Visitors' Satisfaction with Interpretive Services at the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea, China

摘要

Visitors' overall satisfaction with interpretive elements at the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea was consistent with the importance that visitors ascribed to the different interpretive elements. Of the six guide-related elements, four elements received satisfaction ratings that were less than the associated importance ratings; these elements require further attention by managers. None of the nine facility-related elements had satisfaction ratings that were lower than their associated importance ratings. These findings highlight the need to train guides to better equip them with the skills needed to interpret relevant messages and tour organization and knowledge about bamboo. IPA demonstrated that the visitor center is meeting a variety of visitor needs, the coordinated use of audiovisual equipment, and the content of multimedia elements) were areas where efforts might be concentrated to improve visitor satisfaction. When China began to introduce interpretive services to national parks and protected areas, there were few evaluations of Chinese visitors' satisfaction of different media (Xu & Cui, 2013). Although this cross-sectional case study is limited by a small sample size, the case of the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea identifies the potential to enhance visitor satisfaction through better training of guides in interpretive skills and modern technologies. Although the use of surveys to investigate tourists' characteristics, motivations, and desired experiences is not common in Chinese tourism planning (and may be subject to cultural norms that dissuade people from revealing their true feelings (Cottrell, Vaske, Shen, & Ritter, 2007)), they nevertheless can serve as a bridge between the planning and implementation of tourism strategies (Lai, Li, & Feng, 2006). This case study revealed the need for further research regarding the development of naturally and culturally appropriate and effective interpretation strategies in Chinese bamboo attractions that could engage Chinese visitors, enhance their appreciation of bamboo forests, and encourage awareness and action of sustainable behavior.