Environmental Consciousness of RV Visitors to Rocky Mountain National Parks
Publisher/Sponsor:
Parks Canada
Author:
Simic, Jovan
Abstract
RV travel is a growing market but remains largely understudied. More and more visitors to National Parks choose to travel by RV. The goal of the study discussed here is to investigate the environmental consciousness of RV visitors to National Parks and determine their awareness of the negative environmental impacts of RV traveling, as well as the actions they take to mitigate these impacts.
A survey of RV travelers was conducted in the summer of 2007 at three major campgrounds in the Mountain Parks. The results reveal that less than half of the RV visitors are aware of their ecological footprint while traveling by RV, and an even smaller number takes measures to reduce their ecological footprint. The paper concludes that with the growing number of RV travelers, National Parks are a perfect place to educate visitors and raise their environmental awareness. These issues are further discussed in relation to the Parks Canada mandate. Presented at the 2009 Parks Conference hosted by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association.
Publication Date:
2009
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