Tourists Ethnic Background and Nature-based Tourism - Dissertation Example

 Tourists’ Ethnic Background and Nature-based Tourism Choice of Topic Internationally, tourism can make an essential contribution to economic recovery, and is acknowledged as playing a vital role in the transformation into a green economy (World Tourism Organisation, 2010). Nature-based tourism management experiences can become a significant feature of sustainable development for a nation. Working Title ‘To Evaluate the relationship between Tourists’ Ethnic Background and Nature-based Tourism’ Rationale Case made for the research Countries promote nature as their primary asset as tourist destinations (e.g. New Zealand, London and Scotland), especially by calling attention to the experience aspect of travel. Nature-based experiences have received increased attention from researchers during past few years. Identification of Management Issues Nature-related tourism expects high expertise from individuals working at management level since it initiates funding for conservation as well as raise environmental awareness (Balmford, et al., 2009). As a student of Management, it is very much evident that from research perspective, the interest in nature-based experiences is escalating among individuals (e.g. Mehmetoglu, 2007a, 2007b; Waitt, Lane, & Head, 2003). The focus on cross-cultural differences in tourism experience consumption, however, is for the most part neglected. In an international tourism management context competition is rising, and knowledge of the different markets could be a precondition for success. To create a memorable nature-based experience for international visitors, awareness of how ethnic group might influence the perception of such experiences is argued essential. In the international tourism management arena, the experiential component of holidays is emphasised in promotion material as well as social media. As a result it is essential to know the customers and the national traits that might somehow characterise them. Statement of Research Question What is the relationship between Tourists’ Ethnic Background and Nature-based Tourism in London? Aim and Objective The purpose of this study is to divide tourist ethnic group, based on cultural point of reference and then compares the resulting segments in terms of the opinion of nature-based experiences of tourism from tourism management view point. Literature review When people from different countries meet in international tourism, ethnic group becomes a central issue of interest. The characteristics of tourists from different countries also become evident when tourists come together in nature based experience production and consumption. Cultural values held by tourists from different nations hence affect tourist behavior and perception, and can furthermore impact experience creation. In an international tourism context then, it is vital to understand culture (De Mooij & Hofstede, 2010), in order to recognise what tourists from various countries emphasise in their holiday experience. People's valuation of nature-based experiences, their motivation for taking part in them, and their preference for activities are therefore likely to differ according to ethnic group and cultural background. Providers and marketers of experiences are stakeholders in an international market, and from a managerial point of view the challenge is therefore to know the guests' preferences. Nevertheless, adapting to the guests' needs and wants might not be easy, as experiences are individually perceived and socially consumed. In practice, knowledge of nature-based tourists' national characteristics can result in managerial tools that guide adaptation of nature-based experiences to international tourist demands. Furthermore, knowledge of tourists' experience valuation can provide managers with the opportunity to organise experiences in a way that allows tourists, who are likely to have similar values, to participate at the same time. This could lead to a more coherent nature-based tourism experience from a cross-cultural tourism viewpoint. This research paper will clarify various aspects of the relationship between national cultural background of tourists and nature-based tourism experiences in London. For the purpose of this paper, nature-based tourism can be defined as travel to nature areas or destinations. Nature-based tourism experiences are thus defined as those experiences participated in by tourists involved in nature-based tourism. It includes tourism activities with a varying degree of absorption, immersion and participation (e.g. Pine & Gilmore, 1999). Tourists in nature-based tourism then, move along a continuum in terms of absorption/ immersion and active/passive participation. The study applies a relatively broad definition of nature-based experiences, as it can be argued appropriate in a cross-cultural context, to allow for various understandings of such experiences. This is essential in a cross-cultural study, as it requires candour for the differing views on nature, not only those employed by Western frames of reference. Whether tourists' ethnic group matters, is debated (e.g. Hsieh & Tsai, 2009; Lee & Sparks, 2007). Nevertheless, ethnic group might indicate some common features of tourists from the same country. It is shown that tourists from one country differ in motivation depending on the visited destination (Kozak, 2002). Ethnic group might also influence the perception of naturebased tourism experiences because of differing views on nature. Due to the debate of only using ethnic group as a unit of analysis (e.g. Cayla & Arnould, 2008), it might be interesting to segment nationalities based on their cultural background, accounting for the influence of culture. The connection between ethnic group and cultural background is evident (Manrai, Lascu, Manrai, & Babb, 2001), but not easy or straightforward in its explanation. Cultural background is related to general values and represents a common basis of belief. Moreover, cultural background is unlikely to be static over time, hence people's way of thinking might move towards or away from each other along a cultural background continuum. Individualism/collectivism is one of several measures used in cross-cultural comparisons and it shows differences in for instance preference for variety (Herrmann & Heitmann, 2006, p. 7). Countries can, therefore, be classified in terms of their individualistic or collectivistic background. Ones identity in individualistic cultures is in the person, whereas in collectivist cultures the group itself is one's identity, thus it is not about subordinating to the group (De Mooij & Hofstede, 2010, p. 103). With respect to tourism ethnic group and cultural background then, tourists' inclination to collectivism or individualism will likely affect their choices. For instance, Western tourists often claim to be independent travelers. There is an expectation in Western societies to be individualistically oriented also in tourism related choices, and if one deviates from the norm one will almost have to justify it. Take backpackers as an example, to them being individualistic and traveling alone is a goal in itself, at least it is what they wish to communicate to the surroundings. Nevertheless, when arriving at new places to seek out the unexplored or exotic, it turns out that they often visit the same places, use the same accommodation and become friends with fellow travelers. Their initial goal of being individualistic is replaced by a new form of collectivism (Guneriussen, 2010) in their formation of new enclaves of solo travelers (e.g. Caruana, Crane, & Fitchett, 2008). Drawing upon this reasoning the following hypothesis should not be far-fetched. H1: There is a relationship between tourist ethnic group and cultural background. H 2: Collectivistic and individualistic tourist nationalities differ in terms of their overall nature-based tourism experience. H2a: Collectivistic tourist nationalities perceive entertainment as more important than do their individualistic counterparts. H2b: Individualistic tourist nationalities perceive education as more important than do their collectivistic counterparts. H2c: Individualistic tourist nationalities perceive escapism as more important than do their collectivistic counterparts. H2d: Individualistic tourist nationalities perceive aesthetics as more important than do their collectivistic counterparts. H2e: Individualistic tourist nationalities perceive relaxation as more important than do their collectivistic counterparts. H2f: Collectivistic tourist nationalities perceive status as more important than do their individualistic counterparts. H2g: Individualistic tourist nationalities perceive nature as more important than do their collectivist counterparts. H2h: Individualistic tourist nationalities perceive novelty as more important than do their collectivistic counterparts. H2i: Individualistic tourist nationalities take more interest in hiking than do their collectivistic counterparts. H2j: Collectivistic tourist nationalities take more interest in whale safari than do their individualistic counterparts. H2k: Collectivistic tourist nationalities take more interest in fishing than do their individualistic counterparts. H2l: Individualistic tourist nationalities take more interest in river rafting than do their collectivistic counterparts. 5. Methodology Sampling Purposive sampling (De Vaus, 2004; Jennings, 2001) will be chosen as it is suitable for obtaining a large number of respondents. Self administered questionnaires will be directed at tourists who were still on vacation, because asking questions about experiences in retrospect would be problematic. The face-to-face method will be used as the researcher or an assistant will hand out the questionnaires to tourists during the summer of 2011. Based on studies showing conspicuous features in British promotion material (Vespestad, 2010) locations will be chosen with reference to the nature-based experiences' relation to fjords and mountains, as well as international tourists are likely to be. A total of 680 questionnaires will be used in the analysis. Nationalities represented by less than five respondents will be deleted from the analysed sample. Measurement A questionnaire will be designed by the tourism management students drawing upon the works of Soares (2004), Pine and Gilmore (1999), Hofstede (1980, 1983, 1994a, 1994b, 2001; Hofstede & Hofstede, 2005), Den Breejen (2007) and Mehmetoglu (2007a, 2007b). The questions and measurements will be based on existing literature, hence will be considered consistent with the purpose of the study. The questions will relate to nature-based experiences, novelty and change, individualism/ collectivism, activities, travel characteristics and demographics. Data analysis Segmentation of the nationalities In order to segment the different nationalities in the sample based on their cultural background (i.e. collectivism/individualism) using SPSS a CHAID (Chi Square Automatic Interaction Detection) analysis will be conducted. CHAID is an analytical technique, which is based on a combination of one single or several independent variables, segments the information into special and extensive segments which vary with respect to the reliant variable (Dubinsky, Nataraajan, & Huang, 2005; Van Diepen & Franses, 2006). 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Turistfiske skaper vekst [Fishing tourism creates growth, my translation] (n.d.) Retrieved July 20, 2010, from http://www.lu.no/content/view/3175/125/ Read More