Ecotourists' Motivational and Demographic Characteristics: A Case of North Carolina Travelers

Abstract

Ecotourism is currently a growing segment of tourism. This study reports results of a mail survey concerning moti vational and demographic characteristics of nature tourists who had recently traveled in North Carolina. While the majority of studies have focused on general tourist characteristics, few have tried to identify characteristics of nature-based travelers. This study confirmed previous findings regarding demographic characteristics of ecotourists: that ecotourists tend to be middle age with higher education and income lev els than general travelers and the general population. It also identified general and specific activity preferences of ecotourists. The top five general activity preferences were observing wildlife; visiting state parks, national wildlife refuges, and historic sites; and hiking wetland trails. The top five specific travel attractions were First Colony and Revolutionary War sites, Native American centers, camping and hiking tours, cultural tours to archaeological centers, and flora and fauna tours. Information source preferences of ecotourists were also examined.

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