Profiling Taiwanese ecotourists using a behavioral approach

Researchers interested in ecotourists have explored their sociodemographic and travel characteristics and/or the benefits they seek from an "ecotourism" experience. Few have attempted to address why ecotourists travel to natural resource areas and whether their travel is accompanied by environmentally responsible behavior, especially after the travel experience. The purpose of this study was to develop a motivational and behavioral profile of a distinct segment of ecotourists-individuals who visited coastal wetlands located in Taiwan. The results indicated that tourists' motivations for visiting coastal wetlands vary and include motives (e.g., pursuit of physical health) not traditionally identified in studies conducted with tourists in the Western Hemisphere. Further, based on a profile of environmentally responsible behavior, three types (i.e., experience-tourists, learning-tourists, and ecotourists) of tourists were identified. However, only one of the three types of tourists fit the traditional definition applied to "ecotourists." (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.