Toward a product-based typology for nature-based tourism: a conceptual framework

Abstract

The traditional view of nature-based tourists as a relatively homogeneous group has been questioned, and several scholars have suggested various segmentation typologies. This paper discusses market and industry changes and notes key trends, as Fordist tourist products have been replaced by post-Fordist and neo-Fordist products, with both McDonaldization and McDisneyization developments. A range of visitor-based typologies are reviewed, and the conflict between capturing the diversity of today's nature-based tourists while offering management bodies simple tools to segment visitors, identify core groups and improve their marketing is noted. In an attempt to overcome this conflict, the paper presents a conceptual framework which focuses on nature-based tourism products instead of tourist types, therefore incorporating aspects of both the demand and supply sides of the nature-based tourism industry market. A two-dimensional matrix is suggested, linking four basic travel motivations (nature conservation, nature experience, sports/adventure and hedonistic) to four different types of tourist products (independent, à la carte, customized and standardized), giving a total typology of 16 different types. The matrix should help protected area managers to better understand tourist needs, suggest management measures and help to create more sustainable forms of tourism. Empirical testing is suggested as a next step.

Keywords:

• nature-based tourism
• ecotourism
• typology
• classification
• product types
• protected areas

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Tanja Job and Ludger Brenner for their valuable advice on earlier drafts of this paper. The helpful comments of the editor and the three anonymous reviewers of JOST are also gratefully acknowledged.

A first draft of this paper has been presented at the New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Conference 2008, Hanmer Springs, December 3.