Theorising visitor learning in ecotourism

Abstract

Visitor learning is the central aim in almost all definitions of ecotourism. However, theorising and research on visitor learning has largely been confined to behaviourist traditions of learning and education in only one type of ecotourism; namely, wildlife ecotourism. This paper argues for an expansion in the theoretical scope of visitor learning to include other forms of ecotourism, and other models of learning. To this end, the paper hypothesises forms of visitor learning associated with wildlife, adventure and community-based ecotourism, respectively, and positions them within a typology of philosophical traditions in environmental education for adults. The educational aims, curriculum, role of guides, learning activities, and learning outcomes for the three types of ecotourism are elaborated, and relevant theories of learning discussed for each. This paper concludes with recommendations for research and educational practice in ecotourism.

Keywords:

• visitor learning
• wildlife ecotourism
• adventure ecotourism
• community-based ecotourism
• learning theories

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank anonymous reviewers of this paper for suggesting the addition of tour guides as a category of analysis and for drawing his attention to the importance of the Theory of Planned Behavior in scholarship on visitor learning in wildlife ecotourism. These and many other valuable suggestions improved the paper immensely.