Does Ecotourism Influence Environmental Awareness? A Methodological Approach Based on Virtual Reality and Physiological Responses

Laura Sinay; Aaron Tham; Vikki Schaffer; R W (Bill) Carter; Noel Scott

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Does Ecotourism Influence Environmental Awareness? A Methodological Approach Based on Virtual Reality and Physiological Responses

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Does Ecotourism Influence Environmental Awareness? A Methodological Approach Based on Virtual Reality and Physiological Responses

Laura Sinay, Aaron Tham, Vikki Schaffer, R W (Bill) Carter and Noel Scott

Annals of Ecology and Environmental Science, Vol.4(1), pp.1-10

2020

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Abstract

Tourism

ecotourism

neuroscience

methodology

More than 16,000 Scholars assert that engagement in nature-based activities is a critical approach to help modern society transform its contemporary culture into a sustainable one. This connection, however, has not been scientifically proven, because so far the methods applied relied on questioning and observing tourists involved in ecotourism activities, hence research samples were small and biased. This work presents an alternative methodological approach for exploring this influence with larger and less biased samples, while understanding how and why memorable experiences are evaluated and appreciated. It uses immersive virtual reality, mobile electroencephalograph, electro-dermal activity sensors, mobile eye tracker devices, a camera / software of facial expressions recognition, questionnaires and Bayesian Belief Networks. This methodological approach was built based on a multidisciplinary approach. It learnt from the tourism literature that the level of influence of nature-based activities on the way tourists relate with nature depends: on the experience (stimuli) and on tourists' profile (gender, age and socio-cultural background), previous level of environmental awareness, previously lived similar experiences (level of novelty) and motivations to enrol on the experience. Based on these learnings, this study proposes a methodology that uses non-voluntary reactions to assess the level of influence of nature-based activities on the way tourists relate with nature. To do so, this method compares tourists' non-voluntary reactions (brain waves, skin conductance, facial expressions and focus) to different simulated tourism experiences and how these affect the recall of the experiences.

Details

Title: Does Ecotourism Influence Environmental Awareness? A Methodological Approach Based on Virtual Reality and Physiological Responses
Authors: Laura Sinay (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Aaron Tham (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Vikki Schaffer (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
R W (Bill) Carter (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Noel Scott (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Annals of Ecology and Environmental Science, Vol.4(1), pp.1-10
Publisher: Sryahwa Publications
Date published: 2020
ISSN: 2637-5338
Copyright note: Copyright © 2020 Laura Sinay. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; USC Business School - Legacy; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450852202621
Output Type: Journal article

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