scholarly journals Visitor satisfaction with services for environmental interpretation in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thi Thuy Linh Phan
Keyword(s):  
Performance Analysis ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Environmental Interpretation ◽  
Visitor Satisfaction ◽  
Interpretive Services ◽  
Cat Tien National Park ◽  
Satisfaction With Services

<p>The increase in visitor demand creates more and more pressures on visitor management, especially in protected areas like national parks. Environmental interpretation is regarded as an effective soft management strategy that aims to educate visitors in national parks. However, no study about visitor satisfaction with environmental interpretation using Importance-Performance analysis has been undertaken in national parks in general and national parks of Vietnam in particular. This study attempts to fill in the research gaps in the literature by examining visitor satisfaction with services for environmental interpretation in Cat Tien National Park of Vietnam using Importance-Performance Analysis. The research aims are: (1) To identify current interpretive services in Cat Tien National Park; (2) To explore visitor use of these services for environmental interpretation; (3) To investigate visitor satisfaction with these services using Importance-Performance Analysis and (4) To analyze similarities and differences in visitor satisfaction with services according to motivation-based segments and market-based segments.  Secondary research, a site visit and three semi-structured interviews were first implemented to provide information background for the study. Next, the main survey for both international and domestic visitors was conducted at the entry point of Cat Tien National Park. Data from 237 pre-visit and post-visit questionnaires collected in four weeks was then analyzed with relevant statistical analyses. Market-based segmentation and motivation-based segmentation were also implemented to analyze the data.  The findings show that site interpreters were the most important service provider for environmental interpretation in Cat Tien National Park. Site interpreters, interpretive signs and staff at the museum are very important and very satisfying services for environmental interpretation. Displays at the museum need to be redesigned to meet visitor satisfaction. Moreover, videos at the rescue centre need to improve the performance to ensure domestic visitor satisfaction. With regard to twelve roles of site interpreters, the role for a comfortable pace of the trip, the role for a good group organisation, the communicative roles and the roles of an environmental interpreter are important and satisfying roles according to visitors. The performance of the instrumental role for visitor safety and the social role for a positive group environment need to be enhanced to meet visitor satisfaction. Also, two roles of a motivator of responsible behaviour need to be enhanced to meet the satisfaction of “Passive visitors” and “Active learners”, as well as international visitors.  The study highlights the need for continuing research on visitor satisfaction with environmental interpretation using importance performance analysis and visitor segmentation. Some management implications were given for future development of services for environmental interpretation in Cat Tien National Park.</p>

scholarly journals Visitor satisfaction with services for environmental interpretation in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thi Thuy Linh Phan
Keyword(s):  
Performance Analysis ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Environmental Interpretation ◽  
Visitor Satisfaction ◽  
Interpretive Services ◽  
Cat Tien National Park ◽  
Satisfaction With Services

<p>The increase in visitor demand creates more and more pressures on visitor management, especially in protected areas like national parks. Environmental interpretation is regarded as an effective soft management strategy that aims to educate visitors in national parks. However, no study about visitor satisfaction with environmental interpretation using Importance-Performance analysis has been undertaken in national parks in general and national parks of Vietnam in particular. This study attempts to fill in the research gaps in the literature by examining visitor satisfaction with services for environmental interpretation in Cat Tien National Park of Vietnam using Importance-Performance Analysis. The research aims are: (1) To identify current interpretive services in Cat Tien National Park; (2) To explore visitor use of these services for environmental interpretation; (3) To investigate visitor satisfaction with these services using Importance-Performance Analysis and (4) To analyze similarities and differences in visitor satisfaction with services according to motivation-based segments and market-based segments.  Secondary research, a site visit and three semi-structured interviews were first implemented to provide information background for the study. Next, the main survey for both international and domestic visitors was conducted at the entry point of Cat Tien National Park. Data from 237 pre-visit and post-visit questionnaires collected in four weeks was then analyzed with relevant statistical analyses. Market-based segmentation and motivation-based segmentation were also implemented to analyze the data.  The findings show that site interpreters were the most important service provider for environmental interpretation in Cat Tien National Park. Site interpreters, interpretive signs and staff at the museum are very important and very satisfying services for environmental interpretation. Displays at the museum need to be redesigned to meet visitor satisfaction. Moreover, videos at the rescue centre need to improve the performance to ensure domestic visitor satisfaction. With regard to twelve roles of site interpreters, the role for a comfortable pace of the trip, the role for a good group organisation, the communicative roles and the roles of an environmental interpreter are important and satisfying roles according to visitors. The performance of the instrumental role for visitor safety and the social role for a positive group environment need to be enhanced to meet visitor satisfaction. Also, two roles of a motivator of responsible behaviour need to be enhanced to meet the satisfaction of “Passive visitors” and “Active learners”, as well as international visitors.  The study highlights the need for continuing research on visitor satisfaction with environmental interpretation using importance performance analysis and visitor segmentation. Some management implications were given for future development of services for environmental interpretation in Cat Tien National Park.</p>

scholarly journals Factors influencing local attitudes and perceptions regarding jaguars Panthera onca and National Park conservation in Panama

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Fort ◽  
Clayton K. Nielsen ◽  
Andrew D. Carver ◽  
Ricardo Moreno ◽  
Ninon F. V. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Land Ownership ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Panthera Onca ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Attitudes And Perceptions

AbstractThroughout its range in Latin America the jaguar Panthera onca is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and conflict with humans. Protected areas in Panama harbour some of the last remaining suitable habitat for jaguars and are vital to conservation. However, no previous studies had assessed which factors in particular affect the tolerance of rural Panamanians towards jaguars and National Park conservation, which is important to jaguar persistence. Whether these factors are consistent with previous research on human–carnivore coexistence is unclear. To address this we estimated the number of instances of depredation of cattle by jaguars, and assessed attitudes and perceptions of rural Panamanians. We conducted semi-structured interviews in two disparate study areas: Cerro Hoya National Park and Darién National Park. Depredation events were more frequent in the latter, but only residents of the former reported conflict between people and coyotes Canis latrans. Positive perceptions of jaguars and National Parks, and criticism of park management, increased with level of education and land ownership. Men were more open to receiving help on their farms to mitigate impacts of jaguars, and more tolerant of the presence of jaguars, than women. Residents from both study areas indicated high appreciation for their respective National Parks. We provide recommendations to improve community outreach and education initiatives, and suggest priority areas for future mitigation efforts concerning human–jaguar interactions in Panama.

If they Treated the Whole World like a National Park: Environmental Education by Teachers and Rangers

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deirdre Slattery ◽  
Alison Lugg
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Education ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Nature Study ◽  
The Two Cultures ◽  
Potential Activity ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Community Issues

AbstractThis paper considers the role of rangers and education officers who present and represent their park on school trips to national parks, and their interactions with teachers who organise those trips. These shared encounters are commonplace events. They have an important potential and actual role in environmental education, but have not been the subject of much research. Both the teachers' environmental education objectives and the possibilities offered by parks are wide: nature study, ecology, parks as natural and cultural heritage, land management and community issues, recreational activities and their consequences. However this breadth of potential activity possibly exacerbates a gap between the two cultures that meet on such encounters, a gap that needs to be addressed if the participants are to be able to maximise their shared and separate concerns.Using semi-structured interviews, our research looked at the strengths and limitations of several school visits for both teachers and ranger. In this paper we report particularly on the importance of the ranger in the process. We suggest that the role of the ranger is an undervalued and under-supported link in effective environmental education.

scholarly journals Seasonal Variation in Visitor Satisfaction and Its Management Implications in Banff National Park

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1681
Author(s):  
Dehui Christina Geng ◽  
John L. Innes ◽  
Wanli Wu ◽  
Weiwei Wang ◽  
Guangyu Wang
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Visitor Experience ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Visitor Satisfaction ◽  
Tourist Satisfaction ◽  
Banff National Park ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
High Season

Seasonal variations in tourist satisfaction is an important issue for the sustainable management of national parks worldwide. Visitors should have high-quality experiences in both the high season and the off-season. This research investigated visitor satisfaction patterns and determinants in Banff National Park in different seasons. The study was conducted through a face-to-face questionnaire survey that collected visitor demographic, expectation and satisfaction data in July 2019 (high season) and December 2019 (off-season) in Banff National Park. The data analyses were based on a sample of 741 respondents and were processed using principal component analysis, correlation analysis and logistic regression models for different seasons. There were significant differences in visitor satisfaction levels and their determinants in different seasons. The quality of the park’s natural characteristics and the park’s activities were the most important determinant of visitor satisfaction in the high season and off-season, respectively. The correlation between visitor satisfaction and expectations in the high season was generally negative, whereas all correlations in the off-season were positive. The results fill a knowledge gap by examining the seasonal differences in visitor experience and their determinants in the national park, and by building a bridge between visitor experience and tourism seasonality. The findings may assist both practitioners and scholars in understanding visitor expectations and satisfaction in different seasons. They may assist in the prioritization and effective management of the park to optimize the visitor experience in both seasons and achieve tourism sustainability.

scholarly journals Visitor responses to environmental interpretation in protected areas in vietnam.pdf

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Thuy Linh Phan ◽  
Christian Schott
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Entry And Exit ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Environmental Interpretation ◽  
Interpretive Services ◽  
Soft Management

<p>Environmental interpretation is regarded as an effective soft management strategy for educating visitors and managing their impacts on protected areas. Only limited research has been conducted on visitors’ views on environmental interpretation in protected areas in the rapidly developing destinations of South-East Asia, with particular gaps in understanding different visitor groups. This article seeks to fill this gap in the context of Vietnam by examining visitor responses to services for environmental interpretation in one of the country’s largest national parks. The research employed Importance-Performance Analysis and subsequent motivation-based visitor segmentation based on 237 sets of pre and post-visit questionnaires distributed by the authors as self-complete questionnaires at the entry and exit gateway to the national park. The findings highlight that site interpreters were considered the most important service providers, while displays at the museum and videos were identified as important but low performing. A number of differences between motivation-based visitor groups as well as some culturally-anchored response patterns emerged which highlighted the need for park management to consider different visitor groups; not only in terms of their motivations to visit but also their cultural backgrounds when designing, investing maintenance funding, and evaluating interpretive services. </p>

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effect on Marine National Parks in Thailand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onanong Cheablam ◽  
Utai Dachyosdee ◽  
Sonthaya Purintarapiban
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Illegal Logging ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Aquatic Animals ◽  
Budget Support ◽  
Tourism Management ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment, including coral reefs, seagrasses, terrestrial/aquatic animals, waste/sewage, and the economy of 27 marine national parks and four marine national park operations centers. Structured interviews were employed in this study. The results from national park officers indicated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, natural resources, such as coral, seagrass, and terrestrial/aquatic animals, had recovered and become more productive since animals in the area were observed. In addition, the amount of waste in the area has decreased; however, some national parks still have problems with marine debris. In contrast, the economic findings indicated that the number of tourists, both Thai and foreign, has decreased, reducing the total national park revenue by THB 1,507,681,302 (USD 50,256,043). Our research shows that there is an important association between the reduction of tourists and environmental quality. In addition, a reduction in revenue may impact the environment through illegal logging and fishing. Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, technology should be used for surveys in the national parks, regularly informing budget support from the government, and tourism management.

Evaluating Visitors’ Reactions to Interpretation in Australian National Parks

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Beckmann
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Wetland Area ◽  
Art And Culture ◽  
Visitor Research ◽  
Aboriginal Art ◽  
Interpretive Services ◽  
Evaluation Techniques

Interpretive services are accepted elements of recreational experiences in natural areas. But what do we really know about the effectiveness of interpretation? By evaluating their services through well-planned visitor research, interpreters can better focus on enriching visitors’ experiences. This paper presents findings from three Australian studies into visitors’ reactions to interpretation. At Kakadu National Park, guided activities provided more immediate responses to visitors’ questions on Aboriginal art and culture than on-site signs, while a well-designed interpretive mural mitigated people's disappointment at visiting a wetland area when no birds were present. Two studies of guided activities in Victorian national parks showed that participants were neither the “converted” nor the “same old faces,” and that they valued the very elements that make guided interpretation so special. This paper also demonstrates how variety and innovation in evaluation techniques can enhance the quality of interpretation research.

scholarly journals Woodland Expansion in Upland National Parks: An Analysis of Stakeholder Views and Understanding in the Dartmoor National Park, UK

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 270
Author(s):  
Olivia FitzGerald ◽  
Catherine Collins ◽  
Clive Potter
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
National Park ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Farming Policy ◽  
Woodland Expansion

Woodland expansion on a significant scale is widely seen to be critical if governments are to achieve their net zero greenhouse gas ambitions. The United Kingdom government is committed to expanding tree cover from 13% to at least 17% in order to achieve net zero by 2050. With much lowland area under agricultural production, woodland expansion may be directed to upland areas, many of which are national parks under some degree of conservation jurisdiction. This may prove to be controversial, requiring full engagement with the interests of those individuals with a stake in their protection and management. In this paper, we explore how a range of stakeholders view the prospect of woodland expansion in Dartmoor National Park in southwest England, UK. Fifteen stakeholders—a mix of key informants and farmers—were shown different woodland expansion scenarios in map form and consulted using semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest widespread enthusiasm for woodland expansion, but with significant differences in terms of the scale and approach. Stakeholders raised topics of biodiversity gain, climate change mitigation, environmental benefits, cultural ecosystem gain, and forest crop benefits. Caution was expressed regarding target setting, the place of woodland expansion in the national debate, and the potential for harm from inappropriate new planting. The constraints identified were land tenure patterns, notably tenancy insecurity and ‘common land’ challenges, historical farming policy and culture, landscape objectives, and future policy design.

scholarly journals Factors influencing ecotourism in Wasur national park Merauke regency

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-126
Author(s):  
Samel W. Ririhena ◽  
Alexander Phuk Tjilen ◽  
Edi Cahyono ◽  
Inez Cara Alexander Phoek
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Government Planning ◽  
The Government

Government planning to promote tourism in Indonesia, including national parks, needs to be more serious to have a positive impact on the economic welfare of a region and the welfare of the community, the same things for Wasur National Park (TNW) in Merauke, Papua Province, Indonesia. This paper reports on the determinant factors of TNW's role in its management as ecotourism and conservation parks. This study uses qualitative methods, with semi-structured interviews and face-to-face. Interviews were conducted with the Department of Tourism, TNW managers, Non-Governmental Organizations, community leaders, religious leaders and researchers from Musamus University and field observers. This research results as follows: TNW has a tourist attraction in the form of a natural panorama consisting of several different spots, many tourists who are not recorded (do not pay entrance fees). Lodging and culinary facilities are still managed traditionally. Therefore, foreign tourists bring their own equipment and needs. In general, transportation to TNW is relatively expensive. The Local Government provides buses for transportation from Merauke Regency to TNW, but tourists prefer renting a car. Local wisdom has contributed so that the natural conditions of TNW are still well preserved and most are still natural. On the other hand, there has not been a serious effort to promote TNW and partnership cooperation with related industries to optimize the potential of TNW has not been done much. The results of this study are crucial for the Government, industry, and the community in a joint effort to optimize the potential of TNW ecotourism to obtain a positive impact on economic life, improve community welfare and conservation.

scholarly journals Visitor responses to environmental interpretation in protected areas in vietnam.pdf

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Thuy Linh Phan ◽  
Christian Schott
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Entry And Exit ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Environmental Interpretation ◽  
Interpretive Services ◽  
Soft Management

<p>Environmental interpretation is regarded as an effective soft management strategy for educating visitors and managing their impacts on protected areas. Only limited research has been conducted on visitors’ views on environmental interpretation in protected areas in the rapidly developing destinations of South-East Asia, with particular gaps in understanding different visitor groups. This article seeks to fill this gap in the context of Vietnam by examining visitor responses to services for environmental interpretation in one of the country’s largest national parks. The research employed Importance-Performance Analysis and subsequent motivation-based visitor segmentation based on 237 sets of pre and post-visit questionnaires distributed by the authors as self-complete questionnaires at the entry and exit gateway to the national park. The findings highlight that site interpreters were considered the most important service providers, while displays at the museum and videos were identified as important but low performing. A number of differences between motivation-based visitor groups as well as some culturally-anchored response patterns emerged which highlighted the need for park management to consider different visitor groups; not only in terms of their motivations to visit but also their cultural backgrounds when designing, investing maintenance funding, and evaluating interpretive services. </p>

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