Influence of Interpretation on Conservation Intentions of Whale Tourists
This study surveyed tourists at the beginning and end of a whale watching boat ride to measure whether their intention to participate in three whale conservation activities was influenced by the presentations of interpretive tour guides during the trip. Trips with no interpretation were used as a control group, and three different interpretive approaches were use to compare how different psychological factors impacted intentions. Interpretation (as compared to no interpretation) was found to have a positive effect on conservation intentions. Emotionally-based interpretation produced the strongest and broadest increase in conservation intentions. The authors caution that conservation intentions do not necessarily endure over time, or predict behaviors, and suggest that additional measures might improve the likelihood of long-term behavior changes.
[Abstract excerpted from original source.]
“The concept of interpretation denotes on-site education while people engage in a guided nature-based activity. The literature suggests that interpretation influences conservation intentions but does not reveal whether the effect is constituted by interpretation or by other aspects of the guided activity. This study examined the effect of interpretation on conservation intentions on top of a wildlife viewing tour without interpretation, and differentiated among interpretation contents. In a field experiment among whale watchers, four interpretation conditions were implemented: (1) no interpretation (control group), (2) knowledge content, (3) responsibility content, and (4) emotion content. Whale conservation intentions were measured before and after the whale watching experience. The results indicate that interpretation has an effect on whale conservation intentions. The effect of emotion interpretation was larger than were the effects of knowledge interpretation and responsibility interpretation. Incorporating emotional messages, then, could contribute to successful interpretation in terms of promoting conservation among tourists.”