Domestic camping tourism and environmental awareness in the former socialist member states of the EU
Zsuzsanna Bacsi - Angéla Szanati
Abstract
Issues related to the environment are of major global concern. Tourism, as an indus-try whose key resource is the natural landscape, will have to respond to environ-mental challenges, and action is expected not only from service providers, but from tourists, too. The paper assesses the relationship between concern for the environ-ment and the preference of camping tourism as a form of nature-based tourism. The paper deals with the former socialist countries of the EU. and focuses on domestic tourism because we intend to reveal what tourists think about their own country and how it is reflected in their leisure behaviour. Results revealed, that higher pref-erence for camping holidays among domestic tourists was negatively associated with the environmental concern of the population. Campers in the analysed countries are likely to assume a well maintained environment and environmentally responsible behaviour that puts less threat on the environment.
Key words: nature-based tourism, camping, environment, former socialist countries, Eurobarom-eter
JEL Classification: C33, Q56, Z31
Received: 20.1.2021 Accepted: 6.2.2021