Understanding the Birdwatching Tourism Market in ...

Anatolia: An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research Volume 21, Number 2, pp. xx-xx, 2010 Copyright © 2010 anatolia Printed in Turkey. All rights reserved 1303-2917/10 $20.00 + 0.00

Understanding the Birdwatching Tourism Market in Queensland, Australia AISE KYOUNGJIN KIM1, JUSTINE KEUNING2, JEREMY ROBERTSON3, SONIA KLEINDORFER4 1 School of Management, University of South Australia , City West Campus, North Terrace, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 2 School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 3 School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 4 School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]

A B S T R A C T

KEY WORDS

This study explores the diversity of characteristics of birdwatchers from the perspective of recreation specialisation. Using the visitor survey data from birdwatchers in Queensland, Australia, three cluster groups were identified including casual birdwatchers, intermediate birdwatchers and active/ committed birdwatchers. This study found that significant differences existed among three specialisation levels in terms of the appeal of particular bird species, size of tour groups, bird-related travel experiences, and preferences for destination attributes. The study indicated that the specialised birdwatchers were highly involved in birdwatching activities, interested in endemic birds and bird trails while general birdwatchers tended to combine birdwatching with other tourism activities and require good interpretation and other tourism facilities. The present research provides insights into the development of appropriate tourism products and relevant facilities which match the benefits and preferences being sought by both general and specialist birdwatching target markets.

Market segmentation Birdwatching tourism Recreational specialization

ARTICLE HISTORY Submi�ed : 24 October 2009 Resubmi�ed : 15 February 2010 Resubmi�ed : 01 May 2010 Accepted : 15 May 2010

INTRODUCTION Birdwatching tourism has been recognised as a major segment of wildlife tourism (Moscardo 2000; Page and Dowling 2002; Curtin and Wilkes 2005). In the USA, as in many countries, there appears to have been a considerable growth in interest and participation in a birdwatching activity during the past few decades (Jones and Buckley 2001; Eubanks, Stoll and Di�on 2004). For example, Kerlinger and Wiedner (1990) reported that on average birdwatchers spend $1884 annually through purchasing binoculars, field guide books, Volume 21 = Number 2 = Winter 2010 =

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Understanding the Birdwatching Tourism Market in Queensland, Australia

transportation, accommodation, and food and beverages. These purchases create important multiplier effects for the economy of local communities (La Rouche 2001; Sekercioglu 2003). While similar trends are also apparent in Australia, the continued growth of this market has led to the significant development of a birding industry that specialises in bird tours (Jones and Buckley 2001). It is evident that the birdwatching market forms the largest sub-segment within nature-watching tourism or ecotourism as it now has become important to the nature-based tourism industry (Moscardo 2000; Weaver and Lawton 2002). Tourist experiences offered by the tourism industry can vary greatly depending on the emphasis or intensity of encounters to the bird-oriented activities and a�ractions such as penguin viewing, bird festivals, or emus farms (Valentine and Birtles 2004). Tourists can participate in different levels of birdwatching activities depending on their travel motivations and skills. It is generally believed that birders are different from birdwatchers who casually involve birdwatching activities. Birders are regarded as active, skilled and fully commi�ed individuals who take trips for the primary purpose of observing and photographing birds in natural environments, as well as studying birds and keeping lists of birds seen on past trips (Wight 1998). Because birders have a strong learning motivation and are generally interested in other wildlife, some researchers regard birdwatching as part of ecotourism market, sharing many characteristics of ecotourists (Jones and Buckley 2001; Weaver and Lawton 2002). It is argued that birders are more likely to be interested in conservation for bird species and participate in a smaller tour group while making efforts to reduce their environment impacts and appreciating the nature, than other ecotourists (Jones and Buckley 2001; Sekercioglu 2002). However, in many nature-based tourism areas, some tourists (interchangeably, birdwatchers) are casually involved in incidental birdwatching activities as part of their interaction with wildlife or the natural environment. In this context, birdwatchers are incorporated into mainstream markets and products provided by the nature-based- or wildlife watching tourism industry (Moscardo 2000; Page and Dowling 2002; Curtin and Wilkes 2005). It is clear that various segments do exist within the birdwatching tourism market (Hvenegaard 2002). Considerable efforts have been expended to understand different levels of their involvement and preferences, particularly, in the USA, using the specialisation framework (Hvenegaard 2002; Sco� and Thigpen 2003; Sco� et al. 2005). This variety implies that identifying distinct characteristics among birdwatching tourists and satisfying different needs of the target market segments would be highly beneficial for the planning, management, and marketing of tourism products and services targeted at birdwatchers (Hvenegaard 2002). However, there is currently limited research on the Australian birdwatching tourism market (Jones and Buckley 2001). From a marketing perspective, the aim of this research is to provide insights into understanding similarities and differences in terms of trip pa�erns and preferences for birding at-

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Anatolia: An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research

Aise KyoungJin Kim - Justine Keuning - Jeremy Robertson - Sonia Kleindorfer

tractions and destination services across different segments of birdwatching tourists visiting Queensland, Australia. As a result, it is expected that market segmentation can assist destination marketers in be�er promoting and managing birdwatching tourism products in Australia. LITERATURE REVIEW Market segmentation has been commonly used to develop a be�er understanding of distinct characteristics of tourist segments (Park et al. 2002; Hu and Yu 2007). The role of segmentation is to develop overall marketing strategies and product positioning, which assist the tourism industry to be�er match its products with the needs of target market segments (Zografos and Allcroft 2007). Several segmentation variables have been used to classify tourist segments according to: (1) demographic variables (e.g. gender, age, and education); (2) socio-economic variables (e.g. occupation and income); (3) geographic characteristics (e.g. nationality and the place of residence); (4) psychographic characteristics (e.g. travel motivations, benefits sought by travellers, interest); and (5) behavioural pa�erns (e.g. the frequency of trips, activity participation) (Park et al. 2002). While several different segmentation approaches are available in the literature, it is difficult to determine which particular variable or a set of variables is the best approach for classifying a particular tourism market (Sung, Morrison and O’Leary 2001). In the literature of birdwatching tourism, activity participation-based segmentation in conjunction with other types of variables is the most commonly used typology in identifying and predicting behavioural pa�erns and other aspects of recreation participation (Sco� et al. 2005). This approach is originally based on the concept of recreation specialisation framework which has been widely applied to the classification of many different recreation groups, e.g. birders, anglers, hunters, hikers, etc. (Hvenegaard 2002; Burr and Sco� 2004). Recreation Specialisation as a Market Segmentation Tool The concept of recreation specialisation was first proposed by Bryan (1977: 175) who defined it as ‘a continuum of behaviour from the general to the particular, reflected by equipment and skills used in the sport and activity/se�ing preferences’. Bryan (1977) argued that along this continuum there existed distinct groups of people who participate in a particular recreation activity (e.g. birdwatching). The characteristics of participant subgroups vary from low involvement and general recreational interests (i.e. novice) to high involvement and more skilled-oriented special interests (i.e. expert) (Sco� et al. 2005). For example, in the context of the birdwatching activity, generalists can be defined as people who are mainly interested in birds as one part of the natural environment and casually participate in this activity. In contrast, specialists refer to those who are highly motivated to see a new or rare bird species in specific locations and frequently participate in birding trips. Volume 21 = Number 2 = Winter 2010 =

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However, there is li�le agreement on its measurement and conceptual construct (Sco� and Shafer 2001; Burr and Sco� 2004; Sco� et al. 2005). Due to criticism on a single dimension of recreation specialisation (for a further review, see Sco� and Shafer 2001), the recent approaches have a�empted to use a multidimensional construct of specialisation to effectively segment different characteristics of participants (Chipman and Helfrich 1988; McIntyre and Pigram 1992; McFarlane 1994, 1996; Sco� and Thigpen 2003). To date, the multiple measurements of specialisation consist of three indicators such as behavioural, cognitive, and psychological components (Sco� and Thigpen 2003; Sco� et al. 2005). Behavioural indicators include past experience, general experience and recent experience, frequency of participation, years of involvement, and types of equipment people own (Sco� and Thigpen 2003; Burr and Sco� 2004). Cognitive indicators refer to the acquiring of skills and knowledge. In the context of birdwatching activities, skills and knowledge represent ability at identifying birds by sight and sound, and knowledge of appropriate equipment for birdwatching. Psychological indicators imply personal commitments, economic investments, centrality to lifestyle, enduring involvement and purism values. Other variables such as club memberships have been included as an indicator of centrality to lifestyle, activity-related interests, and behavioural commitments (Sco� et al. 2005). Researchers highlighted that the multiple measures of activity-based specialisation make it easier for researchers to understand and profile different levels of birdwatching participants (Burr and Sco� 2004; Sco� et al. 2005). Ultimately, such measures provide much richer information about various styles of tourist behavioural pa�erns related to birdwatching. However, Sco� and Shafer (2001) argued that researchers should not assume that people always progress in behaviour, skill and commitment indicators along the specialisation continuum. It was also noted that different measures of recreation specialisation may produce different relationships to other facets of involvement (Burr and Sco� 2004: 28). They suggested that specialisation should be understood as a development process because the relationship between specialisation indicators are neither linear nor inevitable (Sco� and Shafer 2001; Burr and Sco� 2004). Several previous studies have used the multiple specialisation measures and identified different segments of birdwatchers such as ‘casual wildlife watchers’ and ‘serious birders’ (Cole and Sco� 1999); ‘novices’, ‘advanced-active’, ‘advanced-experienced birders’ (Hvenegaard 2002) and finally ‘casual’, ‘interested’, ‘active’ and ‘skilled (or advanced)’ (McFarlane 1994, 1996; McFarlane and Boxell 1996; Sco� and Thigpen 2003). These previous studies show that the number of clusters and labelled names of each cluster depend on the variables used to measure specialisation, the types of tourists, or the different se�ings and places. There is evidence of significant differences between various groups of birders and wildlife watchers in a number of specialisation studies that were most-

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ly conducted in the USA. The characteristics of birdwatchers were compared with respect to demographics (McFarlane 1994; Cole and Sco� 1999; Eubanks et al. 2004); motivations (McFarlane 1994; Hvenegaard 2002); conservation (McFarlane and Boxell 1996; Hvenegaard 2002); preferences for destination a�ributes and services (Martin 1997; Cole and Sco� 1999; Sco� and Thigpen 2003; Harwood 2008); expenditures for the birding experience (Jones and Buckley 2001; Eubanks et al. 2004); and satisfaction (Sco� and Thigpen 2003). For example, Martin (1997) sampled tourists visiting Montana, United States and identified three clusters of wildlife watchers varying in specialisation. They were labelled ‘novice’, ‘intermediates’, and ‘specialists’. Several specialisation variables were used including frequency of wildlife watching trips, frequency of taking notes of animal behaviour and habitat, use of specialised equipment, and participation in organised wildlife counts or surveys. From these data, the novice group tended to be more interested in a visitor se�ing and picnic facility at their ideal wildlife viewing site, while specialists were likely to prefer nature trails and remote areas where vehicles were prohibited. Sco� and Thigpen (2003) examined the profiles of birders at a large birding festival in Texas, USA. They categorised birders into four clusters; casual, interested, active, and skilled, using the three specialisation indicators (e.g. behaviour, skill and commitment). The profiles of the four subgroups were compared with respect to motivations and se�ing preferences. The majority (77%) were in the low or casual end of the specialisation continuum, being relatively new to birding and tended to be more interested in other activities (e.g. heritage recreation, shopping, water-based activities, etc.). While the different characteristics were found between the two specialist birding groups, active (13.5%) birders tended to take far more birding trips than skilled birders (9.6%). Skilled birders appeared to have a high level of skills at identifying birds by sight and sound and have a desire to see and/or hear a variety of birds, although they were less likely to take birding trips. Hvenegaard (2002) provided additional evidence into the characteristics of birders visiting to Thailand. Three distinct groups were categorised based on the limited specialisation indicators including past experience, economic commitment, and centrality to lifestyle. Unlike the previous studies of birders in the USA or Canada, the Doi Inthanon National Park in Thailand a�racted a large number of serious and experienced birders (59.7%) who were mostly international tourists and keen to see particular birds. In contrast, novice birders were less motivated to experience birdwatching activities and more likely to visit cultural and historical sites. All of these findings point out that the profiles of birders segments share similar sub-dimensions of involvement levels in the birdwatching activity as identified in the specialisation continuum, although past research used different types of specialisation variables. Curtin and Wilkes (2005) indicated that each of the birdwatching market segments has distinct characteristics in terms of trip pa�erns and preferences for destination a�ributes. They summarised that specialised birders focus on the birding-related activities and require litVolume 21 = Number 2 = Winter 2010 =

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tle infrastructure and minimal management. On the other hand, novices tend to be interested in other tourism activities and require extra infrastructure. They also tend to have a serious impact on the environment with their noise, behaviour and camera flashes (Martin 1997; Sco� and Thigpen 2003; Curtin and Wilkes 2005). While similar findings are apparent, the literature on the overall profile of birdwatching tourism market segments is still limited in several areas. Eubanks et al (2004) suggested that it is important to understand the overall birdwatching market at particular times and places as different se�ings and places a�ract certain types of birders. Most of the previous research into birder subgroups has been conducted in America. There is a need for research on identifying target market segments for birdwatching tourism in Australia as this niche market is one of the growing sectors in the nature-based tourism areas (Jones and Buckley 2001). It is necessary to understand the profiles of the Australian birdwatching market compared to other types of tourists who choose different birdwatching destinations and activities in other countries. While many researchers tend to focus on a broader context of wildlife tourism market in Australia (Moscardo and Sal�er 2005; Fredline 2007), there have been two smaller reports focused on general marketing strategies used for birdwatching tourism, completed by the Queensland Tourist and Travel Corporation (QTTC) (1998) and the South Australian Tourism Commission (2001). However, as these reports were not based on quantitative data, there is clearly a deficit in applicable research into this market within Australia. To date, Jones and Buckley (2001) reflected the similar profiles of birdwatchers identified in the previous two studies. They examined an initial description of birders’ characteristics in Australia and its main constraints and challenges for tourism development. They also provided additional insights into the impact of time and budget constraints on different birdwatching subgroups. Four segments were identified including general birdwatchers, specialist birdwatchers with limited budgets, specialist birdwatchers are willing to pay to see more birds, and specialist birdwatchers requiring packaged birding. The finding of this study indicated that generalist birdwatchers tend to seek more less-specialised tourist experiences while all specialist birdwatching tourists have high expectations of the numbers and types of bird species they are expecting at particular locations. As it is evident from the previous research, few studies have examined the profiles of birding segments in terms of the preferences for the appeal of particular bird species and on-site travel behaviour which could be more useful information for the development of tourism product positioning and packaging products. Considering the shortcomings of the previous studies, this study aims to provide additional insights into a full range of more or less specialised birding interests and participation in the birdwatching travel experience, particularly in the context of Australia. Furthermore, it seeks to ascertain if the

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groups of the resulting specialisation segments differ with respect to their preferences for destination a�ributes and different features of the birding-related tourism experience. METHODOLOGY Data were collected over a period of five months between May and September 2005 at the very beginning of the birdwatching season in Queensland, Australia. The chosen study area is an especially popular birdwatching tourist destination in Australia. This destination has the diversity of endemic bird species and the high level of accessibility to a large number of the best birding sites (e.g. Daintree National Park, Atherton Tablelands, Mission Beach, Fraser Island Lakefield National Park, Cape York Peninsula). Several bird-focused festivals and events provide birdwatchers with the opportunity to participate in birdwatching experiences and exchange ideas with the specialists (e.g. Kingfisher Bay Bird Week, Cape York Bird Week, Tropical North Queensland BirdFest) (Jones and Buckley 2001). In addition, this area offers the other world-renowned natural features of this region (e.g. the Great Barrier Reef and the World Heritage Wet Tropics Rainforest) and indigenous tourism experiences (Jones and Buckley 2001). There are also the largest number of bird guides and tour operators in Australia, which provide both incorporated packages and specialised birdwatching tours during the birdwatching season (QTTC 1998; Jones and Buckley 2001). The birdwatching season usually starts from May to December. Especially, October to December (or early January) is the best time for observing the migratory species in Queensland as many birds breed during the spring and summer months. However, January to April can be challenging because it is the ‘Wet Season’ in this area (BirdingQueensland.Com N.D.) The main locations for this on-site survey were selected to include a diversity of core products (i.e. birdwatching, wildlife watching and nature-based tour products) and specialised visitor education programmes. All the selected locations provide birdwatching experiences as either the primary or secondary component of the visitor experience. The 15 birdwatching tourism business providers were contacted by the researcher, including four tour operators and eight accommodation providers (Table 1). Not all tour operators and accommodation providers within the selected locations were approached due to time constraints. Of four tour operators selected in this study, one tour operator provides specialist birdwatching tours (e.g. Chris Dahlberg’s Specialised River Tours), compared to the three operators (e.g. Fine Feather Tours, Wait-a-While Tours, Mangrove Man Tours). In addition, eight accommodations located in either good birding sites or nature-based tourism areas were also selected (e.g. Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa; Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge; Kingfisher Bay Resort, Fraser Island; O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse; Redmill House Bed and Breakfast; Cassowary House; Roy Sonnenberg; Binna Burra Mountain Lodge). Volume 21 = Number 2 = Winter 2010 =

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Table 1. Distribution of Visitors Surveyed at Selected Accommodations and Tour Operators Number of accommodation providers

Number of collected questionnaires

Number of tour operators

Number of collected questionnaires

4

33

1

20

nature-based sites

4

133

3

38

Total

8

166

4

58

Specialist birdwatching sites Wildlife/

Operators were asked to hand out the surveys to visitors on arrival and collected completed questionnaires at departure. The number of visitor responses per operator varied, collecting 224 valid questionnaires. Table 1 shows the distribution of the sample and the tour operators selected for the visitor surveys. Measurement of Variables The questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first part focused on the birdwatching behaviours of the respondents in general. The second part consisted of travel behaviour, knowledge of Australian birds, types of bird species, destination a�ributes, and satisfaction with the current trip experience. The third part of the questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The three components of birding specialisation indicators (e.g. behaviour, skill and knowledge, and commitment) were measured based on the review of several studies (e.g. McFarlane 1994; Sco� and Shafer 2001; Hvenegaard 2002; Sco� and Thigpen 2003; Sco� et al. 2005). However, this study did not include all types of specialisation variables used in the multi-item measures of specialisation models. As the focus was using the specialisation concept as a segmentation tool in understanding the different characteristics of birdwatching sub-groups, the modified indicators were selected. In particular, other types of indicators (e.g. equipment, knowledge, centrality to lifestyle, behavioural commitment) were not included in this study as these are relatively related to determining the characteristics of serious birders who tend to subscribe a number of birding magazines, belong to birding clubs or organisations, and purchases equipment to aid in observing birds (Sco� and Thigpen 2003; Lee and Sco� 2004). First the three items of behavioural indicator were selected: birdwatching trips incorporated with other nature-based tours; specialist birdwatching trips; and trips to see a particular bird which respondents have not seen before. The focus of these items was on birders’ participation levels in different types of birding travel behaviour, instead of simply measuring the days and numbers of special birding trips within the particular timeframe (e.g. the past 12 months). According to Sco� et al. (2005), the la�er measures can be influ-

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enced by the effects of discretionary household income than the degree of recreation specialisation. This indicator was measured based on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = never to 4 = always. The second indicator represents an orientation to skill development (i.e. maintaining the list of all bird species sighted). As addressed by Sco� and Shafer (2001), this cognitive indicator used in this study reflects birders’ ability to identify different types of bird species sighted and also their involvement levels in developing skill and knowledge through accumulating long life lists. This indicator was also measured based on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = never to 4 = always. The level of interest in birdwatching activities was used to measure personal commitment. This personal commitment item reflects an individual’s “a strong affective a�achment” (Sco� et al. 2005: 63) and “inner conviction that the activity is worth doing for its own sake” (Sco� and Shafer 2001: 329). It was measured based on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1= low interested to 4 = very high interested. The Cronbach’s alpha for the five measures was .894, indicating a high degree of reliability. In addition, respondents were also asked to indicate their preference for destination a�ributes, using a five-point Likert scale (1= not at all important to 5= very important). Items for this indicator included presence of endemic birds, presence of a birding trail, good tour guide/interpretation, good food and wine, and accommodation. This study did not categorise different types of accommodation as the focus of this study was on understanding visitors’ general preferences for the tourism facilities. Cluster Analysis A K-means cluster analysis was conducted to classify respondents into subgroups on the basis of their responses to the five specialisation indicators. A series of cluster analyses were performed, ranging from 2 to 5 clusters. The three-cluster solution was validated with a more stringent discriminant analysis which showed high reliability and accuracy rates. The three-cluster solution also appeared to be most suitable as it yielded meaningful groupings, relatively being consistent with the findings of previous studies (Martin 1997; Hvenegaard 2002; Sco� and Thigpen 2003; Sco� et al. 2005). As shown in Table 2, three distinct clusters were labelled: casual birdwatchers, intermediate birdwatchers, and active/experienced birdwatchers. The ANOVA results demonstrated that the three clusters were significantly different in terms of all the five indicators. The results of this study demonstrated that the first cluster (n=94, 45.6 %), labelled as ‘casual birdwatchers’, was found to have the lowest mean score of all the five variables. Individuals in this group reported that they occasionally incorporate birdwatching activities when on holidays. They are the least likely to travel specifically to see a particular bird that they have not seen before or maintain a list of birds seen. Volume 21 = Number 2 = Winter 2010 =

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Table 2. Three Cluster Groups-based on Five Specialisation Indicators Specialization indicators

Mean Casual (N=94)

Intermediate Active (N=76) experienced (N=36)

F

p

Commitment: • The level of interest in birdwatching

1.73

2.95

3.69

199.780