Visitors’ willingness to pay for interpretive services in Alberta parks

Interpretive services provided at protected areas can add value to visitors’ experiences. They can also serve as conservation management tool in mitigating negative behaviours and inspiring pro-environmental action through educational and entertaining content and delivery. With shrinking investment in conservation from public coffers, protected area managers are increasingly forced to charge for specific services such as interpretation. While some research has examined visitor’s willingness to pay park fees, far fewer have examined WTP for interpretation. A sample of 730 visitors to four Alberta, Canada World Heritage sites was used to investigate visitors’ willingness to pay for park interpretation services. In-person delivery and specialized content garnered higher levels of WTP for park interpretation services. Wealthier visitors were more willing to pay fees, as were those who had already invested time (i.e., involvement) to learn about cultural and natural heritage (i.e., WH experts). Unexpectedly, education, travel with kids, and travel motives related to learning about cultural and natural heritage, were not significantly related to WTP for park interpretation services

Factors affecting return participation in sport tourism running events: The role of running involvement, place attachment, event attachment and travel patterns.

This presentation examines active sport tourists (runners) engaged in a small-scale, annual sport tourism event (Melissa’s Road Race held in Banff National Park, Canada). More specifically, the affect of a number of factors on race participants’ intensions to compete in the event in the future was examined. These factors included: physiological involvement in running, attachment to the park and the event, and selected travel patterns. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine 421 participant’s responses, to determine what factors might positively predict return visitation and participation. Attachment to Melissa’s Road Race, perceptions that the park was an “appropriate” venue for the Race, attachment to Banff National Park, plans to return to the Park as a place to visit, and the number of days event participants had visited the Park in the last 12 months all contributed to the prediction of intensions to participate in Melissa’s Road Race in the future. These variables explained 34% of respondent’s intensions to re-participate. Interestingly psychological involvement in running failed to significantly predict future participation

Agritourism and visitor loyalty: The role of experience, memories, positive emotion, perceived authenticity

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Does Culture Matter? A Comparison of Anglo-Canadians’ and Asian-Canadians’ Travel Motivations and Travel Constraints

This study investigates how Asian-Canadians and Anglo-Canadians are different from each other in terms of their travel motivation and travel constraints. The data used for this study were obtained from the Travel Activity and Motivation Survey 2006 conducted by Statistics Canada. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to analyze the data. The results indicate that there were substantial cultural differences in terms of travel motivation and travel constraints. For example, Asian-Canadians were more motivated to travel because of seeking knowledge and seeking relaxation than Anglo-Canadians; Asian-Canadians were more inhibited by time and money to travel than Anglo-Canadians. The implications of such differences were discussed

Factors affecting mobile device use at festival attractions

To better comprehend mobile device acceptance and use at attractions and during tourism experiences broadly, we need to know and understand the factors that influence the decision to use technology in varying contexts. This presentation will discuss the Unified Theory of the Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 in relation to mobile device use at festivals. On-site interviews and survey data collection from 9 festivals reveals 5 new items that should be incorporated into this technology use model going forward. The implications will enable attraction staff and mobile device experience designers to ascertain appropriate ways to integrate mobile technology in the visitor’s experience

The \u27Healthy Parks-Healthy People\u27 Movement in Canada: Progress, Challenges, and an Emerging Knowledge and Action Agenda

In this article, we outline progress and challenges in establishing effective health promotion tied to visitor experiences provided by protected and conserved areas in Canada. Despite an expanding global evidence base, case studies focused on aspects of health and well-being within Canada’s protected and conserved areas remain limited. Data pertaining to motivations, barriers and experiences of visitors are often not collected by governing agencies and, if collected, are not made generally available or reported on. There is an obvious, large gap in research and action focused on the needs and rights of groups facing systemic barriers related to a variety of issues including, but not limited to, access, nature experiences, and needs with respect to health and well-being outcomes. Activation of programmes at the site level continue to grow, and Park Prescription programmes, as well as changes to the Accessible Canada Act, represent significant, positive examples of recent cross-sector policy integration. Evaluations of outcomes associated with HPHP programmes have not yet occurred but will be important to adapting interventions and informing cross-sector capacity building. We conclude by providing an overview of gaps in evidence and practice that, if addressed, can lead to more effective human health promotion vis-à-vis nature contact in protected and conserved areas in Canada

Environmental Behaviour, Place Attachment and Park Visitation: A case study of visitors to Point Pelee National Park

This thesis explores the relationship between place attachment and pro-environmental behaviour expressed by visitors to Point Pelee National Park. Place attachment, the functional, cognitive and emotional bond with a place, may play a role in promoting environmentally responsible behaviours. This may be especially true of place-specific pro-environmental behaviours; however place attachment may also have a "carry-over" effect in that its impact on individuals' self identity may also foster pro-environmental behaviour in individuals' every day lives. An exploration of these relationships was achieved, first by measuring the intensity of place attachment and pro-environment behavioural intentions expressed by visitors to Point Pelee National Park. This was followed by an examination of the relationship between these two constructs using correlation analysis and structural equation modeling. Data was collected with a mail-based self-completed questionnaire. A quota sample of visitors to Point Pelee National Park was utilized. A response rate of 32% (n = 355) was achieved. The relationship between place attachment and pro-environmental intentions was explored further through the measurement of several related variables. These factors include place satisfaction (based on an appraisal of nature, social and activity-based environments), motivation for visiting the park (related to social interaction and nature observation, as well as activity-based and learning opportunities), distance between the park and visitors' residences, membership in environmental organizations, and visitation patterns including visitation to the park during childhood, length of affiliation with the park, length of visit to the park, and frequency of visitation to the park. Theoretical and empirical research suggests that these factors may affect place attachment, pro-environment behavioural intentions, and/or the relationship between these two constructs. Study results found positive associations between place attachment and all of these variables with the exception of visitation motives associated with learning and engaging in a favourite activity. The strongest predictive relationships were observed with anti-substitution (the inability of an individual to substitute the park for another destination because of a lack of resources such as time or money or a lack of awareness of comparable sites) followed by frequency of visits to the park; park commitment (based on Friends group membership and donations of time and money to the Friends group); Friends of Point Pelee (FoPP) membership; and park relationship (which was based on visitation to the park as a child and length of affiliation); and, satisfaction with the park. Results support the proposition that place attachment has a strong positive association with both park-specific pro-environment behavioural intentions (e. g. , Write letters in support of Point Pelee N. P. and similar protected areas) as well as general pro-environment behavioural intentions (e. g. , Pay extra for transportation if it is environmentally-friendly). Place attachment strongly predicted park-specific, and moderately predicted general pro-environmental intentions. A number of other variables had an indirect effect on park-specific intentions; notable effects were demonstrated by frequency of visits; park relationship; visitation to the park as a child; place satisfaction; social satisfaction; FoPP membership; and, park commitment; anti-substitution. These affects were mediated by place attachment. After place attachment the strongest predictors of park-specific intentions were anti-substitution; frequency of visits; park commitment; and, general environmental commitment (which was based on membership in an environmental organization and donations of time and money to that organization). Place attachment was not the only direct predicator of general pro-environmental intentions; general environmental commitment and membership in an environmental organization also directly predicted general pro-environmental intentions. Notable indirect effects, mediated by place attachment were produced by frequency of visits; park relationship; FoPP membership; park commitment; and anti-substitution. The strongest predictors of general pro-environmental intentions were general environmental commitment, followed by place attachment, membership in an environmental organization, and frequency of park visitation. These findings correspond with much of the literature published on place attachment formation and the development of pro-environmental behaviours. The most notable contribution of this study is its comparison of place attachment's impact on general versus place-specific behaviours, and the role that several related variables play in this relationship

Events Tourism in Mountain Parks: Two case studies of visitor characteristics and outcomes related to special events held in Jasper and Banff National Parks, 2007

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Building consensus through place: Place-making as a driver for place-based collaboration

Place-based collaboration is of increasing interest as a means to involve scientists, managers and local stakeholders in resource management. Although place attachment, place identity and place meanings often have been used to investigate place-based collaboration, the processes facilitating cooperation are not yet clearly defined. Through a case study of a long-term voluntary collaboration, the Beaver Hills Initiative, we investigated the role of these factors in initiating and sustaining cooperation through interviews with members of the collaboration, photo-elicitation, and content analysis of past presentations about the collaboration. We found the collaboration was supported by place-based mechanisms operating at both the group and individual level. Place-making by the leaders of the collaboration in motivational, diagnostic and collective action frames led to development of shared place identity and personal place meanings, which merged with social norms for conservation of “special places”. The resulting motivations, at the group and personal level, explained the long-term, voluntary cooperation by study participants. Findings suggest socially-mediated and experiential aspects of place attachment and place-making can influence place-based collaborative action