Importance of environment quality in sustainable tourism destinations: the young tourists’ perception

Author: and
Key words: , , , ,
Issue: Volume 14, Issue 2, 2020

Abstract


In the framework of sustainable development, the tourist industry demand increases in rigorousness and must pay more attention to environmental quality. In this context, this study aims to analyse the perception and attitude of the Young Generation of Tourists (YGT) regarding environmental quality, one direction in sustainable tourist destinations. The objectives of research focus on analysing the perception regarding environmental issues in vacation destinations, in order to identify how strongly is the YGT oriented towards sustainable tourism, followed by testing their pro-environmental behavioural profile. The study used the survey method applying the questionnaire as a tool, processed in SPSS V 27. The results show that young Romanians have a pro-environmental perception regarding the quality of most environmental components (air, water, vegetation). The perception is in line with their behaviour which demonstrates their awareness of the need to carry out tourist activities in modern, sustainable conditions, which affect the environment as little as possible. We also found that the YGT’s involvement in environmental actions in tourist areas is limited.

Full text


Permalink (doi)



Authors Affiliations


Tania Florentina Pîrghie (1), Elena Matei* (1)
1) University of Bucharest, Romania

* Correspondence address:
Email: elena.matei@g.unibuc.ro

References


Băbăiţă, C., Ispas, A., Pîrjol, F., (2010), “The tourist perception of the hospitality industry: Romania versus European Union”, Annals of Faculty of Economics, vol. 1, no 1, p. 248-252.
Bramwell, B. and Lane, B. (2010), “Sustainable tourism and the evolving roles of government planning”, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 1–5.
Breaban, I.G. and Breaban, A.I. (2019), “Causes and Effects of Water Pollution in Romania”, Water Resources Management in Romania, p. 57.
Buckley, R., (2012), “Sustainable tourism: Research and reality”, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 39, no. 2, p. 528-546.
Budeanu, A. (2007), “Sustainable tourist behaviour–a discussion of opportunities for change”, International Journal of Consumer Studies, vol. 31, no. 5, p. 499-508.
Buffa, F. (2015), “Young Tourists and Sustainability. Profiles, Attitudes, and Implications for Destination Strategies”, Sustainability, vol. 7, p. 14042-14062.
Cohen, J. (1992), “Statistical Power Analysis, Current Directions”, Psychological Science, vol. 1, no. 3, p. 98-101.
COM (2007), “Communication from the Commission – Agenda for a sustainable and competitive European tourism”, COM/2007/0621.
Doroftei, M. and Anastasiu, P. (2014), “Potential impacts of climate change on habitats and their effects on invasive plant species in Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve”, in S. Rannow and M. Neubert (eds.) Romania. Managing Protected Areas in Central and Eastern Europe Under Climate Change, p. 267-278, Springer, Dordrecht.
Dumitrașcu, M., Kucsicsa, G., Dumitrică, C., Popovici, E.A., Vrînceanu, A., Mitrică, B., Mocanu, I. and Șerban, P.R., (2020), “Estimation of Future Changes in Aboveground Forest Carbon Stock in Romania. A Prediction Based on Forest-Cover Pattern Scenario”, Forests, vol. 11, no. 9, p. 914.
Filip, S. and Cocean, P. (2012), “Urban industrial brownfields: Constraints and opportunities in Romania”, Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, vol. 7, no. 4, p. 155 – 164.
Gardiner, S., Grace, D. and King, C. (2014), “The Generation Effect: The Future of Domestic Tourism in Australia”, Journal of Travel Research, vol. 53, no. 6, p. 705–20.
Gavreliuc, A. and Ciobotă, C.I. (2013), “Culture and Self-Construal: Implications for the Social Cognitions of Young Cohorts in Romania”, Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 78, p. 270-274.
Iordache, Ş. and Dunea, D. (2013), “Cross-spectrum analysis applied to air pollution time series from several urban areas of Romania”, Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, vol. 12, no. 4, p. 677-684.
Levei, E., Frentiu, T., Ponta, M., Senila, M., Miclean, M., Roman, C. and Cordos, E., (2009), “Characterisation of soil quality and mobility of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in the Baia Mare area Northwest Romania following the historical pollution”, International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, vol. 89, p. 635-649.
Lu, J. and Nepal, SK, (2009), “Sustainable tourism research: an analysis of papers published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism”, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 17, no. 1, p. 5-16.
Manea, G., Nae, M., Matei, E., Vijulie, I. and Tîrlă, L. (2013), “Raising Awareness of Volunteer Tourism: Experiencing the Volunteer Tourism among Students and Young Researchers”, GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, vol. 12, no. 2, p. 120-128.
Matei, E. (2016), Turism și dezvoltare durabilă, Editura Universitară, București.
Matei, D. (2018), “Conflicts in tourism and sustainable development in Moieciu de Sus village, Moieciu Resort”, JETA, vol. 6, no. 1, p. 32-42.
Matei, E., Stănciou, F.-A., Vijulie, I., Manea, G. and Cuculici, R. (2019), “Attractiveness and Competitiveness of the Romanian Carpathian Mountains Destination: A study of Perception of Generation Y”, Journal of Environmental and Tourism Analyses, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 5-18.
Nafi, SM and Ahmed, T. (2017), “Sustainable tourism in Saint Martin Island: An observation on young tourist perception and awareness level”, IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 22, no. 10, p. 73-80.
National Institute of Statistics, (2020). Tempo-online series. 12 September 2020, http://statistici.insse.ro.
Nicholas, L. and Thapa, B. (2010), “Visitor perspectives on sustainable tourism development in the Pitons Management Area World Heritage Site, St. Lucia”, Environment, Development, and Sustainability, vol. 12, p. 839–857.
Nicula, V., Spanu, S. and Neagu, RE (2013), “Regional tourism development in Romania–consistency with policies and strategies developed at EU level”, Procedia Economics and Finance, vol. 6, p. 530-541.
Nusair, K.K., Parsa, H.G. and Cobanoglu, C. (2011), “Building a model of commitment for Generation Y: an empirical study on e-travel retailers”, Tourism Management, vol. 32, p. 833–843.
Nuţă, F.M., Tabără, N., Nuţă, A.C. and Creţu, C. (2015), “An assessment upon the environmental policy in Romania”, Ekonomska istraživanja, vol. 28, no. 1, p. 641-649.
Oncioiu, I., Dănescu, T. and Popa, M.A. (2020), “Air-Pollution Control in an Emergent Market: Does It Work? Evidence from Romania”, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 8, p. 26-56.
Petrișor, A.I. (2015), “Using CORINE data to look at deforestation in Romania: Distribution & possible consequences”, Urbanism, vol. 6, p. 83–90.
Reeves, T.C. and Oh, E.J. (2008), “Do generational differences matter in instructional design”, IT Forum, p. 1-25.
Romocea, T., Oneț, A., Sabău, N.C., Oneț, C., Herman, G.V. and Pantea, E. (2018), “Change of the groundwater quality from industrial area Oradea, Romania, using geographic information systems (GIS)”, Environmental Engineering & Management Journal (EEMJ), vol. 17, no. 9, p. 2189-2199.
Ruhanen, L., Weiler, B., Moyle, B.D. and McLennan, C.L.J. (2015), “Trends and patterns in sustainable tourism research: A 25-year bibliometric analysis”, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 23, no. 4, p. 517-535.
Scheyvens, R. (2011), “The Challenge of Sustainable Tourism Development in the Maldives: Understanding the Social and Political Dimensions of Sustainability”, Asia Pacific Viewpoint, vol. 52, p.148-164.
Teodorov, A.V., Mureşan, M.L., Dinu, DM and Dinu, AC (2020), “Digital marketing on destination sustainability Study case: Romanian Ecotourism”, Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, vol. 14, no. 1, p. 859-867.
Ungureanu, G., Ignat, G., Leonte, E., Costuleanu, C.L., Jităreanu, S., Donosă, D., Soare, E.T. and Sandu, I.G. (2018), “Management of urban organic solid waste applied in Romanian metropolitan city”, Revista de Chimie, vol. 69, no. 6, p. 1585-1592.

This post has already been read 15106 times!

About journal

Title: Human Geographies - Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography
ISSN online: 2067-2284
ISSN print: 1843-6587
Imprint: University of Bucharest
Frequency: Biannual (May&November)
First volume: 1/2007
Current volume: 17/2023
Language: English
Indexed in: SCOPUS, ERIH PLUS, EBSCO (SocINDEX), ProQuest (Social Science Journals, SciTech Journals, Natural Science Journals), Index Copernicus, National Technical Information Service (NTiS), Bodleian Libraries, ExLibris SFX, DOAJ, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library, Google Scholar, Ulrich
Creative Commons License


EDITORS


Prof. dr. Liliana Dumitrache
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography- Human and Economic Geography Department, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Av., 010041, Bucharest, Romania

Dr. Daniela Dumbrăveanu
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography- Human and Economic Geography Department, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Av., 010041, Bucharest, Romania

Dr. Mariana Nae
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography- Human and Economic Geography Department, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Av., 010041, Bucharest, Romania

Dr. Gabriel Simion
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography- Human and Economic Geography Department, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Av., 010041, Bucharest, Romania

SCImago Journal & Country Rank