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Understanding differences between various types of recreation user groups is key to planning for and managing resources to meet needs and achieve social, environmental and economic benefits. One of the outdoor recreation resources often... more
Understanding differences between various types of recreation user groups is key to planning for and managing resources to meet needs and achieve social, environmental and economic benefits. One of the outdoor recreation resources often used by recreationists is trails. The purpose of this study was to investigate how motorized users of trails differ from nonmotorized trail users as a way of understanding attitudes toward support for trail access for recreation activities, perceptions of importance of trail-related issues, and importance of specific trail management actions. Three groups of trail users, segmented according to technological dependence, were examined: (1) motorized users, (2) mixed users, and (3) nonmotorized users. Data were collected in Arizona, and a statewide sampling frame was applied. A combination of phone and mail instruments gathered data on trail opportunities in the state. The phone survey identified residents who participated in either motorized or nonmotorized trail uses, then the mail instrument gathered detailed information on level of trail use and opinions about various topics. This paper is based on 1,216 cases from the mail survey. Findings suggest motorized and nonmotorized trail users do differ and tend to feel access for their respective form of recreation is more important than access for other uses. All users preferred trails be managed for multiple uses but with motorized and nonmotorized activities separated. However, motorized and nonmotorized users were stronger supporters of single-activity trail use than the mixed users group. For specific recreation activities, motorized trail users were significantly more likely to feel access for motorized activities was more important than did nonmotorized users and vice versa. Greater overall support of nonmotorized trail activities was found with both motorized and nonmotorized users. Trail issues carried different levels of importance across the trail user groups. Motorized users expressed greater concern for litter and trash along trails, support for motorized recreation, and access to trails than did nonmotorized users. Nonmotorized users expressed greater concern for trail-funding issues and availability of directional signs. Translating issues into actions, nonmotorized trail users rated several management actions as being significantly more important than did motorized users. These results suggest agencies should maintain existing trails by repairing those that have been over used or are deteriorating. Managers may gain insight into two different groups, motorized and nonmotorized trail users.
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Travel behaviour has changed considerably over the past 25 years as the internet, social media and mobile systems have become integrated into our everyday lives. In particular, the nature and extent of information search is one of the... more
Travel behaviour has changed considerably over the past 25 years as the internet, social media and mobile systems have become integrated into our everyday lives. In particular, the nature and extent of information search is one of the most important aspects of travel behaviour effected by these advancements. This study assesses the impacts of these technologies on travellers’ information needs by comparing the results of studies by Vogt and her colleagues conducted before the advent of the internet and a comparable study conducted recently. The results of this study indicate that functional information is still most important, but the importance of all other information needs (i.e., hedonic, innovation, experiential, and sign) increased significantly as compared to the pre-internet era. Functional information was found to be more important before the trip than during the trip. Innovation and hedonic information were more important during the trip compared to before the trip. In the sign information construct, “social” stands out as being important compared to advisory or symbolic. The theoretic and practical implications are discussed as this study demonstrates the ways travellers search for and use information continues to evolve as the internet becomes more fully integrated into our daily lives.
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ABSTRACT This paper reports research completed in the falllwinter seasons of 200 112002 on home owners living in the wildland urban interface for the USDA Forest Service. The primary research focus was to understand human dimensions of... more
ABSTRACT This paper reports research completed in the falllwinter seasons of 200 112002 on home owners living in the wildland urban interface for the USDA Forest Service. The primary research focus was to understand human dimensions of wildland fire, particularly attitudes toward and approval of three fuel treatment types (prescribed burning, mechanical thinning, and defensible space). Questionnaires were mailed to homeowner lists obtained from county tax assessors in selected areas of Califomia, Colorado and Florida. The goal of the study was to understand similarities and differences between permanent and seasonal home owners. The consideration of wildland fire during the home buying process, recreation use levels, and attitudes toward and approval of fuel treatments were the dependent variables examined across three study areas for permanent and seasonal home owners.
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Research Interests: Perception and Tourism
A community is one type or scale for describing a place or collection of people. Traditional definitions use a village, town, or city as examples of a community. Contemporary examples of a community might include a group of people who... more
A community is one type or scale for describing a place or collection of people. Traditional definitions use a village, town, or city as examples of a community. Contemporary examples of a community might include a group of people who share a common interest such as a retirement or professional community, those who share values like a church congregation or an ethnic group, or virtual communities such as Facebook or Twitter. In the case of tourism, a community is typically based on a geographic ▶ location such as a town or city. A set of towns or cities that share some form of identity or geography and act as a region might be described as a host community. The basic concept of community development refers to community members coming together in a collective action to solve shared problems or seize opportunities. Community development in the tourism realm is focused on tourism as a means to empower people and provide them with skills to advance their local communities. Community wellbeing often evolves from this type of collective action being taken at a grassroot level. Many communities can trace their origins to early settlers discovering some type of natural resources that sustained their ability to live in that location and prosper as a society. Governance would likely have involved the residents agreeing on social norms and policies, as well as creating some form of funding to pay for their community activities. Tourism, in some communities, occurred “organically” as a place of services for those traveling to or through, while elsewhere development was planned and marketed to attract ▶ leisure or business tourists. Today, communities across the globe are accessible by tourists as the ability to ▶ travel almost anywhere in the world has greatly expanded over the past 100 years. While not all communities develop for tourism, most can claim they host tourists. Communities ranging from small rural destinations to massive cities appeal to various interests, and each can prosper as a▶ destination in differing ways. Tourism ▶ development is planned and implemented at many levels. The development scale can range from an individual or business to a state, country, or continent, whereas the community scale exists somewhere between a business developing a hotel, resort, or attraction and a larger government entity managing a state or national program. Examples of development scale that are smaller and larger than community-level development would be Disney Corporation building a new resort in Orlando, Florida, as business-level development,
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ABSTRACT This study examines online travel planning behavior through the lens of information foraging theory and uncertainty avoidance. An exercise in planning a hypothetical trip using only the Internet was completed by a sample of... more
ABSTRACT This study examines online travel planning behavior through the lens of information foraging theory and uncertainty avoidance. An exercise in planning a hypothetical trip using only the Internet was completed by a sample of individuals from a cultural background with high uncertainty avoidance (Belgium) and individuals from a cultural background with low uncertainty avoidance (United States) in a laboratory environment. In the exercise, individuals were asked to use the Internet to search for and hypothetically “purchase” air travel, accommodation, and activities for their trip. Results revealed that individuals from Belgium took a greater amount of time than Americans to complete the travel planning exercise, often using a ‘browsing’ style of web search, and exploring many travel options before deciding to “purchase.” In contrast, Americans tended to use “one stop shop” search style, often “purchasing” the first transportation, accommodation, or activity their searches produced, and booking multiple travel products or services on a single website.
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This article builds on the travel market segmentation research by examining outdoor recreation, sightseeing, and cultural activities as tourism niche markets. Unique to this research is the replication analyses using Manitoba and Arizona... more
This article builds on the travel market segmentation research by examining outdoor recreation, sightseeing, and cultural activities as tourism niche markets. Unique to this research is the replication analyses using Manitoba and Arizona as the cases. Results suggest that the nature of a vacation appears to be different across generally accepted niche markets in two distinct vacation destinations.
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ABSTRACT Stress is one of many impacts on host community residents that can result from tourism development. Unmitigated stress can lead to a variety of negative health and behavioral outcomes. Factors like personality, social support,... more
ABSTRACT Stress is one of many impacts on host community residents that can result from tourism development. Unmitigated stress can lead to a variety of negative health and behavioral outcomes. Factors like personality, social support, stress appraisal, and coping play a role in how stress affects individuals. This research conceptualizes the psychologically based stress and coping process in a tourism development context. Measurements of each element in the process are tested for construct validity in the context of cruise tourism development in Jamaica. Construct validity was supported for measures of social support and secondary stress appraisal. A measurement of coping was found to have a different factor structure in a tourism context than theoretically predicted. Valid measurement is critical to future research examining relationships within this psychological process and ultimately understanding how individuals' emotional and psychological quality of life is affected by tourism development.
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ABSTRACT Trails are a valued form of recreation that appeals to a wide variety of users. The uses that these trails support include walking, biking, running, inline skating, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and others. A challenge to... more
ABSTRACT Trails are a valued form of recreation that appeals to a wide variety of users. The uses that these trails support include walking, biking, running, inline skating, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and others. A challenge to trail managers is designing and managing a trail that appeals to diverse groups of users. This research examined the similarities and differences between distinct user segments on the Lansing River Trail located in Lansing, Michigan. Respondents were segmented based upon their reasons for using the trail. Five distinct user groups were identified: those who use the trail solely for exercise, training, recreation, transportation, or for mixed purposes. These and other distinctions will be discussed in this paper for both researchers and managers.
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This paper draws on recent developments in research on consumer behavior and attitudes to better understand the range of behaviors and attitudes inherent in a diverse urban area. Using a mail survey of Chicago-area residents, we collected... more
This paper draws on recent developments in research on consumer behavior and attitudes to better understand the range of behaviors and attitudes inherent in a diverse urban area. Using a mail survey of Chicago-area residents, we collected data (1) to examine residents' past visitation behavior and recommendations of places to visit and to avoid for a range of Chicago-area sites; and (2) to explore residents' attitudes (and distinguish between indifference and potential attitudinal ambivalence) toward the study sites using a bivariate model of attitudes. The study findings yielded insight into the mix of behaviors and attitudes that underlie urban recreation patterns and suggested several promising issues for future investigation.
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Tourism development in a community must acknowledge residents' attitudes toward and support for tourism as residents are often the business owners, service providers, or workers, and vote on tax millage funding infrastructure... more
Tourism development in a community must acknowledge residents' attitudes toward and support for tourism as residents are often the business owners, service providers, or workers, and vote on tax millage funding infrastructure investments. Few studies have examined longitudinal changes in hosts' attitudes to tourism. Using a 7-year period and employing a cohort analytical method, residents' attitudes and time-related effects (i.e., age, period, and birth cohort) were studied in an Alaskan island dependent on fishing-related industries with an emerging tourism industry from small cruise ships and outdoor recreation. Constrained multiple regression analyses identified age effect as the dominant variable explaining changes in residents'attitudes toward economic impacts. Successive young adult cohorts were more likely to have favorable attitudes toward tourism's economic impacts. Residents'perceptions of the leading industry (tourism or seafood) in the community, socioeconomic factors, and the effects of age and period explained variations in their attitudes toward tourism over time.
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This study examines the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty based on two dimensions of loyalty: attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty. By measuring a traveler’s actual future behavior on a longitudinal perspective... more
This study examines the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty based on two dimensions of loyalty: attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty. By measuring a traveler’s actual future behavior on a longitudinal perspective rather than just at a cross-sectional perspective, this research seeks to contribute to develop theoretical frameworks and quality measures of customer loyalty. The proposed model was tested in a hotel setting with structural equation analysis with the results showing that customer satisfaction is an important antecedent to attitudinal loyalty. Customer satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty were found to not be related to behavioral loyalty. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.
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ABSTRACT US tourists had been exploring Cuba with government licensed local guides on cultural exchange trips since 1999. In 2016, changes in US–Cuban relations have further opened Cuba to US tourists and some loosening of the government... more
ABSTRACT US tourists had been exploring Cuba with government licensed local guides on cultural exchange trips since 1999. In 2016, changes in US–Cuban relations have further opened Cuba to US tourists and some loosening of the government controlled tourism system. This research examines tour guides’ role in formulating US tourists’ perceptions of Cuba before more free-market tourism, including tour guiding, was allowed. Cuban government guides that work with a US receptive operator were interviewed using a semi-structured script by a local bilingual researcher. Cohen’s [(1985). The tourist guide. Annals of Tourism Research, 12(1), 5–29. doi:10.1016/0160-7383(85)90037-4] tour guide communicative roles and Canally and Carmichael’s [(2011). Political economy of destination image: Manufacturing Cuba. Tourism Analysis, 16, 731–746] image model with government prism filter were useful to interpret findings. Cohen’s tour guide roles were found amongst the government employed guides except for fabrication. Canally and Carmichael’s [(2011). Political economy of destination image: Manufacturing Cuba. Tourism Analysis, 16, 731–746] model was supported by the omnipresence of guarded responses by tour operators and their adherence to government controlled jobs and messaging to tourists, particularly US tourists.
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Population growth coupled with urbanisation has led to a decline in natural ecosystems throughout the world. Particularly in cities, urban developments continue to displace natural ecosystems and lead to cities being dominated by concrete... more
Population growth coupled with urbanisation has led to a decline in natural ecosystems throughout the world. Particularly in cities, urban developments continue to displace natural ecosystems and lead to cities being dominated by concrete and steel. However, with increasing recognition of the benefits of human interaction with nature, planning and design professionals are now making more deliberate attempts to introduce greenery into the built environment. Indeed, the fields of urban planning, public health, and park planning provide a rich account of the role that urban greening plays in human well-being. History of urban planning and greenspace began in Europe and America in the early 1800s. Early park settings were intended to benefit urban dwellers and factory workers who lacked exposure to clean air and greenery, whereas today planners develop green recreation areas for passive and active leisure pursuits. An interesting programme that started in the United States is ‘Park Prescriptions’ , which is ‘designed in collaboration with healthcare providers and community partners to utilise parks, trails, and open space for the purpose of improving individual and community health’. Horticultural therapy is another compelling initiative which promotes greater inclusion of greenery and active movement within healthcare settings, both inside buildings and the nearby environment. In such initiatives, park planners and managers work closely with urban planners and neighborhood developments to enhance access and leisure services in order to maximise associated physical and mental health and social benefits.
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This study investigated change in destination perception during the course of a vacation using in situ research tech-niques. Cognitive perceptions were represented by destina-tion knowledge and affective perceptions by destination... more
This study investigated change in destination perception during the course of a vacation using in situ research tech-niques. Cognitive perceptions were represented by destina-tion knowledge and affective perceptions by destination de-sirability. Prior experience and length of stay in the destination were examined as moderating the level of change between destination perception measures at the onset of a vacation and again upon leaving the destination. ANOVA models showed that experience was a significant main effect on increasing destination knowledge. Desirability percep-tions of the destination changed only slightly, and experience or length of stay did not explain any of the change. Findings suggest desirability is generally strong before a trip begins and is hard to affect during a trip particularly when tourists are satisfied with the destination, whereas knowledge levels improve during the course of a trip.
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Globally, landfills are being transformed into other uses because land resources are scarce, property values are increasing, and governments seek to reduce urban blight and adaptively reuse space. Park planners and city managers are... more
Globally, landfills are being transformed into other uses because land resources are scarce, property values are increasing, and governments seek to reduce urban blight and adaptively reuse space. Park planners and city managers are likely to find that gauging public perceptions of a landfill-to-park transformation and promoting such sites to potential visitors as highly challenging tasks, but important components of sustainability efforts. A landfill-to-park project currently underway is the transformation of the former Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, New York into Freshkills Park. Understanding supporters of and visitors to the park can inform the implementation of the transformation. The present research draws from consumer behavior, urban geography, and park studies to examine how residents’ place attachment, familiarity with, attitude toward, intent to visit, and support for the site varies by proximity to and experience history with the site. A mail survey to a random s...
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Research Interests: Psychology and Sociality
Understanding differences between various types of recreation user groups is key to planning for and managing resources to meet needs and achieve social, environmental and economic benefits. One of the outdoor recreation resources often... more
Understanding differences between various types of recreation user groups is key to planning for and managing resources to meet needs and achieve social, environmental and economic benefits. One of the outdoor recreation resources often used by recreationists is trails. The purpose of this study was to investigate how motorized users of trails differ from nonmotorized trail users as a way of understanding attitudes toward support for trail access for recreation activities, perceptions of importance of trail-related issues, and importance of specific trail management actions. Three groups of trail users, segmented according to technological dependence, were examined: (1) motorized users, (2) mixed users, and (3) nonmotorized users. Data were collected in Arizona, and a statewide sampling frame was applied. A combination of phone and mail instruments gathered data on trail opportunities in the state. The phone survey identified residents who participated in either motorized or nonmoto...
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A community is one type or scale for describing a place or collection of people. Traditional definitions use a village, town, or city as examples of a community. Contemporary examples of a community might include a group of people who... more
A community is one type or scale for describing a place or collection of people. Traditional definitions use a village, town, or city as examples of a community. Contemporary examples of a community might include a group of people who share a common interest such as a retirement or professional community, those who share values like a church congregation or an ethnic group, or virtual communities such as Facebook or Twitter. In the case of tourism, a community is typically based on a geographic ▶ location such as a town or city. A set of towns or cities that share some form of identity or geography and act as a region might be described as a host community. The basic concept of community development refers to community members coming together in a collective action to solve shared problems or seize opportunities. Community development in the tourism realm is focused on tourism as a means to empower people and provide them with skills to advance their local communities. Community wel...
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This paper serves as an introduction to the special issue on park marketing in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration. It frames the study of marketing and shows ties between marketing, marketing research and the broad field of... more
This paper serves as an introduction to the special issue on park marketing in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration. It frames the study of marketing and shows ties between marketing, marketing research and the broad field of parks and recreation administration. Tools marketers use to meet the needs of consumers are reviewed with attention to differences between goods marketing and services and experiences marketing. The fit and application of marketing to study park and recreation issues is considered through the work of critics and supporters. Some of the challenges with marketing park areas stem from differences in the mission of being a public versus non-profit provider. Other challenges include the advancement of integrated and sophisticated marketing applications, the practice of writing and using marketing plans in the park, recreation, and tourism fields, and the use of marketing research. Six papers selected for this special issue are introduced and framed acco...
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This paper examines wilderness users'response to recently established overnight camping fees at the Desolation Wilderness in California. Fee program evalua-tions have typically focused on economic or revenue issues, distributional o... more
This paper examines wilderness users'response to recently established overnight camping fees at the Desolation Wilderness in California. Fee program evalua-tions have typically focused on economic or revenue issues, distributional o r equity impact? of various pricing strategies, and questions of ' price fairness. In the case of wilderness recreation fees, it is also import an ^ t o recognize the complex public purpose of wilderness and the long history of not having access fees in wilderness. To evaluate these various factors, this paper examines the impact of past wilderness experience and residential proximity on response to wilderness use fees using data from the 1997 Desolation Wilderness Fees Study. The results suggest general support for wilderness use fees, but fees are judged to be less appropriate for wilderness than for more developed recreation facil-ities and services. Structural equation modeling shows that experienced wilder-ness users, experienced Desolatio...
Vortex is a place where the earth is exceptionally alive with energy. Tourists are often attracted to vortex sites, believing that this energy will enhance their spiritual and physical health. This study attempted to understand vortex... more
Vortex is a place where the earth is exceptionally alive with energy. Tourists are often attracted to vortex sites, believing that this energy will enhance their spiritual and physical health. This study attempted to understand vortex visitors, an under-explored niche tourism activity. Research was conducted at a famous vortex tourist destination in the Southwestern U.S. using a mixed methods approach that combined an on-site visitor survey with a mail-back resident survey, in addition to a social media analysis. Results suggested that vortex visitors have some characteristics that distinguish them from other visitors. They align closely with sustainable tourism principles. Public opinion of vortex tourism was mixed on social media. Additional interviews conducted with residents will clarify their attitudes about vortex tourism. These findings will be useful for destination planners and managers to address vortex sites as a distinct component of sustainable tourism. Keywords: Vortex tourism, vortex, sustainable tourism, niche touris