‘Beyond Business as Usual’: Implications of Tourist Experiences for Ecotourism Development.

oleh: Gabriel Eshun, Prince Osei-Wusu Adjei, Alexander Yao Segbefia

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: AfricaJournals 2016-02-01

Deskripsi

This study examines benefits and experiences of tourists to Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary in Ghana and how management of the site can benefit from additional insights from the System’s model, the 3Ps (Personnel, Physical evidence and Process management) of service marketing and Beeho and Prentice’s (1997) ASEB (Activities, Settings, Experiences and Benefits) demi grid analysis. The study employed mixed-method approach involving data from the visitors’ book and in-depth interviews with staff of the Sanctuary. In total 2401 visitors made comments during the period of 2009 to 2014. The data from the visitors’ book were analysed quantitatively using descriptive statistics in IBM SPSS version 21. The qualitative data from the interviews were subjected to thematic explication. The study revealed benefits and experiences of the tourists to the Sanctuary to include closeness to nature, adventure tour, research, education, birding and volunteerism, among others. The conclusion echoes the need for attention to the nexus of benefits and experiences of tourists and makes recommendations for marketing of the Sanctuary towards ecotourism development.