David Newsome

Murdoch University · Environmental and Conservation Sciences

Animal behavior is influenced by tourism in a multitude of ways and depends on the species as well as various tourism scenarios. Accordingly, the way humans interact with wildlife in tourism settings can be clearly understood via the wildlife tourism paradigm which particularly explores observing, feeding and photographing wildlife. While the manag...

Deep sandy soils are a feature of many landscapes in Southeast Asia but the explanations for their origin are not always known. Deep sand and sand on clay profiles cover a large proportion of Cambodia. These soils are commonly used for rainfed rice production, but increasing attention is turning to their potential for crop diversification in the up...

Sand cover is extensive in Middle Eastern countries where massive sand dunes provide a dramatic reminder of the power of the wind to fashion and create iconic landscapes. Sand is also a huge topic of human interest and provides immense scope for a sand focused geo-guide who can offer a range of learning opportunities for the tourist. Because the oc...

City road verges often represent existing green space and provide opportunities for ecological enhancement. Urban greenspace improvement initiatives at the residential verge scale require genuine community support and engagement for success. We examined a community-based voluntary assisted verge greening program designed to enhance greenspace conne...

Prior to COVID-19 heavy tourist pressure was causing environmental degradation and wildlife disturbance in Sri Lankan protected areas. The pandemic abruptly stopped visitation causing devastating impacts on the entire nature-based tourism sector. At the same time, the pandemic opened a window of opportunity to rethink the way the nature-based touri...

SCUBA diving has now become a regular feature of coral reef tourism and Sri Lanka has the potential to become a popular destination for SCUBA divers. SCUBA divers were interviewed at two main diving destinations on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka: Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna. Most respondents were ‘experienced’ divers. Enjoyment, viewing marine life i...

There is a dearth of research describing the campsite user segment and in assessing campsite users’ perceptions of the bio-physical impacts of campsite use in Sri Lanka. Using a structured questionnaire, we evaluated campsite user characteristics, visitor motivations, behaviors, and how visitor experience is affected by visible biophysical impacts...

Ecotourism is of increasing importance in the Philippines and this chapter provides an account of the National Ecotourism Strategy and allied policy frameworks. Such undertakings emphasize the importance of natural destinations where ecotourism can lead to economic growth, environmental conservation, and development of local communities. In this ch...

Human recreational disturbance to shorebirds is an important topic of concern owing to increasing human-environmental interactions in the coastal environments. In this chapter, we use a systematic quantitative review of the literature to synthesize available information on the impact of human recreation on birds inhabiting coastal environments with...

Coastal environments provide important foraging, resting, breeding, and stopover sites for resident and migratory shorebirds. Shorebirds are a key biodiversity feature in coastal habitats that attracts considerable public interest, providing ample wildlife tourism opportunities, especially for birdwatching. However, these shorebird communities are...

Birdwatching in coastal habitats is becoming a popular recreational activity in Sri Lanka. However, recreational disturbance by humans on foot can degrade the quality of stopover sites, especially for migratory shorebirds. In this study, we observed the responses of birds in coastal environments to pedestrians (birdwatchers and fishermen) and furth...

Recreational disturbance is an increasingly significant impact on the survival of birds, especially in coastal environments. The way on how birds respond to different recreational disturbances has been detailed in earlier chapters. This chapter explores the range of planning and impact management strategies that can and have been employed to protec...

Recreational disturbance of birds in coastal environments is a serious conservation issue, as coastal habitats are critical for resident waterbird populations and are important stopovers for migratory birds. Understanding the responses of birds to different types and levels of human recreational disturbance is essential for the sustainable use and...

Landscapes of high relief are often favoured tourist destinations and at the same time display complex geomorphology that may be the result of diverse geology summarised into the concept of geodiversity. In contrast areas of subdued landscape, while topographically unappealing, may also be geodiverse but need careful explanation and promotion to at...

Promotion of recreational access is an important strategy that helps to impart conservation values to wetlands and aids in fostering sustainable employment for local communities who live in close proximity to wildlife habitats. Unregulated recreational vehicles in coastal wetlands can cause detrimental impacts on coastal avifauna. There is a dearth...

Regolith in some regions has become a world famous and highly valued tourism attraction or is an emerging geotourism focus. However, there remains much scope for valuing what regolith can offer within the framework of geotourism. We thus present a case for a more inclusive approach to involving regolith in geotourism agendas and illustrate the util...

Purpose Good governance is crucial in establishing and managing geoparks and is a requirement by UNESCO if global status is to be achieved. Australia has three levels of government, government agencies and not for profit organisations that can assist in the reintroduction of geoparks to Australia. This paper examines a range of governance models us...

Urban greenspaces, such as urban public parks, may provide a range of benefits to people visiting those spaces. The extent and type of visitor benefits may be influenced by a range of park characteristics such as the presence of manicured and naturalistic features, the urban setting and visitor perceptions of park naturalness. Understanding visitor...

Camping is a popular activity in the contemporary nature-based tourism domain and rapidly gaining momentum as a key recreational activity in Sri Lanka’s national parks (NPs). Recreational uses such as camping in natural areas can induce significant and often localised resource impacts that can affect soil, vegetation, wildlife and water, with the s...

Purpose This study aims to provide an overview of the current socio-political geopark situation in Australia and set this into a global context. In addition, the authors consider this information to be useful for all stakeholders involved in geopark research and development. An analysis of constraints is set alongside stakeholder views collected fr...

Wildlife tourism uses various stimuli to attract species and facilitate close encounters. Such activities are often referred to as provisioning, however the term is used interchangeably, and sometimes erroneously, with attracting, feeding, luring, and chumming, all of which lack consistent definitions. Here, we review the current use of provisionin...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a global impact on the tourism sector. With tourism numbers dramatically reduced, millions of jobs could be lost, and progress made in equality and sustainable economic growth could be rolled back. Widespread reports of dramatic changes to protected and conserved 1 area visitation have negative consequences for conserv...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a global impact on the tourism sector. With tourism numbers dramatically reduced, millions of jobs could be lost, and progress made in equality and sustainable economic growth could be rolled back. Widespread reports of dramatic changes to protected and conserved1 area visitation have negative consequences for conserva...

This paper provides a brief account and rapid assessment, utilising qualitative data, of the impact of COVID-19 on domestic and international tourism activity in geoparks in Indonesia. The popularity of geoparks and associated heavy domestic visitation have given rise to over-tourism scenarios such as congestion, littering, waste disposal problems,...

Understanding visitor satisfaction is vital for ensuring the long-term sustainability of nature-based tourism experiences at high demand coastal destinations. The Ramsar listed Maduganga Mangrove Estuary (MME) on the west coast of Sri Lanka is such a destination. With the aim of enhancing the sustainability of tourism at MME, a self-reporting struc...

There is a temptation to consider birders, or more specifically, avitourists, as a homogenous group of individuals that single-mindedly seek to add new and exotic species to their personal list of conquest birds. To make this generalisation under-appreciates the diversity of this niche tourism market as well as their drivers and motivators. Avitour...

Purpose-This paper demonstrates that the recommendations regarding visitor satisfaction and revisit intention reported in the international literature apply to the management of ecolodges in Sri Lanka. Design/Methodology/Approach-Data from 362 self-report questionnaires completed by visitors between January 2014 and January 2015 were analysed by st...

We provide a brief account of the building stone geology and architectural development of a stone wall that features as part of the Lighthouse Hotel in Bunbury, Western Australia (WA). Our purpose is to highlight the ‘big ideas’ of geology contained in the key building stones of the hotel’s walls, which are visible to passing tourists. We also inve...

Purpose This paper aims to provide a readily accessible synopsis of a complex subject and consider sustainability from a personal experiential level right through to a big picture study in the context of sustainable cities. Design/methodology/approach A combination of personal experiences, on-line sources and research papers were used to trace the...

In addition to scoping the impacts of the four most reported sources of recreational disturbance on shorebirds, this study also advances the concept of Tropical Asia (TA) to collectively describe tourist destinations in the ecologically and geopolitically diverse part of the planet that incorporates the tourism megaregion of South and Southeast Asi...

Purpose To evaluate some of the current discussion about the possible impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on wildlife tourism destinations. There could be either positive and/or negative impacts and this viewpoint provides some reflection on what the future might hold for some if not many wildlife tourism destinations when the global tourism industry...

Purpose This paper aims to explore the Kinh and ethnic stakeholders’ participation and collaboration in tourism planning in Sapa, Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach The primary data collection involved semi-structured interviews with 33 key tourism stakeholders, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings The findings re...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to postulate that the technique of Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) is currently underutilised in visitor management studies reported in the peer-reviewed marine wildlife tourism (MWT) research literature. Further, this paper provides insight into how IPA could inform future research and management of touri...

This pilot study explores the potential of using a citizen science approach for sourcing volunteered geographic information via social media to research wildlife tourism interactions with endangered Borneo Pygmy Elephants on the lower Kinabatangan River in Sabah, Malaysia. Such information is critical if the lower Kinabatangan region is to achieve...

This data descriptor summarizes the process applied to identify, screen, select and gather data from the content of 142 peer-reviewed papers/sources that report on the sources and impacts of recreational disturbance on coastal avifauna. While populations of resident and migratory coastal avifauna are under threat and diminishing rapidly across the...

The first two decades of the 21st-century have seen the emergence of the modern citizen science movement, increased demand for niche eco and wildlife tourism experiences, and the willingness of people to voluntarily share information and photographs online. To varying extents, the rapid growth of these three phenomena has been driven by the availab...

Academic researchers were provided with an additional forum to exchange knowledge, research and agendas on the critical study of urban tourism and tourism cities with the emergence of the International Journal of Tourism Cities in 2015. Its Theme editors were invited to provide their insights on future research agendas in urban tourism research. Th...

The contribution of paleontology in relation to the creation of a geopark is emphasized by fossils and related geology at Anjohibe and Berivotra in northwestern Madagascar. This research note presents preliminary findings while employing a simple rating system to assess two fossil-rich areas of Madagascar and their potential geo-touristic values th...

Feeding wildlife for the purpose of tourism is a contentious issue with for and against arguments being raised by tour operators, non‐governmental organisations, researchers, and managers. Despite this situation, there is a growing trend in the feeding of marine wildlife to guarantee visitors an exciting up‐close experience. This review investigate...

Visitors place a complex array of demands on conservation reserves, including provisions for recreation. Rising recreation demand includes a new suite of activities ranging from adventure racing, music events, and motorised activities to extreme sports. Policy implications raise questions anew: what is the fundamental purpose of conservation reserv...

Geoheritage and geotourism are two important aspects of human appreciation of the Earth's geological resources. Geoheritage refers to the elements of the Earth that we value, whereas geotourism is a type of tourism that is based on some aspects of the Earth's geological and/or geomorphological heritage. Geotourism may have either positive (benefici...

Purpose – To ascertain if place attachment or experiential norms influence visitor attitudes to the feeding of wild dolphins. Design/Methodology/Approach – A cross section of beach based visitors at a popular Australian marine tourism destination were opportunistically sampled using pen and paper questionnaires. Findings – Visitors expressed stro...

Geotourism is becoming a well established form of tourism based on the geological environment. It offers a new form of sustainable tourism which is more holistic then previous niche forms of tourism. However, with more people than ever visiting natural areas worldwide, the cumulative impacts of visitors on geological sites is increasing. This paper...

National Parks (NPs) based wildlife tourism is a significant component of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry with foreign visitations accounting for the larger share of income of NPs. However, current wildlife tourism practices based on NPs seem to be unsustainable, and cause bad tourism experiences, especially in the case of foreign visitors. This study...

This paper examines environmental characteristics of a remote coastline adjacent to an extensive fringing coral reef in a World Heritage Area impacted by tourism and extensive use of off-road vehicles. Hyperspectral remote sensing imagery combined with field validation were used to map and characterise the 300-km coast including shore type, land co...

Involvement is one of the important dimensions to understand tourists' purchase decisions; hence the research on place involvement will help to understand the rule of the tourist behavior and revisit characteristics. This research aimed to analyze the place involvement of tourists in Dolphin Discovery Center (DDC) Bunbury, West Australia. K-Means c...

This paper provides an account of the environmental history of a landlocked coastal wetland and the surrounding nature space (Lake Claremont) located within a large Australian city (Perth, Western Australia). We document the processes and behaviour that led to significant negative change over time and report on recent work to restore the lake and i...

Wildlife tourism is a growing industry globally and visitor satisfaction is vital to ensure its long-term sustainability. The Lower Kinabatangan River is a premier wildlife tourism destination that is affected by surrounding land uses and needs careful management to ensure it continues to provide positive wildlife tourism experiences. As little is...

This research aims to analyze the risk perception of tourists in Dolphin Discovery Center (DDC) Bunbury, West Australia and serves for the destination a management and marketing. Factor analysis, K-Means cluster analysis and variance analysis were combined to examine the extent of risk perception for DDC and demographic differences. The main conclu...

In the Austral summer of 2014–2015 we surveyed visitors at this popular marine tourism destination of Koombana Bay, Bunbury, Western Australia to investigate resident and visitor attitudes towards the provisioning of the wild dolphins and their knowledge about the legal, social and environmental repercussions arising from the unregulated provisioni...

This case study reports on a collaborative approach where over 15 years, land managers employed proactive stakeholder engagement in the development of new facilities for mountain bikers in Western Australia. The collaboration involved a combined management process that resulted in successful funding applications, constructive partnering and the pro...

An importance–performance analysis (IPA) investigated levels of satisfaction with natural attributes and facilities in place at a short-stop nature-based tourism site in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area (WHA). Over 700 on-site questionnaires were collected from visitors who visited the stromatolite viewing-boardwalk, an attraction with little mana...

We explore the complex spectrum within which ecotourism exists ranging from mass tourism at one end to highly specialized niche tourism at the other. Positive and negative impacts are identified but the nature of such impacts varies according to how ecotourism is understood and interpreted by tour operators and tourists alike. On a larger temporal...

The movie Jurassic World provides insights into actual and potential future wildlife tourism theme parks and the associated visitor expectations. Movies can function as allegories that influence or reinforce public expectations through representation of certain themes. This letter considers how Jurassic World represents wildlife tourism. We highlig...

The study site is the Dolphin Discovery Center (DDC) in Bunbury, Australia. Based on New Environ-mental Paradigm, combined with cluster analysis and variance analysis to examine the extent of environmental attitude for DDC and demographic differences, the main conclusions are as follows. Firstly, taxonomies were proposed according to different envi...

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Parks Congress in 2014 reported that the quality of management of protected areas is crucial in halting the loss of the world's biodiversity and meeting global environmental challenges. However, increasingly high-impact activities, including motorized recreation are occurring in protected...

At a time of increasing global awareness of the exploitation of the Earth's resources and the environmental impacts of human activity, this article stresses the importance of geological education. It highlights that in a tourism hot spot containing globally significant geological features and processes, it is essential to create educational interpr...

Recreational trampling damage of natural vegetation is an increasing problem in the global context and has the potential to impact on vegetation communities that are of high ecological and socio-economic interest. Wildflower tourism in the national parks of southwest Australia, a global biodiversity hotspot, has the potential to damage the flora on...

Purpose – Rankings of the world's cities by a liveability factor have become increasingly significant in the media, among governments and city councils in the promotion of cities, as well as academics interested in understanding the impact of quantifying liveability on urban planning and the relationship of liveability indices and tourism. The pape...

China is rich in wildlife resources but no comprehensive review of the research literature in relation to the nexus between wildlife and tourism interests in China has been completed. This review considers research undertaken on both consumptive and non-consumptive wildlife tourism, and shows that wildlife tourism has gained much attention in China...

In understanding the importance of interpretation in guiding sustainable turtle tourism, this article reports on the effect of an interpretation program, the Jurabi Turtle Experience (JTE), on the behavior of turtle-watching tourists at the Jurabi Coastal Park, on the Northwest Cape of Western Australia. Ninety-seven turtle-watching tourists in the...

This is the proceedings of the fifth biennial conference of the International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA), held in Perth, Australia in 2014. It contains a wide range of full papers, extended abstracts, and abstracts, of research in tourism, hospitality and events.

One of the most famous volcanoes in the world, Krakatau (often referred to as ‘Krakatoa’), is in a group of four uninhabited islands situated in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra (Fig. 17.1). The islands comprise Rakata, Sertung, Panjang (sometimes known as Rakata Kecil, meaning ‘little Rakata’) and the currently active Anak Krakatau (‘chil...

Madagascar is renowned for high levels of biodiversity and endemism. As a result of its unique flora and fauna, as well as the high levels of human threat to the environment, such as illegal clearing, hunting and political instability, it is a critical global conservation priority. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in eastern Madagascar is one of the...

Adventure racing is a global activity occurring across a range of land tenures. Activities include running, mountain biking, kayaking and rope courses which may be commercially sponsored and involve hundreds of competitors and spectators. This paper raises awareness about the potential environmental impacts of such activities and sporting events ta...

Currently, Western Australia (WA) is experiencing its biggest ever mining boom in history with predictions about the resource sector underpinning the state’s economic development well into the future. Built on WA’s rich natural resources, the mining sector has traditionally been a pillar of any government’s economic policy, and indeed much of WA’s...

The significant growth in geotourism across all continents over the past two decades has created a strong demand for more creative, robust and systematic approaches to assessing the geotourism potential of natural areas, for identifying suitable sites of geological interest and providing comprehensive frameworks for management. We investigate a ran...

A four-tiered approach to understanding motorised recreation in natural and protected areas is introduced, using examples of motor events from Australia to demonstrate each conceptual level. The aim is to increase understanding of motorsport and motorised recreation phenomena that impact natural and, in particular, protected areas and other users o...

Off-road driving, horse riding, rock climbing and similar activities can be lucrative for tour operators and important for local recreational groups, but contentious for management of national parks and protected areas, both because of safety and liability and because of potentially high environmental impacts. These include spreading weeds and path...

Natural Area Tourism provides a comprehensive description of tourism in natural areas allowing readers to understand the scope of, complexities arising from, and possibilities of undertaking successful tourism developments in natural areas. Furthermore, the second edition contains an overview of recent developments, such as mountain biking, adventu...

In forest recreation areas where campfires are permitted, branches and logs of removable size (i.e. able to be carried or cut with an axe or saw) are likely to be collected from a considerable area around campsites, resulting in the localised loss of woody debris from the forest floor and of branch material from standing live and dead trees. Result...

The Mauritian tourism industry is interested in growing new markets and continues to strive for new product development. Existing geological attractions in Mauritius include the Seven-Coloured Earth of Chamarel and the Black River Gorges National Park, but there is much scope for showcasing the educational value of these attractions and further hig...

This paper investigates the adventure racing phenomenon in Australia, highlighting the nature and extent of adventure racing, its potential environmental and socio-cultural impacts, and the challenges and opportunities it presents for protected area management. We argue that there is cause for concern about the impacts of adventure racing, in parti...