No abstract

Traditional views of regional development have focused on economic factors and potential innovation in technical and resource exploitation processes. Similarly, regional tourism development is usually couched in economic terms, such as number of jobs and increasing land values. This approach usually ignores the social and community aspects of tourism development; thus an alternative view argues that the community needs to be factored into our planning and development strategies to balance the traditional economic view. It is argued in this paper that fostering innovation in regional development is much more than a process of community consultation. Rather, what needs to be factored in is SPCC -social, political and cultural capital. This works in both directions; tourism development depends on a level of social, political and cultural capital in order to be a successful regional development tool (even in economic terms) while at the same time tourism development can be undertaken in a way that contributes to SPCC in the region. The paper outlines the key concepts of social capital, political capital and cultural capital. It does so within the context of regional tourism development and the concepts of systems of innovation and sustainable development.

No abstract

Camping in natural areas such as national parks is an important social activity and provides a way of reconnecting with nature to achieve personal, social, and health benefits. Experience and meanings are not well understood regarding camping in natural areas, and recent research is limited. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the motivations, experiences, and higher-order meanings of camping in two national parks in Western Australia, with a particular focus on the last of these. Important associated motivations included the "push" factor of addressing feelings of disconnection from nature, others, and self; and the "pull" factor of experiencing nature. Re-creation, reconnection and reaffirmation were key higherorder meanings. A deeper understanding of the camping experience highlights the importance of the people-natural environment relationship and shows how camping can benefit individuals and society.

No abstract

Ethics underlie all our decisions and actions. The aim of this paper is to, first, highlight the sorts of ethical positions that inform wildlife management and, second, to propose a different set of ecocentric ethical principles that not only provide for a more authentic visitor experience of nature but also enhance the long-term survival of wildlife. An ecocentric approach involves locating people in, rather than separate from, nature and so is not possible in locations such as zoos where barriers are physically constructed and maintained between people and wildlife, but should be more compatible with wildlife tourism that is based in rather than on nature. Focusing on wildlife tourism based in nature, seven principles derived from the literature are applied to a case study of dingo management on Fraser Island in Queensland, Australia. The case study demonstrates that recognising the intrinsic value of wildlife and developing a sense of moral obligation and moral reasoning toward the wildlife tourism experience can have positive outcomes for both people and wildlife. If management strategies work within a precautionary principle, acknowledge the interconnectedness between people and nature, and accept that wildlife belongs in nature, then a more ecocentric ethic is possible. This requires managers to engage in a reflexive process with regard to their own ethical position to facilitate the practical application of an ecocentric approach.

Resident perceptions survey (RPS) approaches to social impact assessment (SIA) in tourism are currently in vogue, but little discussion has taken place over the validity of this approach to SIA. This paper contends that there are serious limitations involved in RPS approaches when employed as a stand-alone SIA method, which throw doubt on whether the results obtained from these surveys in fact indicate actual impacts from tourism at all. While it is not disputed that the RPS approach can be an important SIA tool, it is argued that RPS results -if they are to be accepted as valid measures of social impacts -need to be supplemented by other research data, such as that obtained from visitor surveys, participant observation, in-depth interviews and, of particular focus in this paper, quantitative social indicator research. An integrated approach is recommended that aims to determine whether the impacts indicated in RPS results derive from tourism development or are caused by external factors, including factors that may well be 'imaginary' in nature. Hence, a combined approach attempts to triangulate the causal variables underlying the perceived impacts. The importance of undertaking such triangulation is not only to further understanding of the effects of tourism development on host communities, but to ensure that the incorporation of resident attitudes into tourism planning is undertaken in an informed manner that will benefit all concerned.

Arguably, all tourists are looking to fulfil dreams that involve some sense of a 'utopian' ideal, whether in the 'arms' of an ancient civilisation or relaxing on a beach, free of work-a-day worries. Similarly, the growth of ecotourism and adventure tourism represents touristic attempts to fulfil utopian dreams denied the urban resident. For most tourists, these utopian dreams are played out in the year's annual holiday. Other tourists move beyond the confines of this time capsule because they have no intention of going 'home' -their 'escape attempts' become a whole way of life. This paper brings together the sociology of tourism and of alternative lifestyles to understand the nature of a utopian subculture, long-term ocean yacht cruising. While by most definitions these people are tourists, in relation to other sociological concepts they are a utopian 'community' which espouses not only an explicit social critique but also utopian lifestyle goals. While our notions of 'utopian' thinking tend to a collective, not all those who seek utopian alternatives to mainstream society do so within the 'collective' community. A social critique and a vision of a better lifestyle can be expressed in more individuated action. This paper shows how a traveller subculture expresses these issues.When the 36ft sloop Moonshadow sailed up the Brisbane River, two adults and two children looked apprehensively at the huge city towering over them. They had left their home in inner London in part to get away from large cities and had managed to avoid a city anchorage for the past two years. Their cruising aim was always to avoid not only the impersonal city but also the routines that dominate life and work in cities. But, all across the Pacific, yachties told them the pile moorings up the Brisbane river were not to be missed, and it did look nice by the Botanic Gardens. But, it was not their idea of Utopia. No, but they could sit out the cyclone season here and do some repairs, provisioning and city sight seeing -and then move on back to the freedom of the open ocean and isolated anchorages.