Using Mobile Eye-Tracking to Inform the Development of Mass Tourism in Iceland Towards the Principles of Ecotourism
Since the late 20th century, nature-based tourism, an alternative to mass tourism with a focus on natural environments, has steadily grown in popularity. Nature-based tourism areas are considered a platform for informal education and exemplify principles of environmental stewardship and conservation...
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ftwesternkent:oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-4054 2023-05-15T16:47:31+02:00 Using Mobile Eye-Tracking to Inform the Development of Mass Tourism in Iceland Towards the Principles of Ecotourism Graham, James Tyler 2018-07-01T07:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/3042 https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4054&context=theses unknown TopSCHOLAR® https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/3042 https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4054&context=theses Masters Theses & Specialist Projects eye-tracking ecotourism conservation Communication Technology and New Media Environmental Education Environmental Health and Protection Geography Tourism text 2018 ftwesternkent 2022-12-11T12:28:20Z Since the late 20th century, nature-based tourism, an alternative to mass tourism with a focus on natural environments, has steadily grown in popularity. Nature-based tourism areas are considered a platform for informal education and exemplify principles of environmental stewardship and conservation. Iceland, an island nation in the North Atlantic, is one area of the world that has seen dramatic growth in its nature-based tourism industry in recent years; tourists are drawn to Iceland in numbers five times the total population of the Country. The pressures of economic development have resulted in the continued promotion of Icelandic tourism, and, subsequently, the rapid, sometimes detrimental, development of tourist destinations. This study used a triangulated mixed methods approach including post-visitation assessments, mobile eye-tracking (MET), GPS footpath collection, and observational analysis to assess visitor experience and behavior in two popular Icelandic tourist destinations: Sólheimajökull and Þingvellir. Through the use of MET, a greater understanding of visitor behavior was developed in these areas. Results suggest that the infrastructure development which has occurred at Þingvellir is effective at managing tourist behavior; however, the less developed and more authentic environment of Sólheimajökull appeals more to visitor expectations of Icelandic tourism. Observing the strengths and weaknesses of the study sites revealed ways to guide the future development of the sites in ways that promote both education and conservation. Furthermore, the critical evaluation of the original methodology developed for this study also presents a technique by which the development of other nature-based tourism destinations can be assessed. Text Iceland North Atlantic Western Kentucky University (WKU): TopScholar Sólheimajökull ENVELOPE(-19.303,-19.303,63.557,63.557) |
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Western Kentucky University (WKU): TopScholar |
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ftwesternkent |
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topic |
eye-tracking ecotourism conservation Communication Technology and New Media Environmental Education Environmental Health and Protection Geography Tourism |
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eye-tracking ecotourism conservation Communication Technology and New Media Environmental Education Environmental Health and Protection Geography Tourism Graham, James Tyler Using Mobile Eye-Tracking to Inform the Development of Mass Tourism in Iceland Towards the Principles of Ecotourism |
topic_facet |
eye-tracking ecotourism conservation Communication Technology and New Media Environmental Education Environmental Health and Protection Geography Tourism |
description |
Since the late 20th century, nature-based tourism, an alternative to mass tourism with a focus on natural environments, has steadily grown in popularity. Nature-based tourism areas are considered a platform for informal education and exemplify principles of environmental stewardship and conservation. Iceland, an island nation in the North Atlantic, is one area of the world that has seen dramatic growth in its nature-based tourism industry in recent years; tourists are drawn to Iceland in numbers five times the total population of the Country. The pressures of economic development have resulted in the continued promotion of Icelandic tourism, and, subsequently, the rapid, sometimes detrimental, development of tourist destinations. This study used a triangulated mixed methods approach including post-visitation assessments, mobile eye-tracking (MET), GPS footpath collection, and observational analysis to assess visitor experience and behavior in two popular Icelandic tourist destinations: Sólheimajökull and Þingvellir. Through the use of MET, a greater understanding of visitor behavior was developed in these areas. Results suggest that the infrastructure development which has occurred at Þingvellir is effective at managing tourist behavior; however, the less developed and more authentic environment of Sólheimajökull appeals more to visitor expectations of Icelandic tourism. Observing the strengths and weaknesses of the study sites revealed ways to guide the future development of the sites in ways that promote both education and conservation. Furthermore, the critical evaluation of the original methodology developed for this study also presents a technique by which the development of other nature-based tourism destinations can be assessed. |
format |
Text |
author |
Graham, James Tyler |
author_facet |
Graham, James Tyler |
author_sort |
Graham, James Tyler |
title |
Using Mobile Eye-Tracking to Inform the Development of Mass Tourism in Iceland Towards the Principles of Ecotourism |
title_short |
Using Mobile Eye-Tracking to Inform the Development of Mass Tourism in Iceland Towards the Principles of Ecotourism |
title_full |
Using Mobile Eye-Tracking to Inform the Development of Mass Tourism in Iceland Towards the Principles of Ecotourism |
title_fullStr |
Using Mobile Eye-Tracking to Inform the Development of Mass Tourism in Iceland Towards the Principles of Ecotourism |
title_full_unstemmed |
Using Mobile Eye-Tracking to Inform the Development of Mass Tourism in Iceland Towards the Principles of Ecotourism |
title_sort |
using mobile eye-tracking to inform the development of mass tourism in iceland towards the principles of ecotourism |
publisher |
TopSCHOLAR® |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/3042 https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4054&context=theses |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-19.303,-19.303,63.557,63.557) |
geographic |
Sólheimajökull |
geographic_facet |
Sólheimajökull |
genre |
Iceland North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Iceland North Atlantic |
op_source |
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/3042 https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4054&context=theses |
_version_ |
1766037616289906688 |