. One of the contributors to state revenue is the tourism sector. To advance the tourism sector, the government has begun to develop tourism based on sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is useful for helping nature conservation efforts. Moreover, creating sustainable tourism, it can be done by creating ecotourism. This research was conducted in June 2022 with 50 respondents around the research location. Respondents aged 20-70 years consisted of traders, homemakers, fishermen, and Pasir Putih Prigi Beach management staff. This study examines conservation and ecotourism efforts by the community around Pasir Putih Prigi Beach and social perceptions of ecotourism. Several aspects studied in the Pasir Putih Prigi Beach conservation efforts include protection, preservation, utilization, and public perceptions of Pasir Putih Prigi Beach ecotourism. The study results show that protection employs local wisdom called Larung Sembonyo, a form of gratitude for the fishing community for the marine products that have been obtained. This ceremony is also a request for the safety of the fishing community when looking for fish in the sea. Preservation by regularly cleaning the beach while utilizing the beach as a recreation and trade center improves the community's economy. Recreation offered at the beach is swimming, boat rides, snorkeling, and deep diving. More than 90% of the coastal communities of Pasir Putih Prigi Beach do not understand the concept of ecotourism. People think that ecotourism is the same as tourism in general. Ecotourism conservation and development efforts are carried out by the Tourism and Culture Office of Trenggalek District through the TIU of Tourism Destinations with the community groups. Cooperation between the government and the community will increase coastal conservation and the economic benefits the community receives.

PERSEPSI WISATAWAN DOMESTIK MENGENAI EKOWISATA DI WANA WISATA KAWAH PUTIH

Wana Wisata Kawah Putih is a natural tourist destination in West Java with the potential of ecotourism being developed and becoming the most demostic tourist attraction. As an ecotourism concept destination, Wana Wisata Kawah Putih should focus on enviromental, development and community welfare. The tour manager needsnto know more about the perception of visiting tourists as assessments in order to be in line with what managers want and what tourists expect. Thus the goal of research is to identify natural attaractions and analyze the domestic tourist perceptions of ecotourism in the Wana Wisata Kawah Putih. The design of the research is to use qualitative methods of data collection that researchers are using to observe, an interview of the administrators of KBM ecotourism who have been to the Wana Wisata Kawah Putih haven with a snowball sampling and a library study. After analyzing data collection through that data using data reduction, collate data and verifying data. Based on the results this study, it could be concluded taht natural tourist atrrations in the Wana Wisata Kawah Putih have already made a number of efforts to maintain environmental ecosystems but haven’t been optimal in the field and i haven’t had access to the tour guide, the interpretation board and the restoration of the tourist area. While the domestic tourist perception of ecotourism in the Wana Wisata Kawah Putih that tourists can feel natural beauty and take a picture but the domestic tourists have less active participation with environment.

An investigation on ecotourism potential and possibility of community integration in its development in Orchha, Central India

Objective: The present investigation was undertaken with an aim to study the floral and faunal diversity of the Orchha Wildlife Sanctuary (OWS) and to study whether ecotourism can be utilized for community development in the study area. Methods: Floristic and faunal diversity was studied through surveys followed by sample collection and their identification and visual sighting. Community was studied for understanding their socio-economics, livelihoods and attitude and perception of ecotourism. Similarly, data were collected from the tourists (domestic and foreign) about tourists\' profile, demands, their attitude and perception about ecotourism activities and their level of satisfaction. Two hundred twenty rural households, hundred domestic visitors and fifty foreign tourists were surveyed in Orchha and OWS using convenience sampling technique. Primary data (both qualitative and quantitative) were collected mainly by using semi structured questionnaires and group discussions. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and frequency statistics while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis and framework analysis models. Findings: Forty two genera of angiosperms comprising 23 families were observed in the sanctuary. A total of 15 fish, 6 amphibians, 13 reptile, 98 bird, and 19 mammal species are reported. It was found that the birds were the most dominant vertebrates. Four species of turtle and rare species of vulture including king vulture were present in the OWS. OWS has got lot of potential for community based ecotourism development. Integration of community requires skill development and capacity building by training the youths of the village with tourism business skills. These youths can form village level institution to run the ecotourism business for capacity building of rural community, infrastructure development and benefit sharing. This institution would also participate in the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. Novelty: This is a first such extensive study of the floral and faunal diversity of OWS. Further, this is the first attempt to study the possible integration of ecotourism activities with community development activities of the area. Keywords: Orchha Sanctuary; ecotourism; community; Central India

The traces of ecotourism in a digital world: spatial and trend analysis of geotagged photographs on social media and Google search data for sustainable development

论电子世界中的生态旅游业的发展途径：空间趋势分析带有地理标记的图片和谷歌搜索数据摘要研究目的本论文旨在探索生态旅游业在电子世界中是如何随着时间而显示出来的，文章样本为带有地理标记的图片和互联网搜索数据。本文使用生态旅游图片和谷歌趋势搜索数据来评估游客对生态旅游的感知，通过对关键要素的分类，审视生态旅游和可持续发展的关系，以及衡量生态旅游基地的受欢迎程度等方法。研究设计/方法/途径本论文作者从Flickr.com上搜集地理标记图片以及从谷歌趋势上下载谷歌搜索数据。样本分析通过内容、趋势、空间上的综合分析，来开发生态旅游类别和游客对生态旅游的感知。首先，我们研究了社交媒体上的生态旅游地理标记图片以理解游客对生态旅游的感知情况，以此搭建了关键生态旅游要素的类别体系，和衡量生态旅游基地的受欢迎程度。第二，我们通过使用互联网搜索数据，检测了生态旅游如何与可持续发展相连接，以及研究了搜索数据中的趋势。第三，我们使用了GIS软件来操作空间分析，对图片的空间-时间改变和游客对世界的观点做了可视化处理。研究结果本论文确立了三项生态旅游感知的基本主题以及13项生态旅游要素类别。生态旅游互联网随着时间演化，根据谷歌趋势上的定义，被大致地展现出来。本论文研究结果表示生态旅游地理位置和游客足迹与生态旅游谷歌搜索的热门区域不全是完全吻合的。研究原创性/价值本论文使用地理标记图片和互联网搜索数据将生态旅游发展趋势近十年的变化描画出来。全球生态旅游趋势的评估对全球可持续旅游发展和实际游客感知方面做出重要见解启示。生态旅游趋势的分析作为一种战略方法，对UN可持续发展目标的时间起到评估作用。本论文针对游客的真实感知和意见，游客如何选择和感知自然景观，这对于很多群体，比如旅游行业和政府，都有着重要意义。

Ecotourism’s Impact on Ethnic Groups and Households near Chitwan National Park, Nepal

The Chitwan National Park (CNP) is renowned as a premier attraction in Nepal. This study surveyed the ethnic communities and households living in the buffer zone (BZ) proximate to the CNP, where ecotourism has been strategically introduced to provide an alternative means of livelihood to the locals and to enhance biodiversity conservation. This study examined to what extent these households have economically benefited from local ecotourism activities as well as their perceptions of ecotourism. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, surveying 145 Kumroj and Amaltari village households using a stratified random sampling technique. The findings indicated that similar ecotourism activities were taking place in both sites. We found that only certain households benefited directly, and that it was mostly the socioeconomically disadvantaged households that missed out on the livelihood opportunities provided by ecotourism. Further, it was revealed that the socio-economically disadvantaged locals still illegally extracted/sold forest products. However, such individuals also acknowledged that ecotourism has increased employment, social development, and forest conservation, and they desired to participate in ecotourism activities. This research can help policymakers better understand the gaps in their policies and restructure them to level the ecotourism playing field for all ethnic groups and economic levels (e.g., landowners versus non-landowners). This study recommends that policymakers rethink and reframe policies to protect the interests of communities living in the BZs of national parks, especially low-income households and/or locals who are disadvantaged because they do not have land or facilities to conduct ecotourism activities.

Residents’ Perception of Ecotourism in Ratargul Freshwater Swamp Forest of Bangladesh

Aims: The study aims at finding out the perceived economic, environmental and socio-cultural impacts of ecotourism by residents who live near the Ratargul freshwater swamp forest.
 Study Design: The study is qualitative and empirical which focuses on the residents’ attitudes towards the economic, environmental and socio-cultural changes due to ecotourism.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the villages near the Ratargul freshwater swamp forest located in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet District of Bangladesh. The study period was from November 2014 to February 2015.
 Methodology: A total of 301 respondents were interviewed from the residents using a formulated questionnaire consisting of nine demographic variables and thirty-five impact items classified into economic, environmental and socio-cultural categories. A five-point rating scale was incorporated into each impact item for both belief and evaluation components. The sampling method was arbitrary (non-probability sampling) but without preconceived bias.
 Results: The study shows the impact items regarding economic and socio-cultural aspects secured higher ranks by possessing higher mean values. Contrarily, items associated with the environmental aspect possessed lower mean values. These findings denote that residents favored both the economic and socio-cultural impacts of tourism as they positively perceived both impacts, whereas the environmental impact was least favored by the residents. Besides, it was also found that resident’s attitudes towards ecotourism vary with the variations in income, occupation, and gender.
 Conclusion: The study concluded that residents acknowledge economic and socio-cultural benefits conveyed by ecotourism without sacrificing environmental and aesthetic aspects. Further studies are recommended to find out the trends of ecotourism and its impacts on residents and the forest.

Tourists’ shifting perceptions of UNESCO heritage sites: lessons from Jeju Island-South Korea

Purpose The purpose of this research is to analyze the shifting perceptions of international tourists to Jeju Island and provide practical lessons to the tourism industry. Specifically, in regard to three United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) natural World Heritage sites in Jeju, this research measures the most salient topics mentioned by tourists to inform a more accurate perception of the island’s most valuable natural assets as reported by tourism experiences. Design/methodology/approach This study used a Web crawler to gather over 1,500 English language reviews from international tourists from a famous travel information website. The collected data were then preprocessed for stemming and lemmatization. After this, the processed text data were analyzed through a latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA)-based topic modeling approach to identify the most prominent clusters of ideas mentioned and represent them visually through graphs, tables and charts. Findings The findings from this research suggest that there are ten identifiable topics. Topics focusing on “adventure,” “summits” and “winter” showed noticeable increases, whereas topics focusing on “sunrise peak” and “UNESCO” have decreased over time. There is a trend for international tourists to be ever more conscious of the adventurous and rugged aspects of Jeju, and the novelty of mentioning UNESCO status seems to have worn off. Furthermore, there is the proclivity for tourists to mention “worth” and “enjoy” more as time goes on. Originality/value This study applies LDA-based topic modeling and LDAvis using user-generated online reviews with time-series analyses. Consequently, it provides unique insights into the changing perceptions of ecotourism on Jeju today, as well as contribution to smart tourism fields.

Community Participation in Ecotourism Development Ir H Djuanda Forest Park

The existence of the Djuanda Forest Park near the urban area indirectly indicates that the area is close to the city community. The attitude of city people who tend to have an attitude of being able to take care of themselves without having to depend on others is feared to enter the surrounding communities and subsequently influence the development of Djuanda Tahura ecotourism. The research objective was to measure public perceptions of ecotourism and ecotourism objects in the Djuanda Forest Park, measuring community participation in the development of ecotourism in Djuanda Forest Park, and developing a strategy for increasing community participation in developing ecotourism in Djuanda Forest Park. The method used is observation, questionnaire, interview, and literature study. Communities strongly agree that ecotourism must meet indicators of community involvement, ecology, conservation, culture, education, and visitor satisfaction. The community considers that the Djuanda Tahura has beautiful ecotourism objects (highest average score = 4.61). The community values both ecotourism and the object of ecotourism because the community has a sense of care and sense of belonging to the Djuanda Tahura as an area that can provide benefits, both in ecological, social and economic aspects. However, community participation in ecotourism development is only in the implementation and acceptance of benefits and has participation in the form of personnel and expertise. Based on people's perceptions and participation, the community is at the lowest level of participation, so an SO strategy is needed, namely by utilizing all the strengths to make the most of opportunities. Keywords: Forest Park Ir H Djuanda, participation, perception, society, strategy

Home Based Recreational Indoor Leisure Perception Of Female Viewers On My Trip My Advanture Television Show

Implementation of ecotourism concept for sustainable tourism in Indonesia until these day unfinished task. Insight for this concept must be continuously and never end. Television is a mass media that very influent and play a role in promoting the principles of ecotourism. One of the television programs that present content the various natural destinations tourism of Indonesia is My Trip My Advanture. This research will be analyzed the motivation and perception of ecotourism of female audience for the natural destinations tourism based on program. Women especially female students are selected as respondents because has a good bargaining position and very strategic role model in family and society. The purpose of this study analyzed the motivation and perception of ecotourism of respondents and analyzed the relationship between the characteristics respondents to perception, motivation, and preference. The results showed that respondents understanding the meaning of ecotourism principle. Motivation and perception of impressions are scores of six from one to seven scale ranges program. That shows MTMA program has entered the positive space. This supports the documentary program participating respondents do acts the responsible traveling for environmental, social and cultural conservation. The concept of ecotourism can also be accepted by all walks of life from diverse backgrounds reinforced by the analysis that different levels of characteristics do not affect the level of motivation, perception, and preferences. Keywords: ecotourism, female, My Trip My Advanture, television show

Environmental Literacy on Ecotourism: A Study on Student Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavioral Intentions in China and Taiwan

This study aims to gain further insights to Chinese and Taiwanese university students’ environmental literacy on ecotourism. A structural equation model is developed and validated in an effort to explore the differences between Chinese and Taiwanese university students in terms of their environmental knowledge, environmental attitude, and behavioral intentions. The results showed that the ecotourism perception of Chinese and Taiwanese university students affect their behavioral intentions. Chinese university students exhibited a higher correlation between ecotourism knowledge and behavioral intentions than their Taiwanese counterparts. The findings also revealed differences between the Chinese and Taiwanese students in their perception of ecotourism, and this disparity was particularly evident with regards to how ecotourism should be governed. A moderate difference in ecotourism behavioral intentions was also identified, in which Taiwanese university students were less likely to engage in self-empowerment or private empowerment, to be more educated in the field of ecotourism than their Chinese counterparts.

Influence of Tourism Frequency on Association Model of Ecotourism Action

In recent years, many tour operators have entered to the ecotourism market aiming at the trend of ecotourism. In combination of local ecological and environmental resources, these tour operators have promoted a series of themed ecotourism paths and activities to attract tourists from different places. This study conducted literature review and empirical research to explore the influences of consumers’ tourism involvement, tourism values, perception of ecotourism and affection toward ecotourism on attitude toward ecotourism, perceived value of ecotourism, willingness of consumers and actual ecotourism action. Furthermore, association models were established, and the differences on the association models of tourist groups with different tourism frequencies were compared. Convenience sampling was used to survey the consumers who had participated in ecotourism. A total of 787 valid samples were collected. Based on tourism frequency, the respondents were divided into three groups, namely high frequency, medium frequency and low frequency, and the group models were compared. The results showed that (1) the influence of affection toward ecotourism on perceived value of ecotourism is the most significant among the four independent variables in the three tourism groups; (2) for all three tourism groups, tourism involvement has significantly negative influences on the paths of attitude toward ecotourism, and the influence of high-frequency tourism group is the highest; (3) tourism values of the high-frequency tourism group have a significantly negative influence on the path of perceived value of ecotourism while medium-frequency and low-frequency tourism groups have no significant influence; (4) in the medium-frequency tourism group, the affection toward ecotourism has a significantly positive influence on the path of attitude toward ecotourism, and the influence of this group is the highest while high-frequency and low-frequency groups have no significant influence; (5) for all three tourism groups, perceived value of ecotourism has a significantly positive influence on the path of attitude toward ecotourism and the influence of high-frequency tourism group is the highest.