Towards a classification of Ecotourists in Fiji

Mafi-Stephens, Marica and Trupp, Alexander (2018) Towards a classification of Ecotourists in Fiji. [Conference Proceedings]

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Abstract

Ecotourism has gained increasing attention as a form of sustainable tourism over the last decades. Based on a case study of Fiji’s ecotourism resort Matava on Kadavu Island, this paper examines the sociodemographic profile and experiences of ecolodge visitors. Data was collected through face to face interviews of guests of the resort and from TripAdvisor.com online reviews. While there are many studies that have examined tourist profiles and experiences, few studies are available on ecotourists in the Pacific Islands context. This paper partly confirms past research on ecotourists’ sociodemographic characteristics; i.e. that they tend to be highly educated, middle aged to older travelers, and of high income classes. The majority of the interviewed guests can be classified as hardcore and dedicated ecotourists as proposed by Lindberg and align with Mowforth’s classification of the smooth ecotourist’ which mainly refers to middle-age to older travelers who like organized tours and travel experiences. Moreover, this study discusses preferred activities and experiences of ecotourists in a remote island resort. Ecotourists’ participation in particular ecolodge offerings such as nature based activities, socializations with local people, staff and other guests and cultural engagements showed to be of great importance but simultaneously their activities and local engagement are confined by the enclavic nature of a remote island resort.

Item Type:	Conference Proceedings
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General) H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) > School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Depositing User:	Alexander Trupp
Date Deposited:	07 Mar 2019 03:13
Last Modified:	15 Oct 2023 23:15
URI:	http://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/11241

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