The 'Cumulus-effect': the ecotourist experience

Ecotourists who visit natural environments share certain experiences that such areas have on them. This paper explores the questions “What actually happens to individuals while in nature that makes them value the... [ view full abstract ]

Ecotourists who visit natural environments share certain experiences that such areas have on them. This paper explores the questions “What actually happens to individuals while in nature that makes them value the experience?” and “What differentiates an authentic nature experience from other uses of the natural environment?”. It also discusses the significance and value of nature experiences for ecotourists. Existing phases of nature experiences are looked into and new phases are identified, incorporating the values of natural environments. The impacts of these phases on the total experience are interpreted. Data were generated by means of semi-structured interviews and unstructured field observation with ecotourists (n = 400) visiting natural areas in southern Africa, and analysed via thematic content analysis. Findings revealed that nine fundamental value-clusters of a nature experience can be identified. These value-clusters vary over seven different phases of the total experience. Although many factors may influence the quality of each of these phases, and on the total experience, a common pattern is recognisable. This pattern is represented as a cumulus cloud formation. The ‘cumulus effect’ is a concept created to illustrate the format of the sequence of phases typical of any nature experience. At the same time the cloud analogy illustrates the uniqueness of a nature experience. While these phases and values are not all inclusive of any natural environment, they clearly suggest that the nature experience is more than a simple recreational visit. They represent some of the beliefs that are influential in protecting natural environments, in particular those few undeveloped areas still found in southern Africa.