Community-based ecotourism to meet the new tourist's expectations: an exploratory study

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HEORETICAL BACKGROUND
 
The new tourist’s behavior 
Tourist activity negatively impacts the environment and its population (Buckley & Araujo, 1997; 
Holleran, 2008). As realization of the environmental and social damage caused by tourism swells, 
tourists will increasingly prefer to involve themselves in more sustainable and more responsible 
forms of tourism (Dimanche & Smith, 1996).

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We will try to draw up a general portrait of the new tourists, to define their expectations and their 
characteristics in order to show how the main features of community-based ecotourism are a 
suitable answer to current expectations of the new tourists. 
Tourism is a dynamic phenomenon which involves the vagaries of human behavior and which 
thus cannot be dissociated from the changes and transformations of a society (Le Roy, 1999). The 
demand for mass tourism, which was insensitive to its economic, environmental and social 
effects, is being replaced by a demand for sustainable tourism, more concerned of its impact. It 
should be noted that the demand for sustainable tourism is far from being homogeneous. Indeed, 
various tourist preferences exist and each tourist can have at once various and potentially 
conflicting demands (Meyer, 2005). Nevertheless, some common characteristics and preferences 
are emerging which make it possible to draw up a general portrait of a new tourist. 
Initially, tourism was reserved for the elite. During the 1950s, tourism was extended to broader 
layers of society largely as a result of the economic growth that ensued the end of World War II.
As a result of the rapid economic growth, les Trentes Glorieuses, lifestyles were transformed, 
vacations were lengthened, purchasing power increased, and urbanization increased, thereby 
reinforcing the demand for leisure (Le Roy, 1999). To meet this new demand, mass tourism was 
developed which provided a fixed tourist package, identical for all customers (Cuvelier, 1994, 
p.40). 
Mass tourism is primarily centered on the pairings “sun and sea” and “sun and mountain.”
Tourist products are highly standardized and result in the development of destinations such as the 
Balearic Islands or the French Riviera. This kind of tourism, referred to as “fordist”, is had by a 
standard, inexperienced tourist, in search of hot climates and suntan within the framework of 
organized holidays (Poon, 1993). Mass tourism came to its peak between 1970 and 1980 but 
reached its quantitative and qualitative limits at the end of the 20th century (Moutinho, 2000). 

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In reaction came the advent of the new tourists or “post-fordist tourists” (Urry, 1995), who 
rejected mass tourism and demanded alternative forms of tourism. New tourists can be 
distinguished from former tourists because they are more experienced, more ecologically aware 
but also more spontaneous and more unpredictable. New tourists are also accustomed to a greater 
degree of flexibility and independence (Poon, 1993; Ioannides & Debbage, 1997).
The general framework of behavior has changed: travelers leave more frequently and for shorter 
periods, distant destinations are preferred, people are no longer attached to a particular locality, 
and rigidly packaged holidays are rejected in favor of unique designs (Poon, 1993; Urry, 1995). 
The motivations to travel vary with a downward trend for the “
sun and sea
” destinations (Aguilo, 
Alegre & Sard, 2005). ‘‘These new consumers want to be different from the crowd. They want to 
affirm their individuality and they want to be in control’’ (Poon, 1993, p.219) 
One of the most important characteristics of the new tourists is the commitment to responsible 
travel, which is a product of increasing environmental concern as well as growing sympathy 
toward the local populations of the visited countries. Additional characteristics of the new tourist 
can be found in various studies which analyze types of tourists. 
In the case study by King and Hyde (1989), anti-tourists are studied. Anti-tourists perceive 
themselves as nonconformist and correspondingly pursue unique forms of tourism. They avoid 
mass tourism and assign a great value to authenticity.
In the study by Dalen (1989), new tourists are identified as the modern idealists and the 
traditional idealists
. The modern idealists seek excitement and entertainment but are also 
interested in more intellectual and cultural activities. They refuse mass tourism and fixed 
itineraries. The traditional idealists await a quality tourist offer that ensures peace and security as 
well as visits to famous places and access to the culture and lifestyle of the local population.

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The new tourist is also a synthesis of three types of tourists proposed by Cohen (1972): the 
experiential tourist, the experimental tourist, and the existential tourist. The experiential tourist 
is in search of authentic experiences. The principal desire of the experimental tourist is to be in 
contact with the local population. The existential tourist wishes for total immersion in the local 
culture and lifestyle. Each type wants to be affected by the local population rather than be 
ignorant of the population and the impact of tourism. 
Another interpretation of the new tourist is Gray’s (1970) wanderlust tourist who pursues multi-
destination holidays and seeks foreign cultural experiences to satisfy the hunger for learning as 
well as for exoticism.
More recent studies (Crouch, Devinney, Dolnicar, Huybers, Louviere & Oppewal, 2005; 
Dolnicar, Crouch & Long, 2008; Dolnicar & Matus, 2008) concentrate on environmental 
awareness and detail the principal features of the environment-friendly tourists or ecotourists. 
The environment-friendly tourists are different from the other tourists by their socio-demographic 
characteristics, their behavior and their travel motivations (Crouch & al., 2005; Lawton, 2001). 
They are young, have a higher level of education, a higher level of income and generally 
originate from more developed countries (Dolnicar & al., 2008; Weaver & Lawton, 2007). These 
tourists travel in families or groups of friends and search for friendly social encounters. They 
appreciate physical exercise (like trekking), pay attention to what they eat, and appreciate nature 
(AGRIDOC, 2004). The new tourist is close to the description of the backpacker (Paris & Teye, 
2010) whose main motivations, among others, are personal and social growth, experience, 
independence, acquisition of cultural knowledge, and relaxation. 
The new tourists want to enrich their knowledge and are interested in learning during the vacation 
(Dolnicar & al., 2008).  Environment-friendly tourists are not only concerned with protection of 
the environment; they also prioritize respect for host communities and their economic and social 

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development. There is an expectation on the part of the tourists for a tourist experience that 
values sustainable development at the tourist destination. New tourists are attracted to tourist 
opportunities that offer authentic contact with other cultures that have sustained traditions and 
mutually offer comfort and distractions (Le Roy, 1999). The new tourists are looking for an 
unfamiliar scene, which involves a new landscape as well as discovery of new cultural elements 
and civilizations. Indeed, these travelers do not want to limit their contacts with the host 
community to commercial contacts. They are open, active and interested in local populations, 
their lifestyles, their habits, and their difficulties. They appreciate locally grown products and 
traditional dishes. The new tourists are willing to donate money for development or humanitarian 
projects if they can be sure of the destination of the donations (AGRIDOC, 2004). They are 
respectful of local populations and their environment. They expect a warm and friendly welcome 
from residents and hope that this hospitality will lead them to share their “intimacy”. Alexander, 
Bakir and Wickens (2010) write that holidays are now seen as a way to learn about the self and 
this phenomenon can be a result of interactions with the host community. In reaction to the 
destructive impact of mass tourism and the expectations of the new tourists, alternative forms of 
tourism have developed, such as pro-poor tourism (Briedenhann, 2011), volunteer tourism 
(McGehee & Andereck, 2009), ecotourism (Sheyvens, 1999) and community-based ecotourism 
(Okasaki, 2008). We will discuss community-based ecotourism.