Library Dissertation Showcase

Exploring the attitudes and approaches to sustainable mountain-based adventure tourism across generations

  • Year of Publication:
  • 2023

This research aimed to explore the attitudes and approaches to sustainable mountain-based adventure tourism across generations. A literature review was produced to identify the key aspects of mountain-based adventure tourism, generations, and sustainability issues. It focuses on the disputed definitions of adventure tourism whilst categorising soft and hard adventure. The literature review further discusses generational characteristics and travel habits and debates the ideology of tourism sustainability and sustainable tourism. A questionnaire was conducted to investigate different generations perceptions on mountain-based adventure tourism, determining their likelihood to participate and subsequent motivators and prohibitors whilst enquiring about the participants previous sustainability efforts. This was distributed through social media and word of mouth using the convenience sampling approach before being analysed using SPSS. Results identify that whilst generation Z and millennials are most likely to participate in hard adventure, there is an even distribution of participants for soft adventure, with hiking presenting as the most popular activity. It was further discovered that nature appreciation is the primary motivator to participate in mountain-based adventure tourism, with cultural appreciation being the least important factor. Cost highlighted as the greatest preventor to all generations however, generation X and millennials explain that their children prevent them from participating in adventure tourism. Meanwhile. results show that baby boomers are least prevented by fears and phobias, suggesting that this is not the reason for their lack in hard adventure tourism. In terms of sustainability, this research identifies that whilst participants understood the impacts of their actions on the environment, they stated that they would continue to participate as the economic and social benefits outweigh the negative environmental impacts.

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