TY - JOUR
T1 - Visitors' values and environmental learning outcomes at wildlife attractions
T2 - Implications for interpretive practice
AU - Ballantyne, Roy
AU - Hughes, Karen
AU - Lee, Julie
AU - Packer, Jan
AU - Sneddon, Joanne
PY - 2018/2/1
Y1 - 2018/2/1
N2 - Wildlife tourism attractions, such as zoos and aquariums, are expected to play a major role in promoting environmental learning in society. This paper applies a refined version of Schwartz's (1992) Value Theory to develop a better understanding of zoo and aquarium visitors' personal values, and the impact of their values on their reflective engagement, learning, and self-reported changes in post-visit environmental behaviour. Findings revealed that personal values are related to post-visit environmental behaviour through the process of on-site reflective engagement. The findings highlight the importance of using a values-based approach to visitor interpretation, one that engages a broader range of visitors and enhances the impact of a wildlife tourism experience on visitors' environmental learning and post-visit behaviour.
AB - Wildlife tourism attractions, such as zoos and aquariums, are expected to play a major role in promoting environmental learning in society. This paper applies a refined version of Schwartz's (1992) Value Theory to develop a better understanding of zoo and aquarium visitors' personal values, and the impact of their values on their reflective engagement, learning, and self-reported changes in post-visit environmental behaviour. Findings revealed that personal values are related to post-visit environmental behaviour through the process of on-site reflective engagement. The findings highlight the importance of using a values-based approach to visitor interpretation, one that engages a broader range of visitors and enhances the impact of a wildlife tourism experience on visitors' environmental learning and post-visit behaviour.
KW - Aquarium visitors
KW - Conservation learning
KW - Environmental behaviour
KW - Environmental interpretation
KW - Environmental learning
KW - Schwartz Value Theory
KW - Wildlife tourism
KW - Zoo visitors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85029518230&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.tourman.2017.07.015
DO - 10.1016/j.tourman.2017.07.015
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85029518230
SN - 0261-5177
VL - 64
SP - 190
EP - 201
JO - Tourism Management
JF - Tourism Management
ER -