Visitors' characteristics of guided interpretation tours

The interpretation service in national parks plays an important role in the overall visitors' perceived quality of the parks. Such a service can assist in explaining the services provided by the parks, the eco-system of the area and the management regulations from the parks. However, the interpretation function has limits and becomes an obstacle due to the limited interpretation budget and personnel. This study uses Taiwan National Parks as a case study to analyze the travelers' characteristics, including the demographic statistics, tourist specialization, tourist involvement and life style, as well as their satisfaction on the guided interpretation tour. Travelers were grouped into five clusters by tourist involvement to better understand the travelers' characteristics and to help build up the personal interpretation management suggestions for each cluster. The study results can help National Parks to have a better picture of the travelers' perception in relation to the personal guided interpretation tours provided by the Park. Furthermore, the study results will be a valuable contribution for improving the personal interpretation design of the Park. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.