Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Editors: Bill Bramwell (Sheffield Hallam University) and Bernard Lane (Visiting Research Fellow, Sheffield Hallam University)
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Volume: 5 Number: 3 Page: 234–243
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Identifying Ecotourists in Belize Through Benefit Segmentation: A Preliminary Analysis
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Vincent Palacio
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Understanding the perceived benefits of nature-based or ecotourism is an important step in providing products usable to the visitor and in developing a sustainable tourism policy. There are few published
studies segmenting the nature-based tourism market using a benefit segmentation approach. This study, based on a sample of visitors to Belize, a widely known ecotourism country, identifies tourist segments,
based on a multivariate analysis. Ecotourists' comprised less than 20 of the random sample of visitors taken during the tourist season. Ecotourists differed from other segments in terms of social-demographic
and trip characteristics, but had similar levels of activity participation. The results suggest several implications for nature-based product promotion and development, and implementation of a sustainable
tourism policy.
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