Abstract
dc:description.abstractIt has been proposed that for ecotourism to be the sustainable response to mass tourism, it should not only support local communities and their environments but also educate visitors. This study aimed to understand visitors' perceptions of personal impacts, including personal learning, in an ecotourism setting and why these impacts differed between visitors. To fully comprehend the nature of personal impacts, I took a primarily qualitative approach, using participant observation and a series of survey questionnaires. This study reveals that the visitor's construction of personal meaning is achieved through the interaction between the visitor's prior knowledge, quality social interaction on the tour and the fulfillment of the desire for an 'authentic' experience. With this finding, I suggest considering learning in an ecotourism setting as personal change and provide practical suggestions for encouraging all visitors to achieve personal understanding.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Master of Science
- Level thesis:degree_level
- masters
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Forestry
- Department dc:contributor.department
- Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation
- Grantor dc:publisher
- Virginia Tech
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2017
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Hoffman, Brittany
- Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
-
- Stern, Marc J.
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
-
- McGehee, Nancy G.
- Glasson, George E.
Subjects
dc:subject × 3Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- In Copyright
- Licence dc:rights.uri
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Dc Identifier Other
- vt_gsexam:10898
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/77576