The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica
In recent years, the interests and motivations of tourists for nature and leisure have increased. The objectives of this study include following: (i) identifying the underlying variables or motivational dimensions in ecotourism; and (ii) analyzing the demand segmentation in ecotourism. This empirica...
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doaj-72a64157509444e7bc77b53dfb21d2ac2021-09-09T13:58:33ZengMDPI AGSustainability2071-10502021-09-01139818981810.3390/su13179818The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa RicaMauricio Carvache-Franco0Wilmer Carvache-Franco1Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua2Orly Carvache-Franco3Allan Pérez-Orozco4Facultad de Turismo y Hotelería, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón 092301, EcuadorFacultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanísticas, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Guayaquil 09015863, EcuadorEscuela de Administración de Empresas, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 1597050, Costa RicaFacultad de Especialidades Empresariales, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil 090615, EcuadorEscuela de Administración de Empresas, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 1597050, Costa RicaIn recent years, the interests and motivations of tourists for nature and leisure have increased. The objectives of this study include following: (i) identifying the underlying variables or motivational dimensions in ecotourism; and (ii) analyzing the demand segmentation in ecotourism. This empirical study was conducted in The Arenal National Park and The Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica, a country with ecological importance for ecotourism. The sample consisted of 310 surveys obtained in situ. For data analysis, factor analysis and a non-hierarchical K-means segmentation were performed. In the study, seven motivational dimensions in ecotourism were obtained, such as “Self-development”, “Interpersonal relationships and ego-defensive function”, “Nature”, “Building personal relationships”, “Rewards” and “Escape”. Moreover, the characteristics of the different segments are established according to their motivations; thus, there are three segments of ecotourists: “Reward and escape”, “Multiple motives” and “Nature”. The findings of this research provide management guides to public institutions and information for companies for developing products according to demand.https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/17/9818ecotourismmotivationsegmentationsatisfactionreturn |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Mauricio Carvache-Franco Wilmer Carvache-Franco Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua Orly Carvache-Franco Allan Pérez-Orozco |
spellingShingle |
Mauricio Carvache-Franco Wilmer Carvache-Franco Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua Orly Carvache-Franco Allan Pérez-Orozco The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica Sustainability ecotourism motivation segmentation satisfaction return |
author_facet |
Mauricio Carvache-Franco Wilmer Carvache-Franco Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua Orly Carvache-Franco Allan Pérez-Orozco |
author_sort |
Mauricio Carvache-Franco |
title |
The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica |
title_short |
The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica |
title_full |
The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica |
title_fullStr |
The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica |
title_sort |
role of motivations in the segmentation of ecotourism destinations: a study from costa rica |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Sustainability |
issn |
2071-1050 |
publishDate |
2021-09-01 |
description |
In recent years, the interests and motivations of tourists for nature and leisure have increased. The objectives of this study include following: (i) identifying the underlying variables or motivational dimensions in ecotourism; and (ii) analyzing the demand segmentation in ecotourism. This empirical study was conducted in The Arenal National Park and The Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica, a country with ecological importance for ecotourism. The sample consisted of 310 surveys obtained in situ. For data analysis, factor analysis and a non-hierarchical K-means segmentation were performed. In the study, seven motivational dimensions in ecotourism were obtained, such as “Self-development”, “Interpersonal relationships and ego-defensive function”, “Nature”, “Building personal relationships”, “Rewards” and “Escape”. Moreover, the characteristics of the different segments are established according to their motivations; thus, there are three segments of ecotourists: “Reward and escape”, “Multiple motives” and “Nature”. The findings of this research provide management guides to public institutions and information for companies for developing products according to demand. |
topic |
ecotourism motivation segmentation satisfaction return |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/17/9818 |
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