Environmental Sensibility and Human Values as Factors for Forming …
243
mass tourism, in terms of its volume, purpose of travel and reliance on infrastructure
and services (Weaver 2001).
Some studies predicted fast growth and the great expansion of the ecotourism
niche. Ecotourism is expected, by the tourism industry and academics, to continue
its rapid growth at a rate almost three times faster than tourism in general (Han et al.
2010). Schangner et al. (2016) predicted that the number of recreational visits to
European national parks would reach over 2 billion visitors and the value of 14.5
billion Euros annually by 2020. Estimates of Balmford et al. (2015) were even more
optimistic, with an estimation of 3.8 billion visits and a value of 26.9 billion US
dollars annually for all protected areas within Europe. Such great numbers indicated
the extensiveness of the Eco-movement and the impact of sustainable tourism policies, which recently described ‘environmentally-friendly behaviour’ as a new mass
tourism trend.
The increasing popularity of the concept of sustainable development has resulted
in tourism being viewed as an activity that could easily be developed within a concept
of ‘ecotourism’, while the lack of understanding of the complex nature of tourism
may cause severe impacts on the environment. Even though tourism activities are
highly dependent upon the natural environment, the prevailing lack of knowledge,
responsibility, and long-term planning has often resulted in development which is
neither environmentally nor culturally sympathetic to the host area. In this framework, the assessment of a particular tourist product does not depend on scale, but
rather on the effectiveness of the management practices that are applied to almost
any destination (Weaver 2001).
The research of the Center for Responsible Travel (2018) showed that contemporary travellers exhibit increasing concern regarding environmental and cultural
impacts, and are more likely to choose low-impact, sustainable travel options (68%
in 2018). Additionally, the percentage of travellers who have not considered ecofriendly vacation continues to decline, resting at 31% in 2018, compared to 39% in
2017. Despite the tourist’s concern and willingness to practice sustainable forms of
tourism, the tourist industry lags in delivering such products, as only about 4% of
the travel industry may be considered as being sustainability-focused.
3 Motivation and Human Values
Several studies investigated tourist needs, attitudes, motivation, and behaviour (IsoAhola 1982; Orams 2001; Curtin 2005) to try to identify key motivation elements
of the tourism phenomena, outlining two main factors: the need to escape and to
seek new experiences. Ekinci et al. (2013) identified the interaction between motivation and tourist consumption based on social or hedonic values, while others
advocated that a wide variety of behaviours could be explained as the function
of a small number of motivational needs (McCabe 2000). Crompton (1979) and
Fodness (1994) outlined several basic motivational dimensions of travel choice:
socio-psychological, prestigious, cultural, social, educational, and utilitarian, while
243
mass tourism, in terms of its volume, purpose of travel and reliance on infrastructure
and services (Weaver 2001).
Some studies predicted fast growth and the great expansion of the ecotourism
niche. Ecotourism is expected, by the tourism industry and academics, to continue
its rapid growth at a rate almost three times faster than tourism in general (Han et al.
2010). Schangner et al. (2016) predicted that the number of recreational visits to
European national parks would reach over 2 billion visitors and the value of 14.5
billion Euros annually by 2020. Estimates of Balmford et al. (2015) were even more
optimistic, with an estimation of 3.8 billion visits and a value of 26.9 billion US
dollars annually for all protected areas within Europe. Such great numbers indicated
the extensiveness of the Eco-movement and the impact of sustainable tourism policies, which recently described ‘environmentally-friendly behaviour’ as a new mass
tourism trend.
The increasing popularity of the concept of sustainable development has resulted
in tourism being viewed as an activity that could easily be developed within a concept
of ‘ecotourism’, while the lack of understanding of the complex nature of tourism
may cause severe impacts on the environment. Even though tourism activities are
highly dependent upon the natural environment, the prevailing lack of knowledge,
responsibility, and long-term planning has often resulted in development which is
neither environmentally nor culturally sympathetic to the host area. In this framework, the assessment of a particular tourist product does not depend on scale, but
rather on the effectiveness of the management practices that are applied to almost
any destination (Weaver 2001).
The research of the Center for Responsible Travel (2018) showed that contemporary travellers exhibit increasing concern regarding environmental and cultural
impacts, and are more likely to choose low-impact, sustainable travel options (68%
in 2018). Additionally, the percentage of travellers who have not considered ecofriendly vacation continues to decline, resting at 31% in 2018, compared to 39% in
2017. Despite the tourist’s concern and willingness to practice sustainable forms of
tourism, the tourist industry lags in delivering such products, as only about 4% of
the travel industry may be considered as being sustainability-focused.
3 Motivation and Human Values
Several studies investigated tourist needs, attitudes, motivation, and behaviour (IsoAhola 1982; Orams 2001; Curtin 2005) to try to identify key motivation elements
of the tourism phenomena, outlining two main factors: the need to escape and to
seek new experiences. Ekinci et al. (2013) identified the interaction between motivation and tourist consumption based on social or hedonic values, while others
advocated that a wide variety of behaviours could be explained as the function
of a small number of motivational needs (McCabe 2000). Crompton (1979) and
Fodness (1994) outlined several basic motivational dimensions of travel choice:
socio-psychological, prestigious, cultural, social, educational, and utilitarian, while