RESEARCH NOTE: ENVIRONMENTAL MOTIVATION OF WHALE-WATCHING TOURISTS IN SCOTLAND

Authors: RAWLES, C. J. G.¹; PARSONS, E. C. M.²

Source: Tourism in Marine Environments, Volume 1, Number 2, 2005 , pp. 129-132(4)

Publisher: Cognizant Communication Corporation

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Abstract:

In 2001 and 2002 a survey was conducted to investigate levels of environmental awareness and motivation in Scottish whale watchers. Eighty-three percent of respondents regularly recycled items, 60% used energy-saving light bulbs, and 42% used other energy-saving devices in their homes. Forty-six percent regularly purchased organic or environmentally friendly products and 73% only purchased cosmetic/hygiene products that had not been tested on animals. Nearly half (46.6%) were members of environmental or animal welfare organizations, with 27.1% having participated in voluntary work for such organizations. The results demonstrate that Scottish whale watchers are much more environmentally motivated than the general public, and furthermore demonstrated higher levels of environmental motivation than whale-watching tourists studied in other parts of the world.

Keywords: Environmental motivation; Whale watching; Scotland

Document Type: Short communication

Affiliations: 1: *Department of Geography, University of Reading, Reading, England 2: †University Marine Biological Station Millport (University of London), Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland

Publication date: 2005-01-01

More about this publication?

Tourism in Marine Environments is an interdisciplinary journal dealing with a variety of management issues in marine settings. It is a scientific journal that draws upon the expertise of academics and practitioners from various disciplines related to the marine environment, including tourism, marine science, geography, social sciences, psychology, environmental studies, economics, marketing, and many more.