Ecological Orientation of Tourists: An Empirical Investigation

This study presents a tourist ecological orientation (TEO) construct based on the responses of participants who were asked to state the importance of various ecological features of planned tourist sites. The higher the TEO score, the more sensitive the person's attitudes toward the ecological requirements and responsibilities of tourist sites. A principal component factor analysis reveals two alternative dimensions of the TEO concept: ‘destination oriented’ and ‘visitor oriented’. The higher score that was given to the latter dimension supports the argument that successful implementation of ecological values at tourist sites requires a strong orientation towards consumer needs in addition to an ideological commitment to the environment. In addition, differences in ecological orientation patterns and structure were analysed along age and nationality.