Profiling domestic ecotourists in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong

Abstract

Nature-based tourism has undergone considerable expansion in recent decades and ecotourism is becoming increasingly popular around the globe. Within this context, international researchers have undertaken studies of ecotourism with different objectives, but, limited research has been conducted on the rapidly developing Asian ecotourism market. Most studies on ecotourism and ecotourists thus far have been conducted in the Western context and there is an urgent need for a more in-depth understanding of this market in an Asian context. The present study is a cross-regional one that aims at profiling domestic ecotourists in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in order to identify the similarities and differences in their characteristics. Paired survey data from wetland-based and forest-based destination types has been collected from the Greater China Region, involving surveys in six parks. Two operational definitions of ecotourist, namely, scholarly-designation and self-definition, have been applied in the analysis of ecotourists’ core values in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, travel motivations, environmental attitudes, activities undertaken, and awareness of ecotourism. Findings of this study reveal that the self-definition approach was better able to define the ecotourists, who had stronger pro-environmental attitudes than their non-ecotourist counterparts (i.e. general park visitors), than the traditional scholarly-designation method that uses a mix of supply and demand variables. Results suggest that nature-related travel motivations, awareness of ecotourism, and regional differences influence park visitors’ (including ecotourists and non-ecotourists) environmental attitudes. In terms of destination type, this study compared wetland against forest destinations. It was found that ecotourists in the former were more active in participating in nature-observational activities such as bird-watching and wildlife observation, whilst in the latter, ecotourists had stronger pro-environmental attitudes and preferred engaging in hiking and jogging. Heterogeneous market segments among ecotourists in Greater China are also being suggested from the study as their core values vary between the three regions. This research has made a contribution to the understanding of ecotourists’ core values in Greater China, and hence, the study also contributes to the planning, managing, and marketing, of ecotourism by tourism officials, park managers, and tourism agencies.