@phdthesis{Arnegger2014, author = {Arnegger, Julius}, title = {Protected Areas, the Tourist Bubble and Regional Economic Development - Two Case Studies from Mexico and Morocco}, publisher = {W{\"u}rzburg University Press}, isbn = {978-3-95826-001-6}, doi = {10.25972/WUP-978-3-95826-001-6}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-100928}, school = {W{\"u}rzburg University Press}, pages = {248}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Nature-based tourism and ecotourism experienced a dynamic development over the past decade. While originally often described as specialized post-Fordist niche markets for ecologically aware and affluent target groups, in many regions they are nowadays characterized by a heterogeneous structure and the presence of a wide product range, from individual travels to package tours. The present dissertation analyzes the structure and economic importance of tourism in two highly frequented protected areas in middle income countries, the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (SKBR) in Mexico and the Souss-Massa National Park (SMNP) in Morocco. Both areas are situated in close proximity to the most important package tour destinations Canc{\´u}n (Mexico) and Agadir (Morocco) and are subject to high touristic use and development pressure. So far, the planning of a more sustainable tourism development is hampered by the lack of reliable data. Based on demand-side surveys and income multipliers calculated with the help of regionalized input-output models, the visitor structure and economic impact of tourism in both protected areas are described. With regional income effects of approximately 1 million USD (SKBR) and approximately 1.9 million USD (SMNP), and resulting income equivalents of 1,348 and 5,218 persons, both the SKBR and the SMNP play an important—and often undervalued—role for the regional economies in underdeveloped rural peripheral regions of the countries. Detailed analyses of the visitor structures show marked differences with regard to criteria such as travel organization, nature/protected area affinity and expenditures. With regard to planning and marketing of nature-based tourism, protected area managers and political decision-takers are advised to focus on ecologically and economically attractive visitor groups. Based on the results of the two case studies as well as existing tourism typologies from the literature, a classification scheme is presented that may be used for a more target-oriented development and marketing of nature-based tourism products.}, subject = {{\"O}kotourismus}, language = {en} }