Youth Attitudes to Wildlife, Protected Areas and Outdoor Recreation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Titel:
Youth Attitudes to Wildlife, Protected Areas and Outdoor Recreation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Auteur:
Seddon, Philip J. Khoja, Abdul-Rahman
Verschenen in:
Journal of ecotourism
Paginering:
Jaargang 2 (2003) nr. 1 pagina's 67-75
Jaar:
2003-03-01
Inhoud:
The creation of a Government Commission to oversee tourism in Saudi Arabia heralds the expansion of domestic tourism. Saudi Arabia's protected area authority plans to harness the benefits of ecotourist access to selected sites. Domestic ecotourism planning in Saudi Arabia should not be based on overseas markets, but should develop from an understanding of current domestic attitudes to wildlife and outdoor recreation. This exploratory study assessed attitudes in young Saudi males. The most common leisure activities were socialising and playing sport, with a high level of interest in outdoor activities, hence a preference to view animals while walking within protected areas. Attitudes to wildlife revealed biased perceptions, indicating alienation from the natural world, possibly arising from the recent rapid urbanisation of a once primarily nomadic population. Carnivores were considered dangerous, whereas traditional quarry species were regarded as beautiful, or tasty. These results suggest that the ecotourism sector in Saudi Arabia should provide for regulated day visits with guided walks to view wildlife. The aims of Saudi Arabian protected area tourism development should be to facilitate public access to reserves to increase environmental awareness and improve public support for conservation programmes.
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