Values of Ecotourism in an Urban Setting: Hong Kong

Josiah Chan

The City University of Hong Kong

Background – academic

• The agenda of ecotourism in western countries covered beyond the tourism sector

• In Hong Kong, the discussion was about…

– The resources and their sustainability (Mckercher & Fu,

2006)

– The marketability in relation to destination

management (Mckercher & Chan, 2002)

– The business opportunity (Chan et al., 2008)

• Limited research concerning the broader goals and aspirations of ecotourism from a community perspective

Background – industry

• Hong Kong has achieved only limited success in ecotourism development in terms of business potential and increasing tourist arrivals (McKercher & Chan, 2002; McKercher & Fu, 2006; Chan

et al., 2008)

• However, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is still promoting this niche sector aggressively (HKTB, 2010)

Objectives

• To identify the values of ecotourism in Hong Kong – from a broader perspective

• To identify the possible mode of developing ecotourism in Hong Kong

Literature Review – Value for community

• The true value of ecotourism could relate to economic, environmental, societal and cultural issues in a community (Pickering et al., 2007)

– A broader conservation strategy (Stem et al., 2003)

– Not only environmental functions, but also

cultural and social functions such as

recreational and educational functions (Ohe, 2008)

– Foster transformations in ecological

consciousness leading to a sustainable human-

environmental relationship (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2009)

– The cause of new values & social relations (Stronza, 2007)

Literature Review – Value for industry

• Mass tourism market could benefit ecotourism by providing a diversified choice in soft ecotourism mode accommodating the ‘green’ trend

• Ecotourism also benefited from the mass market through its supply of a large number of clientele generating economic of scales amendable to sustainability (Weaver, 2001b)

Literature Review – True value?

• Ecotourism generating numerous beneficial impacts for the host communities, tourists and environments (Weaver, 2001a)

• Ecotourism was related beyond the tourism industry, although the cost and benefit to other sectors remained ambiguous

– Disproportional benefit distribution among

stakeholders in China (He et al., 2008)

– Benefits mostly external operators and urban

residents, rather than rural residents who were

the direct suppliers in Indonesia (Walpole & Goodwin,

2000).

Literature Review –Promotion

x Barriers for the success of ecotourism business, namely enterprise, agency, host community, and networks (Silva and McDill, 2004)

x Small business owners lack of marketing skill or high cost of advertising

�Montreal’s geo-tourism: Utilizing government funding to develop website with interactive map guide and podcasting made (Verner et al., 2009)

�Internet has proven to be a popular information source for ecotourists (Donohoe &

Methodology

• Qualitative approach

• Relevant literatures were reviewed

• Non-structured questionnaire was developed

– 1st section: current development of ecotourism

in Hong Kong, with a particular focus on the

community involvement in ecotourism activities

– 2nd section: broader benefits of ecotourism

beyond the tourism industry, and possible

business model of ecotourism service provider

• Interviews conducted in Sep/Oct-2010

Profile of interviewees

Name Primary role Additional role

1 Mr. S.M. Chan

Eco-tour destination scenery photographer

N/A

2 Mr. K.

Chung

Public relations

expert in the tourism field

Ecotourism

association organizer3 Mr. L.

Cheung

Lecturer at academic

institution

Ecotourism course

trainer4 Ms. Q.

WongEco-tour operator N/A

5 Mr. E. Cheuk

Freelance reporter and editor of tourism

trade publications

Research student majoring in tourism

Findings – Recent ecotourism development

• Two major types of clienteles: domestic tourists and inbound tourists

• Domestic market has rejuvenated recently because of the establishment of geo-parks

– Some travellers with keen interest to learn

more

– Most considered geo-park tours as sightseeing

• Geo-tourism could be major attraction in future

• Some guides take-up professional development

Findings – Ecotourism in relation to domestic tourism

• Domestic market was merely surviving

• Activities were mostly for leisure only, and did not bear any education or conservation label

• Some experienced tourists well-coordinated with own arrangement generating limited economic benefits

• Possible negative effects of tourism activities

Findings – Ecotourism in relation to inbound tourism

• Inbound market was still insignificant

• Taiwan, Japan, and Korea: Operators included eco-tours, the number of visitors was still small, but awareness increased. Some individual travelers might stay longer

• Caucasian market: Operators provide eco-tours as an alternative, feedback was encouraging, particularly the cruise travelers to Sai Kung, Luk Keng and Sam Mui Tsai in Tai Po

Findings – Possible business mode

• Number of travellers and business volume were insufficient to support a sizable eco-operator

• Some nature-loving foreigners set up small-scale or even home-based travel agency, with out of genuine love for nature and seeking fun and discovery, but not financial reward

• Promoted on websites and through social marketing channels like facebook and twitter

Findings – Ecotourism beyond tourism industry

• Benefit the overall community

– Extended stay and spending

– Positive word-of-mouth about the scenery,

travel experience, and destination image

– Training up school teachers

– Enhancing students’ awareness towards

environmental protection

– Educating the environmental-friendly citizens

– NGOs gained support to initiate ecotourism

activities or environmental protection projects

– The benefits to the environment in the long run

Findings – Value of Ecotourism

• The significant economic benefits to the tourism industry were yet to be proven,

• Other aspects should not be underestimated

– The locals gained better understanding about

the natural assets available in the territory

– Initiate upgrading of eco-guides’ standards

– Raised awareness in environment protection

– Temporarily suspension of residential projects

at the precious Marine Park - Hoi Ha Wan in

Sai Kung

Findings – To be improved

• The urban image was contradictory to the traditional concept of ecotourism destinations

• The short lifecycle of ecotourism products made it detrimental for its development

• HKTB’s promotion was delivered but a minority group of tourists were attached

Conclusion

• Some possible values for HKTB’s investment in eco-tourism promotion in Hong Kong

– Increased awareness towards the environment

and anti-pollution issues

– Expanded biodiversity as a result of the

limitation of destructive development projects

– Enhancement of environmental conservation

programmes

– Increasing popularity of recreational activities

Conclusion

• Ecotourism should be positioned to supplement the mass tourism activities for inbound tourists, particularly for repeated travelers and well-educated nature lovers

• Development of ecotourism should not be limited within the tourism industry

• The existence of such a niche tourism sector would benefit the community as a whole in a progressive pace

Conclusion• The value of ecotourism should be studied

widely from a macro perspectives

Overall Community

-Resources conservation

-Environmental

awareness

-Support on eco-projects

-Love our city

Tourism Industry

- Small business

-Alternative choice

Ecotourism

Sector

Overall

Environment/Destination- Destination image

- Positive WOM

References

• AFCD, HKSAR (2010). Ecology of Hong Kong. Assessed on Sep-20, 2010 from

http://www.hknature.net/eng/ecology/index.html

• Chan, J., Wong, A., & Mak, B. (2008). Business Potential of Ecotourism in Hong Kong: Challenges

and Opportunities. Proceedings of 5th China Tourism Forum 2008.

• Donohoe, H.M., & Needham, R.D. (2006). Ecotourism: The Evolving Contemporary Definition. Journal of

Ecotourism, 5(3), 192-210.

• Donohoe, H.M., & Needham, R.D. (2008). Internet-

based Ecotourism Marketing: Evaluating Canadian Sensitivity to Ecotourism Tenets. Journal of

References

• He, G., Chen, X., Liu, W., Bearer, S., Zhou, S., Cheng, Y., Zhang, H., Ouyang, Z., & Liu, J. (2008).

Distribution of Economic Benefits from Ecotourism: A Case Study of Wolong Nature Reserve for Giant Pandas in China. Environmental Management, 42,

1017-1025.

• Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2009). Indigenous

Ecotourism’s Role in Transforming Ecological Consciousness. Journal of Ecotourism, 8(2), 144-160.

• HKTB, HKSAR (2010). Hong Kong National Geopark. Assessed on Sep-20, 2010 from http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/ge

opark.html

References• Joly, M-C., Verner, A., & Cote, A. (2009). Urban

Geotourism: The Case of Montreal. e-Review of

Tourism Research, 7(6), 124-132.

• Law, R., & Cheung, C. (2007), Air Quality in Hong

Kong: A Study of the Perception of International Visitors. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 15(4), 390-401.

• McKercher, B., & Chan, J. (2002), Urban Ecotourism:

Challenges and Opportunities. Journal of Tourism, 5(1),

77-93.

• McKercher, B., & Fu, C. (2006), Living on the Edge. Annals of Tourism Research, 33(2), 508–524.

• Moscardo, G. (2008). Sustainable Tourism Innovation: Challenging Basic Assumptions. Tourism and

References

• Ohe, Y. (2008). Impact of Rural Tourism Operated by Retiree Farmers on Multi-functionality: Evidence from

Chiba, Japan. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 13(4), 343-356.

• Pickering, C.M., Bear, R., and Hill, W. (2007). Indirect

Impacts of Nature Based Tourism and Recreation: The Association between Infrastructure and the

Diversity of Exotic Plants in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia. Journal of Ecotourism, 6(2), 146-157.

• Stem, C.J., Lassoie, J.P., Lee, D.R., and Deshler, D.J. (2003). How ‘Eco’ is Ecotourism? A Comparative Case Study of Ecotourism in Costa Rica. Journal of

Sustainable Tourism, 11(4), 322-347.

References• Silva, G., & McDill, M.E. (2004). Comparison of

Agency and Business Perspectives. Journal of

Sustainable Tourism, 12(4), 289-305.

• Stronza, A. (2007). The Economic Promise of

Ecotourism for Conservation. Journal of Ecotourism, 6(3), 210-230.

• Walpole, M.J., & Goodwin, H.J. (2000). Local Economic Impacts of Dragon Tourism in Indonesia. Annals of Tourism Research, 27(3), 559-576.

• Weaver, D. (2001a). Ecotourism. Milton, Queensland: John Wiley & Sons.

• Weaver, D. (2001b). Ecotourism as Mass Tourism: Contradiction or Reality? Cornell Hotel and

Thank you for your attentionWelcome for comments

Q&A Session