Developing research and decision-making strategies as indicators for sustainable eco- or nature tourism in New Zealand Research Completed
Title
Developing research and decision-making strategies as indicators for sustainable eco- or nature tourism in New Zealand
Lead Author
Holzapfel, R.
Organisation(s)
New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, Lincoln University
Publication Year
1998
Publisher
New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference
Contacts
Advances in Research – Proceedings of the 3rd New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference – 1998
ISBN/ISSN 086476-113-9
Abstract
This working paper examines possible means of identifying adequate strategies indicating the level of sustainability of eco- or nature tourism in New Zealand. The research relies on the presumption that sustainable tourism development can be expressed as an operational theoretical concept and as a field of empirical inquiry as well as dynamic forecasting. Outlining the paradigmatic significance of systems thinking, a non-linear perspective is adopted viewing tourism as the emergent property of an open, complex and adaptive system, which displays self-organising and self-maintaining characteristics. It is hypothesized that sustainable tourism development reflects a homeostatic condition. Sustainability and sustainable tourism development are perceived as a subjective and unstructured problem situation of connected problem areas within a continuum of differential interpretations. Drawing on ideas from Participatory Rural Appraisal methods and Participatory Action Research the paper focuses on the suitability and applicability of a modified version of Soft Systems Methodology as a means of structuring a debate leading to decision-making strategies. Proposed activities are seen as tentative answers in a continuous learning process where problems and solutions are constantly evolving.
Keywords:
Management, Tourism, Tourism Management, Ecotourism, Nature, Natural resources
How to access
In Advances in Research - Proceedings of the 3rd New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference - 1998
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July 12, 2012