WHAT MAKES WILDLIFE TOURISTS HAPPY AND WHAT DISAPPOINTS THEM? LEARNING FROM REVIEWS POSTED ON TRIPADVISOR
Journal Title: GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites - Year 2019, Vol 24, Issue 1
Abstract
Wildlife tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism sectors worldwide and has been increasingly used to promote tourism in certain countries. With 26 national parks and 61 wildlife reserves covering 13% of its land surface area, Sri Lanka has a great potential to become one of the world’s hotspots for wildlife tourism. However, in order to ensure a sustainable development of this sector it is essential to evaluate tourists’ level of satisfaction with their experience. This research examined the main factors contributing to tourist satisfaction / dissatisfaction in Sri Lanka’s most visited national park. QDA Miner and Wordstat software were used for the qualitative content analysis and coding of reviews posted by international tourists on TripAdvisor. The research revealed that the great majority of visitors were satisfied with their visit at Yala National Park. However, this overall assessment masks a highly uneven visitor experience which was understood only after qualitatively analyzing the content of the visitors’ comments. The study found that satisfaction/dissatisfaction of visitors depends on three main factors: the number and diversity of animals, the number of vehicles and tourists and the knowledge and skills of guides and drivers. These findings have a number of managerial implications which are highlighted at the end of the study.
Authors and Affiliations
István EGRESI, Thambiliya Godage Supun Lahiru PRAKASH
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP502953
- DOI 10.30892/gtg.24109-346
- Views 99
- Downloads 0
Geoheritage as the Basis for Geotourism Development: A Case Study in Jeli District, Kelantan, Malaysia
Jeli is a district in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia, which blessed with many beautiful geological landforms/landscapes, unique geological phenomena and precious earth materials. They are potential geological heritage o...
A THEORETICAL MODEL OF PARENTAL FACTORS AND STUDENTS’ CAREER DECISIONS TO JOIN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN CHINA
China is now enjoying fast growth of international tourism development, which contributes to creating a large amount of employment in the tourism and hospitality industry. For the sake of gaining competitive advantage, t...
Biodiversity Conservation, Community Development and Geotourism Development in Bromo-Tengger-Semeru-Arjuno Biosphere Reserve, East Java
The objective of the paper are to identify levels of bio-geodiversity of Bromo-Tengger-Semeru-Arjuno area, describes local community and factors triggering biodiversity disturbance and declines, and establishes recommend...
HALAL TOURISM COMMUNICATION FORMATION MODEL IN WEST JAVA, INDONESIA
This study aims to know a Halal tourism communication model. This research methods was conducted based on qualitative methods with data collection techniques through observation and Focus Group Discussions. The results i...
GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF GEOTOURISM BASED SEASONAL ECONOMY IN LAHAUL AND SPITI, HIMACHAL PRADESH (INDIA)
Geotourism is a segment of tourism that has developed and gained significance worldwide in recent years. It is of paramount significance in the trans-himalayan region that has diversity of geomorphosites located amidst e...