1. Janice H. Xu, PhD.
Holy Family University
Tourist Social Media and
Environmental Awareness:
TripAdvisor Content Analysis
on Mt. Emei Natural Ecology
Monkey Reserve
2. Wildlife
Tourism
Involves an experience
based in a natural setting
Popularity has risen as
access to more remote
parts of the world has
increased
Values of conservation,
animal welfare, visitor
satisfaction, and profitability
are often in conflict
3. Different
Worldviews
Anthropocentrism: humans
as morally superior to
nonhumans; nature and
nonhumans are viewed as
objects to be managed
Ecocentrism: views the
world as an intrinsically
dynamic interconnected
web of relations
4. Social Media
and Tourism
The growth of user generated
content is clearly affecting travel
consumer decisions
Most readers perceive travel
reviews as sources of up-to-
date, enjoyable and reliable
information
Among tourists visiting wildlife
areas there could be different
perceptions, preferences and
levels of conservation awareness
5. Mount Emei (in Sichuan
province, China)
• Listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO
for both cultural and natural heritages
6. • Highest peak is 3099 meters in altitude
• Different seasons--average temperature Difference
(mountain top and foot) is 14℃
• Over 5000 kinds of plants, 2300 kinds of wild animals
● One of four sacred Buddhist mountains of China—over
30 temples and over 300 monks and nuns
7. Mt. Emei Natural Ecology
Monkey Reserve
● The Tibetan Macaque is under second class protection in China.
● Main threat faced is loss and degradation of its habitat. Other
threats include exposure to human diseases, herbicide and
pesticide poisoning, and poaching.
● China passed New Wildlife Protection Law in 1996
17. RESEARCH Method—Content
Analysis
● Travel-related online reviews comprise more than one-quarter
of social media websites found on the internet
● TripAdvisor is the largest travel site in the world, with more
than 315 million members and over 500 million reviews
● Operates websites in 49 countries, based on data in 2016.
● In April 2009, TripAdvisor launched its official site in China,
www.daodao.com .
18. CONTENT A
TripAdvisor Reviews
NALYSIS
• —tourist satisfaction; emotion;
perception
• --364 Tripadvisor reviews of the
Mt. Emei Monkey Reserve
• (average satisfaction level 4.0)
• --117 Tripadvisor reviews of Mt.
Emei mentioning “monkeys”
19. Research
findings
● Reviews in Chinese are mostly
positive
● 4-5 star reviews (86% of 323):
--Emotions: fun, caution, excitement,
great photos
-- Perception of monkeys: cute, lovely,
smart, mischievous, “creature of
nature”
● 1-2 star reviews (3% of 323):
--Emotions: fright, anger, shock
--Monkeys: violent, trained, used for
scam
--criticized local staff/vendors
20. Research findings
● Reviews in English are half positive
● 50% are 4-5 stars
--fun; unique experience (similar to Chinese
tourists)
● 1-2 stars (19%):
● --Emotion: sad, “what a shame,” vicious,
“disgrace”
● --Perception of monkeys: felt sorry, “poor
monkeys,” aggressive, “provoked
unnecessarily”
● --Criticized Chinese tourists mostly
21. Discussion
Eco awareness among
Chinese citizens growing but
not necessarily scientific
Desire to get close to
nature; seeking proximity
and interaction with wildlife
Protection is associated with
avoiding harming animals;
helping injured animals;
increased numbers of
animals
