Visitor Satisfaction with Interpretive Tours Can Facilitate Pro-Environmental Behavior

Tourism is a major economic driver in many locations globally, and provides an incentive for the protection of the local environment. However, tourism itself can lead to environmental degradation through disturbance of wildlife, damage to structures, and more. Research suggests that preventing this ecological damage while maintaining a thriving tourism industry requires a combination of regulation, purposeful design, and education. This study investigated whether education on Hawaiian marine tours could effectively promote pro-environmental behaviors while meeting recreationists' expectations and improving their experience.

This study draws upon the Norm Activation Model (NAM), which is a learning theory that states that a person's pro-environmental behavior depends upon four components: awareness of a problem, acceptance of responsibility for the problem, identification of solutions, and ability to enact those solutions. Previous studies have used the NAM to explain long-term routine behavior, but less is known about how people employ pro-environmental behaviors away from home. This study examined the first two components of the NAM that interpretive education can most readily address: problem awareness and ascription of responsibility.

The researchers randomly selected tourists participating in marine boat tours near the island of Molokini, Hawaii, surveying a total of 439 individuals. The researchers administered questionnaires before and after the tours, which often preceded a snorkeling or scuba diving trip. The pre-trip questionnaire asked how much respondents expected to learn about each of five topics, from marine life to local culture. The post-trip questionnaire asked how satisfied respondents were with the amount they learned about each topic on the tour and assessed their awareness of local environmental problems, as well as their perceived responsibility to protect the environment. The authors then compared the pre-tour expectations with the post-tour satisfaction, and related these variables to the NAM. The authors selected participants from a variety of tour boats, run by a variety of commercial boat operators, during two different seasons.

The results suggest that overall satisfaction with education on marine species, nature, and coral reefs was somewhat high (over 70%), whereas participants reported lower satisfaction with interpretation on history (63%) and Hawaiian culture (42%). Participants who reported greater satisfaction on average had greater environmental problem awareness and ascribed more responsibility to themselves, according to the post-tour questionnaire.

Participants who went on different types of tours reported some differences in average satisfaction. Expectations, satisfaction, problem awareness, and responsibility were all higher on average on larger boats that tended to carry more snorkelers, as opposed to smaller boats that generally carried scuba divers. The authors speculate that this was due to increased focus on safety procedures on smaller boats, as well as greater background noise that inhibited the guide's speech.

Although the NAM theory relates problem awareness and ascription of responsibility to pro-environmental behavior, this study did not measure actual changes in behavior. The authors suggest that further research could evaluate changes in recreationists' behavior over time. The authors point out that some respondents may have biased their answers—either intentionally or unintentionally—to appear more knowledgeable or environmentally conscious. Importantly, the specific activities and topics involved in tourism vary by location; however, this study's results are consistent with other research.

The authors recommended that Hawaiian tour boats use interpretive education more extensively, and cover a broader range of social topics in addition to discussing nature. Specifically, to improve interpretation on history and culture, the authors suggest employing more native Hawaiian guides. They also recommended implementing a more consistent interpretive program across tour boats and guides. More research could help inform the best practices for a consistent educational program. The authors suggested that these recommendations could also be applied to tourism in other locations to increase the impact of environmental education on recreationists.