Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece
In an increasingly competitive tourism market, it is essential to assess visitors' demands and levels of satisfaction. Currently, in Greece, there are two public and one private zoo. The Attica zoological park located in Athens has the most extensive collection of animals from all over the worl...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844020317783 |
| _version_ | 1818455715291856896 |
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| author | Paraskevi Karanikola Thomas Panagopoulos Stilianos Tampakis Antonios Tampakis |
| author_facet | Paraskevi Karanikola Thomas Panagopoulos Stilianos Tampakis Antonios Tampakis |
| author_sort | Paraskevi Karanikola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In an increasingly competitive tourism market, it is essential to assess visitors' demands and levels of satisfaction. Currently, in Greece, there are two public and one private zoo. The Attica zoological park located in Athens has the most extensive collection of animals from all over the world. At the same time, the two public zoos serve a double purpose as zoos and peri-urban parks. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to determine the views and attitudes of the visitors in both public and private zoos of Greece. A total of 707 questionnaires were collected in Attika Park during the weekends of 2017. According to the results, the visitors were mainly middle-aged and highly educated with their motivation for their visits focused on entertainment. They visit the Park mostly in springtime, traveling mainly by car and covering distances of 5–50 km. As regards the quality of infrastructure, facilities, and services available at the zoo, the visitors of Attica Park found access to the area and security provided at the site as very satisfactory. At the same time, they consider that the animal's living conditions, their hygiene, and the existence of shelters for injured animals to be inadequate. The overall satisfaction with the outdoor recreation experience and satisfaction with the existing park facilities and services was higher at the Attica Zoological Park (91.1%) than in the two public zoos of Greece. The results of this work provide lessons that will improve zoo management, animal welfare, and sustain the flow of visitors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T22:15:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad4ba5512adb42c480652e91eb909941 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T22:15:11Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad4ba5512adb42c480652e91eb9099412022-12-21T22:45:39ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402020-09-0169e04935Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, GreeceParaskevi Karanikola0Thomas Panagopoulos1Stilianos Tampakis2Antonios Tampakis3Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, 193 Pantazidou Street, 68200, Orestiada, GreeceResearch Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005, Faro, Portugal; Corresponding author.Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Forestry and Natural Resources, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GreeceIn an increasingly competitive tourism market, it is essential to assess visitors' demands and levels of satisfaction. Currently, in Greece, there are two public and one private zoo. The Attica zoological park located in Athens has the most extensive collection of animals from all over the world. At the same time, the two public zoos serve a double purpose as zoos and peri-urban parks. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to determine the views and attitudes of the visitors in both public and private zoos of Greece. A total of 707 questionnaires were collected in Attika Park during the weekends of 2017. According to the results, the visitors were mainly middle-aged and highly educated with their motivation for their visits focused on entertainment. They visit the Park mostly in springtime, traveling mainly by car and covering distances of 5–50 km. As regards the quality of infrastructure, facilities, and services available at the zoo, the visitors of Attica Park found access to the area and security provided at the site as very satisfactory. At the same time, they consider that the animal's living conditions, their hygiene, and the existence of shelters for injured animals to be inadequate. The overall satisfaction with the outdoor recreation experience and satisfaction with the existing park facilities and services was higher at the Attica Zoological Park (91.1%) than in the two public zoos of Greece. The results of this work provide lessons that will improve zoo management, animal welfare, and sustain the flow of visitors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844020317783TourismVisitor viewWell-beingZoological parkEnvironmental scienceTourism industry |
| spellingShingle | Paraskevi Karanikola Thomas Panagopoulos Stilianos Tampakis Antonios Tampakis Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece Heliyon Tourism Visitor view Well-being Zoological park Environmental science Tourism industry |
| title | Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece |
| title_full | Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece |
| title_fullStr | Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece |
| title_full_unstemmed | Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece |
| title_short | Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece |
| title_sort | visitor preferences and satisfaction in attica zoological park greece |
| topic | Tourism Visitor view Well-being Zoological park Environmental science Tourism industry |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844020317783 |
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