ISSN 1695-7121
Volumen 7, Número 2, 2009
www.pasosonline.org
© PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural. D.L. TF-2059/2002 ISSN 1695-7121 Revista cuatrimestral gratuita de distribución en web
http://www.pasosonline.org E-mail: [email protected]
Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales Universidad de La Laguna (España) COMITÉ EDITORIAL
DIRECTOR:Agustín Santana Talavera I.U. Ciencias Políticas y Sociales
Universidad de La Laguna E-mail: [email protected]
Coordinadores Book Review: Raúl Hernández Martín Dpto. Economía Aplicada Universidad de La Laguna E-mail: [email protected]
Luisa Andreu Simó
Dpto. Comercialización e Investigación de Mercados
Universidad de Valencia (España) E-mail: [email protected]
Editor adjunto: Eduardo Parra López Dpto. Economía y Dir. Empresas Universidad de La Laguna E-mail: [email protected]
Vocal: José Pascual Fernández I.U. Ciencias Políticas y Sociales Universidad de La Laguna (España) E-mail: [email protected]
Vocal: Alejandro Alvarado Herrera Universidad de Quintara Roo (México) E-mail: [email protected]
Secretaria: Carmen Vera Estévez I.U. Ciencias Políticas y Sociales Universidad de La Laguna (España) E-mail: [email protected]
EDICIÓN: Varadero Informática
CONSEJO CIENTÍFICO ASESOR
Alenka Verbole. Education development coordinator (OSCE)
Alessandro Simonicca. Univ. “La Sapienza” di Roma (Italia)
Álvaro López Gallero. Univ. de la República (Uruguay)
Anya Diekmann. Univ. Libre de Bruxelles (Bélgica)
Artur Cristovao. Univ. de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal)
Aurora Pedro Bueno. Univ. de Valencia (España)
Christou Evangelos. Aegen Univ. (Grecia) Dallen J. Timothy. Brigham Young Univ. (USA) Daniel Hiernaux. Univ. Autónoma Metropolitana (México)
Davis Gruber Sansolo. Univ. Anhembi-Morumbi (Brasil)
Diego Medina Muñoz. Univ. de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (España)
Dimitrios Buhalis. Univ. of Bournemouth (Inglaterra)
Elizabette Tamanini. IELUSC Joinville/Santa Catarina (Brasil)
Elisabeth Kastenholz. Univ. de Aveiro (Portugal)
Enrique Bigne Alcañiz. Univ. de Valencia (España)
Francisco Calero García. Univ. La Laguna (España)
Gemma McGrath. Univ. of the Arts London (Inglaterra)
Julio Grande. Asesor de Proyectos, Sepinum (España )
Llorenç Prats i Canalls. Univ. de Barcelona (España)
Margaret Hart Univ. de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (España)
Margarita Barretto. Univ. de Caixas do Sul (Brasil)
María D. Álvarez. Bogazici University (Turquía) Marianna Sigalas. Aegen Univ. (Grecia)
Michael Riley. Univ.of Surrey (Inglaterra) Raoul Bianchi. Univ. of East London (Reino Unido)
Regina Schlüter. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Turísticos (Argentina)
Richard W. Butler. Univ. of Strathclyde (Escocia)
Rosana Guevara Ramos. Univ. Autónoma Metropolitana (México)
Thomas George Baum. Univ. of Strathclyde (Escocia)
Vicente Monfort Mir. Univ. Jaume I (España) Yolanda Bethencourt. Univ. de La Laguna (España)
PASOS. REVISTA DE TURISMO Y PATRIMONIO CULTURAL
GUÍA DE ESTILO PARA AUTORES
Revista indexada en: DOAJ; Latindex; ISOC; Redalyc; DICE; E-Revistas; CAB-Abstract
PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural es una
publicación en web que se especializa en el análisis
académico y empresarial de los distintos procesos que
se desarrollan en el sistema turístico, con especial
interés a los usos de la cultura, la naturaleza y el
territorio, la gente, los pueblos y sus espacios, el
patrimonio integral. Desde una perspectiva inter y
transdisciplinar solicita y alienta escritos venidos desde
las ciencias y la práctica administrativo‐empresarial. Su
objetivo es cumplir con el papel de foro de exposición y
discusión de metodologías y teorías, además de la
divulgación de estudios y experiencias. Pretende
contribuir a otros esfuerzos encaminados a entender el
turismo y progresar en las diversas formas de
prevención de efectos no deseados, pero también
perfeccionar la manera en que el turismo sirva de
complemento a la mejora y desarrollo de la calidad de
vida de los residentes en las áreas de destino.
PERIODICIDAD: ENERO; ABRIL; OCTUBRE
Estilo: Para simplificar el proceso de revisión y
publicación se pide a los colaboradores que se ajusten
estrictamente a las normas editoriales que a
continuación se indican.
Entrega de originales: los trabajos deberán ser
remitidos a la dirección electrónica
[email protected] indicando en el Asunto (al
remitir el correo): PARA PUBLICACIÓN
Idioma: Los trabajos serán publicados en el idioma en
el que sean entregados (español, portugués, inglés o
francés).
Márgenes: Tres centímetros en todos los lados de la
página.
Tipografía: Se utilizará en el texto la letra Times New
Roman o Arial, tamaño 10, o similar. En las notas se
utilizará el mismo tipo de letra a tamaño 9. No utilizar
diversidad de fuentes ni de tamaños. Si se desea
destacar alguna palabra o párrafo dentro del texto
utilizar la misma fuente en cursiva.
Notas: siempre serán situadas al final, utilizando el
mismo tipo de letra que en el texto (Times New Roman
o Arial) a tamaño 9.
Título y datos del autor o autores: El trabajo debe ir
encabezado por su título en minúsculas y negrita. Bajo
él se insertará el nombre del autor o autores,
indicando su centro de estudio (universidad,
departamento, etc.), empresa o administración,
además de la especialidad y el correo electrónico de
contacto. Si se desea pueden ofrecerse más datos
biográficos en una nota, no sobrepasando las 60
palabras
Resumen: se debe insertar un resumen del artículo
(110 – 120 palabras) en el idioma en que está escrito y
su traducción al inglés. Para los artículos escritos en
inglés se aportará su traducción al español.
Palabras clave: se indicarán 5 – 7 palabras clave sobre
el tema principal.
Texto: El texto debe ser escrito a 1,5 de espaciado y
con una extensión de 5.000 a 9.000 palabras para
artículos y de 3.000 a 5.000 tanto para opiniones y
ensayos como para notas de investigación, incluyendo
Título, Datos Biográficos de los autores, Resumen,
Introducción, los apartados que se estimen oportunos,
Conclusión, Agradecimientos (si fuera pertinente) y
Bibliografía.
Cuadros, Gráficos e Imágenes: los artículos pueden
incluir cualquier grafismo que se estime necesario.
Deberán estar referidos en el textos y/o situados
convenientemente y acompañados por un pie que los
identifique. Pueden utilizarse colores, pero ha de
tenerse en consideración la posibilidad de una
publicación en soporte papel en blanco y negro.
Abreviaciones y acrónimos: deberán ser bien
deletreados y claramente definidos en su primer uso
en el texto.
Citas y Bibliografía: En el texto las referencias
bibliográficas harán referencia al autor y el año de
publicación de la obra citada. Por ejemplo: (Smith,
2001) o (Nash, 1990; Smith, 2001). Cuando se
considere necesaria una cita más precisa se indicará el
número de página (Smith, 2001: 34). La lista
bibliográfica al final del texto seguirá el orden
alfabético de autores, siguiendo el formato:
Smith, Valene L. y Brent, Maryann
2001 “Introduction to Hosts and guests revisited:
Tourism issues of the 21st century”. En Smith, Valene
L. y Brent, Maryann (Eds.), Hosts and guests revisited:
Tourism issues of the 21st century (pp. 1‐14). New
York: Cognizant Communication.
Smith, Valene L.
1998 “War and tourism. An American Ethnography”.
Annals of Tourism Research, 25(1): 202‐227.
Urry, J.
1990 The tourist gaze. Leisure and travel in
contemporary societies. London: Sage.
Para otro tipo de publicaciones se hará constar
siempre autor, año, título y lugar de celebración o
publicación y un estándar para documentos
electrónicos, indicando dirección y fecha de acceso.
Originalidad: Se requiere el compromiso de los autores
tanto de la originalidad de su trabajo como de no
remitir su texto simultáneamente a otros medios para
su publicación.
Derechos de autor y Responsabilidad: los autores
serán los únicos responsables de las afirmaciones y
declaraciones realizadas en su texto. El equipo editorial
de PASOS se reserva el derecho de utilizar en ediciones
compilatorias sucesivas los artículos editados.
Trabajos sometidos a evaluación por pares anónimos
externos a la revista. Se notificará a los autores el
resultado de la revisión realizada mediante una ficha
PASOS. REVISTA DE TURISMO Y PATRIMONIO CULTURAL
GUÍA DE ESTILO PARA AUTORES
Revista indexada en: DOAJ; Latindex; ISOC; Redalyc; DICE; E-Revistas; CAB-Abstract
© PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural. D.L. TF-2059/2002 ISSN 1695-7121 Revista cuatrimestral gratuita de distribución en web
http://www.pasosonline.org E-mail: [email protected] PASOS. Revista de Turismo e Patrimônio Cultural é uma
publicação eletrônica especializada na análise
acadêmica e corporativa dos distintos processos
relacionados ao sistema turístico, com interesse
especial pelos usos da cultura, natureza e território, a
gente, os povos e seus espaços, é dizer, o patrimônio
integral. A partir de uma perspectiva inter e
transdisciplinar, PASOS solicita e encoraja o envio de
escritos vindos das ciências e da prática administrativo‐
empresarial. Seu objetivo é cumprir o papel de fórum
de debates de metodologias e teorias, além da
divulgação de estudos e experiências. PASOS pretende
contribuir, juntamente com esforços oriundos de
outras áreas, para a compreensão do turismo e
avançar sobre as diversas formas de prevenção de
efeitos não desejados, bem como aperfeiçoar‐se à
medida em que o turismo sirva de complemento à
melhoria da qualidade de vida dos residentes nas áreas
de destino turístico.
PERIODICIDADE: JANEIRO; ABRIL; OUTUBRO
Estilo: Para simplificar o proceso de revisão e
publicação pede‐se aos colaboradores que seus textos
se ajustem estritamente às normas editoriais indicadas
em seguida.
Entrega de originais: os trabalhos deverão ser
enviados para a direção eletrônica
[email protected] indicando “PARA PUBLICAÇÃO”
no espaço Assunto do correio eletrônico.
Idioma: Os trabalhos serão publicados no idioma em
que forem entregues (espanhol, português, inglês ou
francês).
Margens: Três centímetros em todos os lados da
página.
Tipografia: Deve‐se utilizar no texto as fontes Times
New Roman, Arial tamanho 10 ou similar. A notas
devem apresentar o mesmo tipo de letra, no tamanho
9. Não utilizar fontes nem tamanhos distintos no texto.
Caso pretenda destacar alguma palavra ou parágrafo
utilize a mesma fonte em cursiva.
Notas: Sempre deverão vir ao final do texto, utilizando
o mesmo tipo de letra deste (Times New Roman ou
Arial), no tamanho 9.
Título e dados do autor ou autores: O título do
trabalho deverá ser redigido em letras minúsculas e em
negrito. O nome do autor ou autores seguirá logo
abaixo, indicando a instituição de origem
(universidade, departamento, empresa, etc.), a
especialidade e o correio eletrônico para contato.
Pode‐se inserir dados biográficos adicionais em uma
nota desde que esta não ultrapase 60 palavras.
Resumo: O artigo deve vir acompanhado de um
resumo no idioma em que está escrito (110 – 120
palavras) e sua tradução em inglês (resumo e titulo).
Para os artigos escritos em inglês deve‐se acrescentar
um resumo em espanhol.
Palavras‐chave: o texto deve conter entre 5 e 7
palavras‐chave sobre o tema principal.
Texto: O texto deve ser escrito com entrelinhas 1,5 e
com uma extensão entre 5.000 e 9.000 palavras para
artigos e de 3.000 a 5.000 tanto para opiniões e
ensaios como para notas de investigação. Os artigos
devem conter título, dados biográficos dos autores,
resumo, introdução, as divisões internas que se
julguem necessárias, conclusão, agradecimientos (se
pertinente) e referências.
Quadros, Gráficos e Imagens: Os artículos podem
conter quaisquer imagens que se façam necessárias.
Elas deverão estar referidas no texto e/ou situadas
convenientemente e acompanhadas por uma
identificação. Pode‐se utilizar imagens coloridas,
embora se deva avaliar a possibilidde de utilizá‐la em
formato papel, em branco e preto.
Abreviações e acrônimos: Deverão ser definidos
claramente no seu primeiro uso no texto.
Citações e Referência: No texto as referências
bibliográficas devem apontar o autor e o ano de de
publicação da obra citada. Por exemplo: (Smith, 2001)
ou (Nash, 1990; Smith, 2001). Caso seja necessária uma
citação mais precisa se indicará o número de página
(Smith, 2001: 34). A lista bibliográfica ao final do texto
seguirá em ordem alfabética de autores, de acordo
com o seguinte formato:
Smith, Valene L. y Brent, Maryann
2001 “Introduction to Hosts and guests revisited:
Tourism issues of the 21st century”. En Smith, Valene
L. y Brent, Maryann (Eds.), Hosts and guests revisited:
Tourism issues of the 21st century (pp. 1‐14). New
York: Cognizant Communication.
Smith, Valene L.
1998 “War and tourism. An American Ethnography”.
Annals of Tourism Research, 25(1): 202‐227.
Urry, J.
1990 The tourist gaze. Leisure and travel in
contemporary societies. London: Sage.
Para outros tipos de publicações deve‐se indicar autor,
ano, título e local de realização ou publicação. Para
documentos eletrônicos, deve haver um padrão,
indicando endereço e data de acesso.
Originalidade: Solicita‐se o compromisso dos autores
quanto à originalidade de trabalho submetido à
publicação e quanto ao não envio de seu texto para
otros periódicos ou outros meios enquanto este estiver
sob avaliação em PASOS.
Direitos autorais e Responsabilidade: os autores são
os únicos responsáveis pelas afirmações e declarações
contidas em seu texto. A equipe editorial de PASOS se
reserva ao direito de utilizar os artigos já editados em
compilações posteriores.
Trabalhos submetidos a avaliação por pares anônimos
externos à revista. Os autores serão notificados sobre
o resultado da avalição de seu texto mediante uma
PASOS. JOURNAL OF TOURISM AND CULTURAL HERITAGE
NOTES ON STYLE FOR CONTRIBUTORS
© PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural. D.L. TF-2059/2002 ISSN 1695-7121
Pasos. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Heritage
is an internet publication dedicated to the aca-demic and management-based analysis of the diverse processes inscribed within the tourist system, with a particular emphasis on the uses of culture, the environment and territory, people, communities and spaces, integral heritage. It en-courages articles from inter and trans-disciplinary perspectives, from both scientific and manage-ment points of view. Its objective is to provide a forum for the discussion of methodologies and theories as well as the presentation of case studies and the results of empirical research. It hopes to contribute to ongoing debates surrounding at-tempts to comprehend the phenomenon of tourism and to develop diverse approaches to the preven-tion of the undesirable consequences of tourism as well as enhance the quality of life of the residents of tourist destinations.
Frequency: January; April; October
STYLE: In order to simplify the process of edit-ing and publication contributors are requested to comply with the following editorial guidelines: Submission of original manuscripts: papers should be sent to the following email address: [email protected] inserting FOR PUB-LICATION in the ‘Subject’ box.
Language: Articles will be published in the lan-guage in which they are submitted.
Margins: 3 centimetres on all sides.
Font: Times New Roman or Arial, in 10-point or similar. The same font should be used in the footnotes, but in 9-point. There should be no variation in fonts or text size throughout the text. Highlighted paragraphs or words should be indi-cated in italics.
Notes: These should always be placed at the end of the article and written in the same font as the main body (Times New Roman or Arial) in 9-point.
Title and author note(s): The title of the article should be written in lower case and highlighted in bold, at the top of the first page. This should be accompanied by the author(s) full name(s) and title(s), indicating clearly their institutional affilia-tion, specialism and email address. If it is desired, further biographic details may be inserted in a separate note, not exceeding 60 words.
Abstract: An abstract must be included (max. 110-120 words)in the same language as the main article. This should be accompanied by a transla-tion in English, or, Spanish, if the language of the article is English.
Key words: A list of 5 – 7 key words should be provided, which relate to the principal themes in the article.
Text: Articles should be typed, 1.5 spaces apart, exceeding no more than 9,000 words (max. 35 pages), including the title, biographic information, abstract, introduction, relevant appendices, con-clusion, acknowledgements (if relevant) and bib-liography.
Tables, Diagrams and Figures: These can be included in the article where necessary. They should be referenced in the main text and/or situ-ated where convenient and accompanied by an explanatory sub-heading. Colour graphics can be used.
Abbreviations and Acronyms: These should be spelt out in full and clearly defined where they initially appear in the text.
References and Bibliography: The standard Harvard system should be used, indicating the author and date of publication of the relevant work. For example: (Smith, 2001) or (Nash, 1990; Smith 2001). Where it is necessary to include a more precise citation the page number should be included (Smith, 2001: 34). The bibliography should be in alphabetical order at the end of the article, and written in the following format: Smith, Valene L. and Brent, Mary-Ann
2001 “Introduction to hosts and guests revisited: Tourism issues of the 21st century”. In Smith, Valene L. & Brent, Mary-Ann (Eds.), Hosts and guests revisited: Tourism issues in the 21st century (pp. 1-14). New York: Cognizant Communications.
Smith, Valene L.
1998 “War and tourism. An American ethnogra-phy”. Annals of Tourism Research, 25(1): 202-227
Urry, J.
1990 The tourist gaze: leisure and travel in contemporary societies. London: Sage
For other kinds of publications, the name of the author, date of publication, title and place of pub-lication/conference title, should be stated.
Rights and Obligations of the Author: The authors are entirely responsible for the content of the article. The editors reserve the right to re-print articles which appear, in subsequent collections.
All papers are subject to external and anony-mous evaluation, the results of which shall be communicated to author(s), so that they heed observations and recommendations.
www.pasosonline.org
© PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural. D.L. TF-2059/2002 ISSN 1695-7121 Revista cuatrimestral gratuita de distribución en web
http://www.pasosonline.org E-mail: [email protected]
Volumen 7, Número 2 Abril 2009
ÍNDICE
Artículos
Organización Mundial del Turismo Conclusiones al seminario internacional: “Respuestas del Turismo Mundial a los Nuevos Retos de la Economía Global”
137
Juan Antonio Aguirre A Practical Application of Statistical Gap Analysis
in National Park Management in Costa Rica 141
Nieves Herrero La atracción turística de un espacio mítico:
peregrinación al cabo de Finisterre 163
José María Valcuende del Río Liz de la Cruz Quispe
Turismo, poblaciones locales y organizaciones no gubernamentales: un análisis de caso en Madre de Dios (Perú)
179
Gliceria Gómez Ceballos Alíen Martínez
Alternativa para el turismo de naturaleza.
Caso de estudio. Soroa. Pinar del Río. Cuba 197
Rafael Merinero Rodríguez Elias Zamora Acosta
La colaboración entre los actores turísticos en ciudades patrimoniales. Reflexiones para el análisis del desarrollo turístico
219
Irma Magaña Carrillo
Carmen Padín Fabeiro La investigación sobre la identificación de los recursos histórico-turístico del proyecto estratégico del Centro de la Ciudad de Colima: una experiencia de colaboración
239
Raquel Camprubí Jaume Guia Jordi Comas
La formación de la imagen turística inducida: un
modelo conceptual 255
Zaida García Valecillo ¿Cómo acercar los bienes patrimoniales a los ciudadanos? Educación Patrimonial, un campo emergente en la gestión del patrimonio cultural
271
Juan Antonio Mondéjar Jiménez José Mondéjar Jiménez
Claudia Sevilla Sevilla María Cordente Rodríguez
La Fundación Turismo de Cuenca:
Un nuevo modelo de gestión pública y privada 281
Natanael Reis Bomfim
Djaneide Silva Argôlo Análise discursiva da relação entre atividade turística, apropriação do território e patrimônio: contribuições para o planejamento sustentável do turismo na Bahia-Brasil
297
Claudio Quintana
Ruben Stagno Patrimonio y turismo: la activación turística patrimonial de Purificación (Paysandú, Uruguay) 307
www.pasosonline.org
ÍNDICE (cont.)
Opiniones y ensayos
Alfredo Ascanio Rutas gastronómicas chilenas : una aproximación al
tema 321
José María Filgueiras Nodar Una crítica rortiana al Código Ético Mundial para el
Turismo 327
Reseñas de publicaciones
Jordi Abella Pons Participación ciudadana, patrimonio cultural y
museos: entre la teoría y la praxis (Iñaki Arrieta Urtizberea (ed.))
337
Maximiliano Korstanje Cocina, Cuisine y Clase: estudio de sociología
comparada (Jack Goody) 341
Valdir José da Silva Políticas Públicas e as Transações em Regiões Turísticas (Bruno Martins Augusto Gomes)
345
Vol. 7 Nº2 págs. 137-140. 2009
www.pasosonline.org
© PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural. ISSN 1695-7121
Conclusiones al seminario internacional:
“Respuestas del Turismo Mundial a los Nuevos
Retos de la Economía Global”
Organizado conjuntamente por la Secretaría Permanente de Miembros Afiliados de la OMT y la Secretaría de Estado de Turismo de España
FITUR, Madrid (España) 29 de enero de 2009
Introducción
El seminario ha contado en esta edición -a diferencia de los precedentes-, con el conocimiento de que el turismo mundial se ha visto afectado negativamente por la crisis financiera a lo largo del pasado año y que las expectativas para 2009 confir-man el retraimiento ya iniciado en 2008. Por ello, se ha tratado de valorar cómo es el momento actual que atraviesa el sector en el contexto de la notable fragilidad de la economía global, qué consecuencias se derivan del mismo y qué respuestas pare-cen más convenientes.
Debe resaltarse la activa participación en el Seminario, que ha sido inaugurado por el Secretario General Adjunto de la OMT, de las autoridades turísticas guberna-mentales de España, con el Secretario de Estado de Turismo, así como de altas representaciones de otros Estados miem-bros de la organización. Y junto a estas representaciones, la estimable presencia y participación más de 200 asistentes, de empresas y diversos agentes del sector
privado provenientes de más de treinta países del mundo.
Finalmente, se reconocen con satisfacción las significativas y valiosas aportaciones del conjunto de cualificados expertos invi-tados a participar en este evento, de los que se ha obtenido una mirada amplia y panorámica, muy ajustada a la propia naturaleza del turismo.
Las conclusiones más relevantes alcanza-das tras los debates realizados se resu-men seguidaresu-mente:
1. Se comparte la fortaleza acreditada
138 “Respuestas del Turismo Mundial a los Nuevos Retos de la Economía Global”
sistemas vitales (clima, agua,..) y en la disponibilidad de algunos recursos bási-cos (petróleo, alimentos,..).
2. El reto principal en estos momentos es
no perder perspectiva. Se necesita traba-jar en la resolución de los problemas ac-tuales pero con una mirada amplia y complementaria al largo plazo y en línea con los grandes Objetivos del Milenio de la ONU.
3. El turismo, por su dimensión global,
no va a desaparecer y los ciudadanos no dejarán de viajar, aunque muy probable-mente van a cambiar sustancialprobable-mente sus paradigmas en los próximos años. El fu-turo va a ser muy diferente. Tenemos una gran oportunidad para protagonizar el cambio del modelo turístico que viene, para reactivar el sector y para asegurar un turismo mejor para todos.
4. La actividad turística va a sobrevivir a
la crisis, que tendrá consecuencias nega-tivas importantes sobre todo desde el punto de vista del empleo. Los gobiernos deben continuar invirtiendo en el sector turístico, teniendo en cuenta su valor exportador y su potencial para conducir la resolución de la crisis actual. La actividad turística que esta inversión fomenta, debe adaptarse a las nuevas realidades del medio ambiente y la disponibilidad de recursos esenciales, así como a las exigen-cias inaplazables de un turismo más ético y responsable.
5. Los momentos de mayor
incertidum-bre, como el actual, deben abrir la puerta a nuevas oportunidades, como, p.e., me-jorar la calidad de la oferta en empresas, destinos y productos. Es un buen momen-to también para poner a prueba lideraz-gos y buenas gestiones empresariales.
6. Se ha advertido que el consumidor ostenta en estos momentos una posición de ventaja y que, en consecuencia, las empresas deben hacerse ganar su con-fianza, comprometiéndose con la mejora de la calidad, compitiendo mejor para mantener sus posiciones, mediante flexi-bilidad en los precios, optimizando nuevas
tecnologías o incrementando rentabilida-des de los clientes disponibles.
7. Para no afectar negativamente a las
percepciones de los turistas una vía ne-cesaria para ganar su confianza es difun-dir los mejores análisis de la realidad en cada momento.
8. Se ha insistido en la conveniencia de la
búsqueda de nuevas alianzas inter-empresariales, así como en reforzar el diálogo y la cooperación entre los actores públicos y privados en todos los procesos conducentes a ofrecer respuestas adecua-das a la crisis desde los diferentes ámbi-tos territoriales.
Extractos destacados
“Esta crisis es distinta porque no esta limitada a una sola región geográfica. Tiene una forma y una proporción indefi-nida y parámetros que están poco claros. No obstante, el efecto más grave de la crisis es el riesgo de perder la perspectiva – y éste representa el reto principal. De-bemos evitar el peligro que es olvidar los objetivos de largo plazo –concretamente los Objetivos del Milenio de la ONU – por solo concentrarnos en las preocupaciones de corto plazo”.
Taleb Rifai, Secretario General Adjunto, OMT.
“El gobierno de España ha invertido más de 800 millones de dólares de ayuda a los países en vías de desarrollo a través de la ONU. Dentro de este gran esfuerzo mu-chos proyectos turísticos en estos países van a poder ser puestos en marcha. Con esta inversión y también con su apoyo a la OMT, el gobierno de España ha demos-trado su compromiso con una respuesta global a esta crisis. (…).
El gobierno de España acaba de hacer la inversión más grande hasta ahora conoci-da en la mejora de la infraestructura turística del país, demostrando su con-fianza en el futuro del sector turístico español.
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“El 50% del turismo se genera por el sec-tor privado. Debemos trabajar con más cercanía con el sector privado para asegu-rar un desarrollo más próspero para el futuro. (…)
Si perdemos la confianza, el consumidor lo sentirá y esto producirá una desacele-ración económica que solo puede reducir los recursos financieros del consumidor. (…)
Hoy tenemos una buena oportunidad para cambiar el modelo del desarrollo turístico. Ningún modelo comercial puede soportar más de 50 años de uso y por lo tanto ha llegado el momento para cam-biar y experimentar, para asegurar un futuro mejor para todos”.
Eulogio Bordas, Presidente, Miembros Afiliados de la OMT.
“Necesitamos hoy más que nunca, institu-cionalizar la actividad turística y eso no lo podremos hacer, ante las presentes circunstancias, empobreciendo significa-dos o reduciendo nuestros mensajes. (…) En el turismo este es un buen tiempo también para la participación activa, para el consenso, para reducir el número de adversarios, para vertebrar las posibles antinomias, para compartir el conoci-miento, para mejorar nuestras empresas y la calidad de nuestro trabajo personal. Es por ello un tiempo muy propicio para fundir la mejor gestión con los mejores valores éticos, sociales y ambientales que compartimos”
Javier Blanco, Director Ejecutivo, Miem-bros Afiliados de la OMT.
“La crisis presenta muchas oportunida-des, p.e., la caída del sector inmobiliario provocará una reducción del precio de los terrenos lo cual nos permitirá mejorar nuestra oferta hotelera. Ahora tenemos la oportunidad para ser más creativos en la oferta de experiencias únicas. Si analiza-mos el subconsciente del consumidor, entenderemos mejor lo que busca”.
Javier Gómez- Navarro, Presidente de las Cámaras de Comercio de España
“En general las personas son negativas ante las perspectivas de la economía mundial, pero positivas ante sus propias perspectivas y su propensión para viajar.
Los consumidores seguirán viajando pero puede que viajen menos o que elijan me-dios más económicos. El sector turístico tiene que responder a eso, reduciendo sus gastos no esenciales sin comprometer la calidad y el nivel de servicio. Es preciso desarrollar promociones de canales múltiples además de paquetes específicos con el fin de captar los distintos merca-dos”.
Martin Brackenbury, Presidente, Inter-national Federation of Tour Operators-IFTO
“Las medidas prioritarias para las eco-nomías avanzadas y emergentes son las siguientes: Estabilizar el sistema finan-ciero y reactivarlo; devolver la confianza en el sector financiero; evitar dañar a sectores prósperos; reactivar el conjunto de la economía.
Las crisis son paradójicas porque mien-tras desvelan las amenazas y debilidades estructurales, también nos atraen a tra-tar con la sostenibilidad, dependencia energética y adaptación al cambio climá-tico. (…)
Una desaceleración es necesaria para rectificar los excesos del boom.”
John Kester, Jefe del Departamento de Estudios de Mercado y Técnicas de Pro-moción de la OMT
“¿Es ésta una crisis económica o un cam-bio económico? Tras el mejor periodo de crecimiento de los tiempos modernos, nos encontramos ahora en una profunda cri-sis económica, ante graves retos en términos del cambio climático y de la bio-diversidad. Es imprescindible que nos adaptemos, que cambiemos nuestra men-talidad y que reduzcamos los impactos del sector en el medio ambiente”.
Fernando Prats, Arquitecto urbanista
pro-140 “Respuestas del Turismo Mundial a los Nuevos Retos de la Economía Global”
ducto interior bruto (PIB) y el incremento de la demanda agregada del turismo in-ternacional”.
Peter Keller, Ex Director de Turismo de Suiza y Director del Instituto de Turismo, Universidad de Lausana (Suiza)
“Los Estados deberían evitar gastar cada vez más en la promoción. Algunos de ellos están experimentando una reducción en el consumismo y en las llegadas. Debemos intentar que los consumidores sigan te-niendo en su mente a los destinos, pero mientras tanto analizar la eficacia de nuestro gasto. (…)
Será preciso invertir más en la economía de experiencias y en crear productos úni-cos/distintos. En el futuro tendremos que empezar a basar la planificación de nues-tros destinos en las relaciones entre el sector público y el sector privado y la ca-pacidad para los dos para crear productos que tengan su propia identidad; p.e. cam-biar la estructura de los OGD para que las decisiones se tomen al nivel local”. Carlos Martins Manuel Da Costa, Uni-versidad de Aveiro, (Portugal)
“Las empresas tienen que tener en cuenta sus impactos sociales y medioamientales, y trabajar con los lobbys para formar par-te de la solución y no del problema. El sector hotelero entero tiene que respetar el medio ambiente y apreciar la sostenibi-lidad. Mi empresa ha podido ahorrar 50.000 Euros al año simplemente por implementar recortes en su consumo energético”.
Esther Trujillo, Vicepresidenta, Desarro-llo Sostenible, Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts
“Para nosotros, hay dos factores que im-pactarán en el desarrollo de la crisis: primero, la volatilidad en el precio del petróleo y segundo, los efectos de la ac-tual situación económica en el turismo. (…)
No obstante, para satisfacer las nuevas exigencias del mercado, nuestro sector tendrá que orientarse más al consumidor, ofrecer un mejor nivel de servicio e inno-var y mejorar el producto”.
Antonio Pimentel, Subdirector Asuntos Aeropolíticos, IBERIA, L.A.E.
“El control y la regulación aérea todavía se ejercen por los Estados que deben invo-lucrarse más en el fomento de ‘cielos abiertos’ y en la regulación de las tasas aeroportuarias (…). Se precisa más libe-ralización para fomentar el desarrollo turístico pero esto no puede realizarse solamente a través de las medidas fisca-les. (…)
En vista de las actuales condiciones económicas, las compañías aéreas están reduciendo su oferta de capacidad, esta-bleciendo fusiones y alianzas y desarro-llando nuevas tecnologías para reducir el consumo del petróleo e impactos medio-ambientales. Tenemos que simplificar nuestro negocio todo lo posible”.
Javier Gallego Alonso Director de Opera-ciones Europa, IATA
“Esta crisis no es una reacción a un único evento sino a una serie de eventos. Ha afectado a los viajes corporativos además de a los viajes de ocio. Ya es tiempo para pensar globalmente y actuar localmente (…)
Vol. 7 Nº2 págs. 141-161. 2009
www.pasosonline.org
© PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural. ISSN 1695-7121
A Practical Application of Statistical Gap Analysis in National Park
Management in Costa Rica
Juan Antonio Aguirre González
iiUniversidad Interamericana de Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
Resumen: Si el crecimiento de turismo que se ha predicho se lleva ha cabo en Costa Rica las áreas protegidas verían los aumentos mayores de sus historia en la próxima década. Un estudio realizado en los parques nacionales Volcán Poas y Volcán Turrialba dos de los parques volcánicos mas importante del país con el fin de hacer disponible a los administradores de los parques nacionales y directores de áreas protegidas, un procedimiento, que permitiese identi-ficar las áreas de interés de los visitantes, utilizando una forma adaptada de la teoría de las expectativas y la discon-firmacion de las expectativas de satisfacción de visitantes a los parques nacionales, y evaluar si los resultados podr-ían ser utilizados para establecer las áreas de la infraestructura del parque, los servicios y las opciones recreativas que necesitan mejora y una administración eficaz para aumentar la satisfacción de visitante. La muestra incluyó 1414 encuestas entre visitantes locales y extranjeros en los dos parques. Las conclusiones indican que el procedi-miento se adaptó a los objetivos del trabajo y fue útil en: a) desarrollando la información para ayudar "a enfocar”, las decisiones de la administración en el corto y mediano plazo y para el desarrollo de los Planes de la Administración del Turismo en los 2 sitios, b) indicando al directores de los parques un mejor proceso de asignación del recurso, bajo las condiciones de la escasez de recursos común en países en desarrollo, c) facilitando, con una metodología sencilla y rápida que puede ser utilizada para "día al día" las decisiones de manejo y el análisis estadístico ,d) identi-ficando las áreas en que la administración de las áreas protegidas necesitan el análisis adicional y e) contribuir así al desarrollo de los programas de investigación socioeconómicas a largo plazo en parques nacionales, y f) la impor-tancia "verdadera" del las actividades de la información y educación en parques nacionales, combinación de activi-dades que parece ser crítica para aumentar la satisfacción entre los visitantes a parques nacionales y especialmente para la comprensión de si las necesidades de los visitantes y sus esperanzas concuerdan con la que se esta haciendo.
Palabras clave: Análisis gap; Modelo de expectativas-disconfirmacion; Administración del turismo; Parques Na-cionales; Costa Rica.
Abstract: If the tourism growth predicted materialized as tourism for Costa Rica protected areas would see major increases. A study conducted in Volcan Poas National Park and Volcan Turrialba National Park two of Costa Rica leading volcanic crater parks was undertaken to make available to national parks and protected areas managers, a procedure, that could be use: to measure using an adapted form of the expectations disconfirmation theory the satis-faction of visitors to Costa Rica national parks, and to evaluate if the results could be used for establishing the areas of the park infrastructure, services and recreational options that needed improvement and management decisions to enhance visitor's satisfaction. The sample included 1414 surveys The findings indicates that the procedure adapted base on the expectations-disconfirmation model was proven helpful in: a) getting the information to help “zero in”, the management decisions in the short and medium term and for the development of the Tourist Management Plans that is to say being developed in the 2 sites, b) guiding park managers in the resource allocation process, under the conditions of scarcity that are so common in developing countries, c) facilitating regular monitoring of the condi-tions, with a simple and quick methodology that can be used for “day to day” decisions and more sophisticated statistical analysis d) identifying the areas in the management of protected areas that need further analysis and in that way is contributing to the development of the long term socio-economic research programs in national parks, e) the “real” importance of the information and education activities in national parks, combination of activities that seems to be critical to enhance “consumer satisfaction” among the visitors to national parks everywhere and particularly as a means of understanding whether visitors needs and expectations are met, whether they receive what they should and as a context for analysis of human use on the country national parks.
Keywords: Gap analysis; Expectations-disconfirmation model; Tourism management; National Parks; Costa Rica.
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142 A practical application of statistical gap analysis in national park management...
Introduction
In 2003/2005, Central America as a re-gion, according to the World Commission on Protected Areas had 667 protected areas with 14,3 millions hectares of which 96 were national parks with 3,4 million hec-tares. The regional distribution is as fo-llows: El Salvador.,25811, Costa Rica 1,750,857.,Honduras 2,605,818.,Nicaragua .,Belice 1,080,832., Guatemala, 2,565,171.,Nicaragua, 2,940,568., and Pa-namá 3,279,521. The World Tourist Organ-ization is forecasting that by 2010, the Cen-tral American countries will be receiving between eight and 10 millions, of the fore-casted growth almost 60% will come in the area of nature base tourism (UNEP, 2005).
If the tourism growth predicted materia-lized tourism in protected areas would see major increases, therefore it is important that protected areas managers improved the management of visitors, in order to increase their levels of satisfaction expe-rience during the visit to the sites. The purpose of this paper is to make available to national parks and protected areas man-agers, a theoretical framework base in the expectations-disconfirmation theory of con-sumer satisfaction measurement and test its practical application for national park management.
Objectives.
The research objectives were: To meas-ure using an adapted form of the GAP analysis base on the expectations discom-firmation theory to the satisfaction of visi-tors to Costa Rica national parks.
The management objectives were: To es-tablish if the satisfaction measures derived for infrastructure, services and recreational options could be used for establishing areas of the park infrastructure, services and recreational options that need improve-ment and manageimprove-ment decisions to en-hance visitor's satisfaction levels.
Hypothesis.
The general hypothesis was: Significant differences exist between local and foreign visitors in satisfaction levels and the gap between the expected and the observed. for
park infrastructure, services and recrea-tional options.
Literature Review
The World Wildlife Fund reported the lack of visitor satisfaction consideration in the management of protected areas and national parks in 2004, and we quote: “One depressingly consistent problem is a failure to manage relations with people. Problems are evident in terms of both relations with local communities and indigenous people, the management of tourists, the provision of visitor's facilities, and the access to commercial tourism facilities” (WWF, 2004)
Why measure Satisfaction in National Park Visitors?
“Satisfaction is the consumer's fulfill-ment response. It is a judgfulfill-ment that a product or service feature, or the product of service itself, provide (or is providing) a pleasurable level of consumption-based fulfillment, including levels of under-or over- fulfillment…The definition proposed by Oliver, makes an important separation between consumer and customer, while consumer uses a product but may not pay for the product at the same time the cus-tomer pays for the product and uses the product. Two additional points are a) the idea of satisfaction is a feeling and b) the existence of a threshold in terms of under and over fulfillment of the feeling of satis-faction ( Bittner and Hubbert, 1994: Oliver 1994: Oliver 1997: Hom, 2000; Chang et all, 2002)
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“global” level of satisfaction (the overall service satisfaction) in contrast to the con-struct of a component level of satisfaction (the encounter level of satisfaction). ( Bitn-er and HubbBitn-ert, 1994)
Micro-Models of Customer Satisfaction This section summarized the best-known satisfaction micro-models: 1) the expectation disconfirmation models have consumers using pre-consumption expecta-tions in a comparison with post-consumption experiences of a prod-uct/service to form an attitude of satisfac-tion or dissatisfacsatisfac-tion toward the product or service. In this model the expectations develop from a belief about a level of per-formance that the product/service will pro-vide.,2) the perceived performance model is one in which expectations play a less signif-icant role in satisfaction formation, c)the norm model is one in which the consumer compares perceived performance with some standard performance, d)the multiple process model is one in which the consumer uses it more than one standard of compari-son in forming a ( dis) confirmation judg-ment.5) the attribution model is one in which the consumer uses three factors to determine attribution's effect in satisfac-tion., 6) the affective models are one that goes beyond the rational processes to in-clude emotions, liking and mood influence and 7 ) the equity models are one that em-phasizes the attitude about fair treatment in the consumption process( Erevelles and Leavitt,1992),(
Hom,20),(Oliver,1997),(Oliver,1999), (Mackoy and Spreng, 1995) (Parasura-man, Zeithami and Berry, 1985) and (Para-suraman, Zeithami and Berry, 1988) Appli-cations to Park Visitors.
A study in New Zealand concluded that satisfaction research in protected areas is minimal and fragmented in that country. (Latu and Everett, 2000). Reynolds and Braithwaite, study about wildlife tourism identifies, what are its essential characte-ristics, identifies the product, conditions favoring its development, motivation of the participants, the type of experience, the impacts and tradeoffs and concludes that there is a real need to understand the po-tential conflicts and problems arising in park management due to the lack of know-ledge about visitors needs and desires
visit-ing protected areas (Reynolds and Brath-waite, 2002).
Tian-Cole et all, study confirm two es-sentials elements, a) improved service qual-ity and satisfaction can result in improved visitation and b) raises question as to which of the two construct-qualities or sa-tisfaction- is “higher in order”. It remarks that “while wildlife refugee attributes are under the control of the managers, benefits that visitors obtain during the trip are not….However, to influence visitor's future decisions, managers can improve the attributes of the refuges”. (Tian-Cole, Crompton and Willson, 2002)
The work on compensatory satisfaction particularly in birding may help explain, that even though some parts of the main leisure activities did not met the expecta-tion of the visitor still by engaging in subs-titutes activities they end up with a plea-sant experience. The study indicates that is essential in order to use the information managerially to know what are the “sec-ondary” goals of the birder, therefore being able to provide compensation to the initial source of dissatisfaction.(Swan, Martin and Trawick, 2003).
A recent study on the international tour-ist satisfaction in Mongolia established the features about which the tourist were fied and those about, they were not satis-fied and base on the areas identisatis-fied as producing dissatisfaction, a series of rec-ommendations were made to the Tourist Board on the things that need to be asses more deeply with the idea of improving them. ( Yu and Goulden, 2005).
A recent study in Kenya conclude that the decline of tourist arrivals has to do more with other factors exogenous to the Kenya national parks than with the satis-faction with the parks themselves (Akama and Mukethe-Kieti, 2002).
visi-144 A practical application of statistical gap analysis in national park management...
tor perception of the environment as being “natural and attractive and likewise pro-viding a sense of adventure was the strong-est experiential themes managerial-ly.(Webb and Hassel, 2002).
Gaps an Important Concept
Based on the traditional definition of service quality by Parasuraman et all. the Gap Model was developed in 1985 ,were perceived service quality is base on five gaps using he disconfirmation paradigm. They conceptualize the perception of ser-vice quality as the difference between the expected level of service and the actual service performance... (Parasuraman, Zei-thami, and Berry, 1985). Leminen identi-fies three types of gaps. A type I gap exist when one or several actors perceive the same gap phenomena, but other actors do not. A type II gap exists refers to two actors having contradictory perception phenome-non. A type III gap is identifying when a third party interprets gaps based on evi-dence indirectly indicating a gap (Leminen, 2002).
Visitor Satisfaction in Protected Areas A study in Nicaragua conducted in 1998 at Volcan Masaya National Park estab-lished that on a scale of 1 to 5, the ranking of the satisfaction with the major activities was: hike the trails 4.2; picnic 3.9; see the crater 4.7; see the lava tubes 4.3; read the exhibitions in the visitors center 4.1; study nature 4.5; see the exhibitions 4.3; listening to rangers explanation 4.4; read the park brochures 4.4 and read the maps 3.6.The two major complaints were : 15 % lack of a restaurant and lack of general infrastruc-ture 11% (Ham and Whipple, 1998) .
In Costa Rica in 1999, a study conducted among visiting tourists to national parks, compared the ranking locals and foreign visitors gave to the quality of various ser-vices, in the case of restaurants 22.8% of the locals and 30.1% of the foreign tourist rank them as excellent, in the case of the availability of information 26% of the locals and 24.2% of the foreign rank them as ex-cellent and in the case of number of hiking trails 26.6% of the locals and 32.5% of the
foreign rank them as excellent (DeShazo and Monestel, 1999).
In Panama, in a study conducted in 2000, using a sample of 727 individuals, more than 80% reported that they were satisfied or very satisfy, with their expe-rience while visiting the parks located in the former Panama Canal Zone. (Ham and Weiler, 2000).
In the United States, if the Visitor Sur-vey Card Data Reports are reviewed, indi-vidually in the period between 1998 and 2004, the percentage of park visitors satis-fied overall with facilities, services and recreational opportunities, in 1998 was 95%, 1999 of 94%, 2000 of 95%, 2001 of 95%, 2002 of 95%, 2003 of 96% and in 2004 of 96%, values that can be regarded as highly satisfactory. During the same pe-riod, the only element that systematically fell below the 80% satisfaction level, was commercial services in the park (lodging, food services and gift shops) which in 1998 was 74%, in1999, 70%, in 2000, 71%, in 2001, 72%, in 2002, 73%, in 2003, 75% and in 2004 was 75%. (NPS, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004). .Another im-portant practical contributor in the United States, to the measurement of satisfaction that cannot be overlooked is the American Customer Satisfaction Index Service. (NQRC-ASCI, 2004)
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where the quality of service in national parks was among the highest rated of any federal government services (Parks Cana-da, 2003).
Materials and Methods.
Sites Location General and Maps. Volcan Poas National Park is an active volcano, with an elevation of 2,798 meters above sea level, a crater lagoon of about 1 million cubic meters of water, with a tem-perature of around 37 degrees Celsius, has 6,506.6 hectares, and it's high intensity use area is 18.7 hectares. In 2004 it received 263 thousand visitors, is located 30 km north of the city of Alajuela. The park is accessible by public transportation in a 2-hour ride from the city of San Jose. Ecologi-cally it has been classified as a cloud forest. Since its creation in the early seventies was, declare a “model” park and presents the best infrastructure facilities of any park in Costa Rica. ( Dobles Zeledon, 2001)
Volcan Turrialba National Park estab-lished in 1955, with 1257 hectares. The park consists of the volcanic edifice with very steep sides, mostly covered in mon-taine rain forest. It is a stratovolcano 3328 m high. On its flanks, there are several lava flows. The last eruption occurred in 1864-66 and nowadays there is solfataric activity. The access road is very steep in the upper part and so four-wheeled drive vehicles are required. The park receives around 6000 visitors a year mostly local and has very limited and rustic facilities. (Herrera Sibaja, 2004).
Sample Selection Procedure.
The interviews were conducted in the case of Turrialba by the park rangers, giv-en to each visitor giv-entering the park during the high season for a period of a month. Spanish and English copies of the survey were available. Visitors were ask return them once they were completed to the en-trance personnel as they departed. In the case of Poas, bi-lingual students adminis-tered the survey during two periods of one week during the high season. The non-response rate was less than 1%. 1414 usa-ble surveys were collected in the two sites.
The model adapted was the expectation disconfirmation model. “The model has consumers using pre-consumption expecta-tions in a comparison with post-consumption experiences of a facility, ser-vice or recreational opportunity or a combi-nation to form an attitude of satisfaction or dissatisfaction toward the facility, service or recreational opportunity. In this model the expectations develop for a facility, ser-vice or recreational opportunity comes from a comparison of perceived performance with some “ideal” standard performance”.
The “ideal” standard was develop in the case of locals visitor’s base on their “con-sumption” experience develop while visiting and enjoying, the country traditional “flag-ships” national parks and in the case of the international visitors “probably” develop during the visits to the parks in their coun-try of origin. This makes for differential expectations, something that we have ob-served repeatedly in Costa Rica, Volcan Poas National Park, were locals tend to be more lenient in their evaluation of satisfac-tion for a facility, service or recreasatisfac-tional opportunity than foreigners are.
Working Definitions
Satisfaction: was defined following Oliv-er wOliv-ere “Satisfaction is the consumOliv-er’s ful-fillment response. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product of service itself, provide (or is providing) a pleasurable level of consumption-based fulfillment, including levels of under-or over- fulfillment… (Oliver, 1997)
Overall Total Visitor Satisfaction (Awarded): was defined as the degree of match between the customer expectation with the infrastructure, services and recre-ational options provided by the nrecre-ational parks and protected areas in a “holistic” way and his/her perception of the actual infrastructure, services, and recreational options received rating, directly requested in one question at the end of the survey.
146 A practical application of statistical gap analysis in national park management...
by the visiting customer local or interna-tional base on their “socio demographic features, background, ethnic group and personal beliefs, and is an individual satis-faction level measurable for each of sub-component.
Expectations: are prejudices, desires, needs, wants and individual attitudes, which are influenced base on their socio demographic features, background, ethnic group, personal beliefs and the way he or she chooses to relate with the natural envi-ronment.
Customer Visitor (Local or Internation-al): are those that in order to enter the park and obtain the service or product must pay an entrance fee or be officially exonerated of such payment.
National Parks: are those define by the country.
Satisfaction Index (SI): Is the mathe-matical composite construct that results from the consolidation of “grades” assign by each visitor for each sub-category of infra-structure, service and recreational option components.
Scale: the scale used was a “ likert” type from one to 10 with one meaning total dis-satisfaction and 10 total dis-satisfactions. Its maximum values is arrived at when, the received infrastructure, services and recre-ational options was awarded a value of 10, meaning that A=E, (scale 0 to 10)*100 = 100%.
Dissatisfaction level: is the difference or “gap” from 100% and is assumed“a percep-tional measure” of the customer level of dissatisfaction.
The model supply side is define by two types of variables,
The “fix and given” this variable are not under the operational control of the nation-al park manager or administrative authori-ty of the site, and we have called them: the Ecocentric Provision Conditions Variables (EPCV): natural beauty, biodiversity, natu-ral resources and any special features pro-vided by nature, which are given by the natural conditions of the site and that pro-vided the specific recreational conditions of each site. The only real things the man-agement can do about these variables are to “provide safe access, information and
facilities for the purpose of enjoyment” whether there they are locals or interna-tional visitors.
The other group of variables is the “mod-ifiable” variables, which are those about which the park administration and man-agement can do something about in order to provide “satisfaction” making them available and facilitating the enjoyment by the visitor, and we have called them: the Anthropocentric Provision Conditions Va-riables (APCV): infrastructure, services and recreational opportunities or human made recreational conditions, conditions that when confronted with the expectation of the visitor about the infrastructure, servic-es or condition give rise to the value as-signed to the satisfaction grade between 1 and 10.
The demand or expectation side of the model is define by:
Socio Demographic Variables (SDV): age, sex, income, origin, company, educa-tion and ethical values. The ethical values are assume results from the socio-demographic characteristics of the visitors and are fix and given in the short-run.
Anthropocentric Expectations Condi-tions Variables (AECV): are the expected ideal conditions for infrastructure, services and recreational opportunities, that the visitors “brings” to the national park base on some sort of standards that he has al-ready develop prior to its arrival.
Therefore the possible results of the model application in its simplest form are:
EV+APCV = SDV+ AECV, the park is at a 100% match, between expectations and the provisions of infrastructure, services and recreation options. Managerially under ideal conditions, park management would not need to make any corrections in the short term.
If EV+APCV > SDV +AECV in this con-dition, park management does not need to make any managerial corrections for the time being.
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PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 7(2). 2009 ISSN 1695-7121
Process of Operationalization of the Model.
The first part of the process of operatio-nalization of the adapted model was a very long consultation process with park man-ager and rangers of Volcan Poas National Park, the most visited and best-equipped national parks in Costa Rica and Volcan Turrialba National Park one of the least visited in order to have information on the two extremes.The main conclusions from the consultation process were: a) that it was impossible to think of “pleasing” all the visitors, since they come from at least 50 countries, not including the locals, b) the process to be developed had to be simple, so that they could not only apply but under-stand it, c) have the potential of applying it other parks so that they can compare their results with those of others units in the system, d) had to be management oriented and that meant, oriented to identify areas park management needed to improve, in the “hope” that the problems (gaps) identi-fied can be “ improve” quickly with the idea that such actions will increase the “satis-faction” of the visitors and “hopefully” will provide the park with a good image locally
and internationally , “a good word-of mouth propaganda” and possibly a returning cus-tomer and e ) they wanted something that they could use to improve budget alloca-tion.The socio-demographic variables in-cluded age, nationality, gender, years of schooling (degree equivalent), monthly fam-ily income in the local currency for nation-als, converted later to US$ using the going exchange rate for the period of the inter-view, in the case of foreigners in US$ equivalent, travel company (alone, couple or group) in the case of groups the size of the group.
The mega components and subcompo-nents were developed base on what Volcan Poas National Parks had available since this park has been since its creation “a model” park for the National System of Conservation Areas Organization the agen-cy that administers all the national park in Costa Rica.
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teria and signage.
For the park services mega-component, the sub-components were six in total: park rangers, entrance personnel, trail map, park information material, park technical publications and park maps.
For the recreational options mega-component, the subcomponent were 9 in total: observe nature, see the volcanic cra-ter, walk the trails, observed birds and animals, walk with friends, walk with fami-ly, learn about the park, learn about biodi-versity and rest and relax.
Two additional questions were added: a) in a scale of 1 to 10 evaluated the overall satisfaction from the visit, 1 means totally un-satisfy and 10 totally satisfy and b) was there something that you expected to find and did not found and that finding it would have made your visit more enjoyable and satisfying.
The Idea of the Gap (Maximum Awarded Satisfaction Rating –Estimated Satisfac-tion Rating) in the Statistical Analysis
One interesting feature of the consulta-tion process since its beginning, was the fact that as the survey was being pre-tested, the resulting overall satisfaction level rating awarded to the visit was supe-rior to the overall estimated satisfaction level averaging all the sub components of the three mega- subcomponent. It was con-cluded after long conversations with the park personnel and other people knowled-geable of the day to day running of the parks, that what was important was not what influence the overall satisfaction rat-ing berat-ing awarded but “the Gap in Satisfac-tion between the Overall Awarded Rating and the Overall Estimated Rating”, which the idea of the GAP capture. ( Parasura-man, Zeithamy and Berry, 1985) and ( Le-minen, 2001)
The final survey length after all the re-finements was one page, took on the aver-age about 10 minutes to fill, was adminis-tered during the “high visitation” season which runs from Mid December to Mid May, and coincides with the “dry season in each location. The selection was done ran-domly in each location. Statistical Analysis
The key dependent variable was the GAP in satisfaction. The steps in the
statis-tical analysis were: a) development of the satisfaction index for each mega and sub-component, b) correlation matrix: to identi-fy those variables highly correlated with the key dependent variable, c) ANOVA estimation verify groups differences, d) standardizing the variables and estimating the multiple regression equations with standardized variables, to mean zero and variance one in order to determine the rank order of the variables using version No 12 of Minitab, e) evaluating the standardized equations at each stage removing those independent variables whose regression coefficients showed p values not significant at the 95% probability level and running the equation again, f) Verification of the logic of the models at each step against the practical experience gained during the sur-veys and discussions with each of the chief administrators in the two sites. This last step proved to be essential in the under-standing of the “logic” and potential appli-cation for park management purposes, but particularly if the results made any sense for operational purposes in the running and managing tourist in the two locations.
Results
Analysis of Variance: Differences be-tween and within types of visitors bebe-tween National Parks.
Between the two parks for foreign and local visitors combine.
The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted at two level. The first level was between the ratings given by all the visi-tors, in order to test the equality of means values, for each variable between the 2 national parks, Turrialba (T) and Poas (P) and second level was to test the within each park, local and foreign visitors equality of means.
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PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 7(2). 2009 ISSN 1695-7121
ferences between the two sites all the oth-ers were significantly different inn the ranking level for satisfaction. In recrea-tional options, all the variable were signifi-cantly different in the satisfaction ranking. In so far, as the values of the awarded satisfaction index, the 2 sites were not sig-nificantly different at the 95% probability level, receiving all values between 8.4 and 8.7 out of a possible “perfect satisfaction score” of 10. The estimated satisfaction index was in the case of Turrialba, lower than the value of the awarded satisfaction index in the case of Poas. The values of the GAP (Awarded-Estimated) were 3.3 points for Turrialba, and 0.4 for Poas.
Between the parks for local visitors. The results presented in Table 2, indi-cate that the in the socio-demographic cha-racteristic, non-significant differences be-tween the two sites at the 95% probability level were detected, in sex, and number of persons in the group. In infrastructure, all the variables were significantly different in the sub-component. In terms of the park services provided, all the variables were detected as significantly different with the exception of park rangers. In recreational options, all the variables were significantly different.
The values of the estimated satisfaction index for local visitors, in the two sites were significantly different from each oth-er, at the 95% probability level. The esti-mated satisfaction indexes were in the case Turrialba, 5.0, and Poas 9.0. The values of the GAP Awarded-Estimated were 2.8 points for Turrialba, and 0.3 for Poas.
Between the parks for foreign visitors. The results presented in Table 3, indi-cate that in the socio-demographic va-riables non-significant differences between the two sites at the 95% probability level were detected, in sex and persons in-group.
In infrastructure, the analysis detected significant differences in all the variables, but trails and lookouts. In terms of the park services provided, the analysis de-tected significant differences in all the va-riables but park rangers. In recreational options, the analysis detected significant differences in all the variables. The values
of the estimated satisfaction index for for-eign visitors, in the two sites were signifi-cantly different from each other, at the 95% probability level. The values of the GAP Awarded –Estimated, were 3.1 points for Turrialba, and 0.5, for Poas.
Satisfaction Index: Passing or failing grade.
The unanimous request was from the very beginning by park managers was to know and understand why, how did the park “do” in satisfying their customer the visitor, did they “pass or failed” the exami-nation, are visitors satisfy or not. The re-sult was the development of a scale, very similar to the “school” scale were anything below a 60% was “flunk” or failed, therefore the managers needed to worry about those sub-components and immediately find out was wrong, between 70% and 90% was “OK” for the time being and anything over 90% meant that whatever they were doing in those areas, satisfy the visitor at least in the short term.
The results of this “management deci-sion oriented” scale seem to have been what the administrators and park personnel were waiting for. Table 4, presents the re-sults, which by the way coincide with the analysis of variance of the “likert” scale values ratings. The issue here was to trans-late science into a “lay” person language. Base on the ANOVA results, all the indi-vidual ratings for local and international visitors were kept separate for each site. Table 4 summarized the results and points out for:
For Turrialba, in infrastructure, eating facilities, public transportation, souvenirs and exhibitions, parking areas, and public transportation seem to be critical, in ser-vices, information about the park, is critical and in the area of recreation options, ob-serve birds and animals are critical.
