Tourism sector is important in all countries since it has contributed a lot to economic growth. This sector does this by generating income from the various tourist activities undertaken in tourist attraction areas. There are many tourist attraction sites in the world. In order to maximize the revenue received from tourism, the tourism industry of a country usually looks at the various market segments involved. It is important to understand the meaning of market segment. This term is used to describe a group of buyers having the same characteristics and having the same needs (Martin 2011). The tourism industry should therefore strive to satisfy the needs of the market segment accordingly. This can be done effectively by first collecting adequate information about the market segment.
One of the market segments in the tourism industry is nature-based tourism. This type of tourism consists of sites that naturally grow in the environment. Nature-based tourism helps a lot in the conservation of wild animals and plant species. Some of the natural plants grow in one area and fail to grow in other areas. This makes some of the nature-based tourist sites distinct. Nature-based tourism is highly practiced in the United States of America and in some parts of Maine. In the United States of America, nature-based tourism is mostly found in parks and orphanages.
In these areas, ancient trees and animals are kept safe from poachers and destroyers. Nature-based tourism in the United States originated many years ago when there was need to increase revenue for the government. Another reason why tourism focused on the nature-based tourism was due to increased demand in environmental conservation. Areas consisting of beautiful environment full of ancient and unique animal species were transformed in to game parks. Plant species were also conserved and protected from tree cutters.
The evolution of nature-based tourism has been characterized by certain trends. This evolution is distinct in various countries. In the United States of America, there has been improved nature-based tourism due to increase in wildlife protection. Initially, the government made a survey of all the areas consisting attractive natural environment. The government increased the number of parks in various parts of the country in order to protect the endangered species.
The characteristics of nature-based tourism can be explained by many aspects regarding tourism in the world. From a global perspective, this form of tourism has attracted both domestic and international tourisms. However, the percentage of international tourists visiting nature-based sites differs across the globe. In the United States, there are high percentages of international tourists visiting the parks in the country. Some of them come from Russia, Germany, North Korea and China (Moses 2010). Some of the international tourisms visit these places in order to experience diverse culture practices. In these places, they meet with people from all over the world, thereby improving international relations.
Tourism profile in this market segment shows that, most of the tourists visiting the parks in the United States of America and Maine fall between 25 and 35 years. This shows that the young people get more excited with tourist activities than the old people. Similarly, domestic tourists consist mostly of the young generation. There has been innovation in most of the nature parks in order to attract more tourists, especially the young people. According to this tourist profile, most of the people who visit these parks mostly travel with partners. This is especially for the international tourists. Some of the international tourists come in groups of two or three. Domestic tourists do not incur high costs as compared to the international tourisms. For this reason, most of the domestic tourists travel in groups of many people. Others go with their whole families. Some may also include some of their friends.
There are many tourist expectations with regard to nature based tourism in the United States of America and in the world. In the United States, tourists hope that there will be expansion of lodging areas due to the increased tourism demand. In addition, tourists hope that there will be improved tourist services that will make the parks more attractive. During the September 2001 bombing, there were many tourists who feared to visit the United States of America. However, tourists are now optimistic that there is effective security in the country to guarantee safety for the many international tourists. Some of the citizens have predicted that there will be increased revenue from the tourist sector due to improved management in the nature-based tourism segment.
An example of nature based tourism in the globe is Tourism Victoria. This agency has many hotels that help in accommodating the many tourists visiting its sites. These hotels are built to suit the need of middle and high income earners. These hotels also act like tourist attractions to the people attending them. They contain beautifully made artificial environments that provide attractive scenes to the customers (Bob 2010). The design of the hotels implies that the hotels are meant for tourists. The hotels are usually situated in areas which are assessable. These areas have well trained security personnel to ensure that there is security in the hotels. Security has been taken into consideration since tourists do not want to be interrupted during their vacations.
An example of nature based tourism in the United States of America is Acadia National Park. In Maine, a good example of this form of tourism is Baxter State Park. These areas have similar tourist attractions. One major difference is that Baxter offers hiking facilities mostly due to the existence of snow in its environment. Apart from having plenty of hotels, these parks offer caravan and travel services (Josphat 2009). There are tourists who visit tourist areas in groups. They therefore prefer travelling together. The agency offers vehicles that have a large carrying capacity to transport various tourist groups. Most tourists prefer having fun as a group because of company. Caravans enable easier transportation of the tourists across the sites. Another service offered is camping. Baxter State Park encourages the locals to camp in their premises at relatively cheaper prices. This has helped to increase the revenue base of the tourist organization. Camping guides are provided by the agency to help various tourist groups to maximize their adventure.
Some parts of Acadia National Park contain water facilities that promote tourism. This area consists of bat ramps for the visitors. This has encouraged boating in this area, thereby attracting more tourists in the area. In this area, many customers prefer boating since it enables them to have a unique passenger experience. The use of water resources to generate income from tourism was approved after the agency undertook a survey of the area. This was meant to ensure that travelling in this area was safe for all the tourists.
Another attraction associated with these areas is wildlife parks. These parks consist of a wide variety of plants and animals that have unique characteristics (Bob 2010). Wild animals in Acadia National Park enable tourists to view rare species of animals. Most of these animals are not available in some countries. This attracts foreign visitors into the country for the purpose of seeing them. Viewing some of the species of plants enable some researchers to conduct research on topics related to plants. Some of the most dangerous animals are also found in Tourism Victoria. Some of the customers have seen this only in the media. They therefore find it exciting to see them face to face.
Extractive tourism is also offered in nature based tourism. This type of tourism provides adventure for people who like fishing. In addition, sun tourism enables people from wet areas to have fun (Josphat 2009). Sun tourism is offered mainly in the summer season. During this season, people from cool areas desire having a hot environment. Swimming areas are available to tourists who find excitement in swimming. Most of the swimming areas are connected to nearby hotels. This connection helps to provide access to drinks and food stuffs while having fun.
References
Martin, K. (2011) Global Tourism Issues. London. Palgrave Macmillan.
Bob, J. (2010). Tourism Victoria: Attraction Sites and Services. New York. Mc-Grade.
Josphat, F. (2009) Market Segmentation in the Tourism Sector. Oxford. Oxford University Press.
Moses, L. (2010) Issues in Tourism Marketing. Prentice. Prentice-Hall.
