Profiling the European Garden Heritage Tourist: Literature Review, Survey & Garden Expert Results Report by Claudia BAUER-KRÖSBACHER & Hannah PAYER Krems, March 2012 I Table of Contents List of Tables .............................................................................................................. V List of Figures ............................................................................................................ VI 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Background of the Study ............................................................................... 7 1.2 Aim of the Study and Research Questions .................................................... 7 1.3 Research Design ........................................................................................... 8 1.4 Chapter Outline ............................................................................................. 8 2 Literature Review............................................................................................... 10 2.1 Garden Tourism........................................................................................... 10 2.1.1 A Brief Historical Outline ....................................................................... 12 2.1.2 Classification of Gardens ...................................................................... 13 2.1.3 Gardens as Tourism Attractions ............................................................ 14 2.2 The Garden Heritage Tourist ....................................................................... 17 2.2.1 Demographic and Socio-demographic Characteristics ......................... 17 2.2.2 Motivations ............................................................................................ 18 2.2.3 The Cultural and Nature Tourist ............................................................ 20 3 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 23 3.1 Choice and Description of the Study Sites .................................................. 23 3.1.1 Powerscourt Garden ............................................................................. 25 3.1.2 Schloss Hof Castle and Garden ............................................................ 25 3.1.3 Cluj-Napoca Botanical Garden .............................................................. 26 3.1.4 Balchik Garden Bulgaria ....................................................................... 26 3.2 Questionnaire Design and Measurement Scales ........................................ 26 3.3 Pretest ......................................................................................................... 27 II 3.4 Sampling and Data Collection ..................................................................... 27 3.5 Qualitative Research ................................................................................... 29 3.5.1 Expert Interviews .................................................................................. 29 3.5.2 Ethics in Research ................................................................................ 30 3.5.3 Interview Partners ................................................................................. 31 4 Analysis and Results ......................................................................................... 34 4.1 Findings of the Garden Surveys .................................................................. 34 4.1.1 Visitor Profile ......................................................................................... 34 4.1.2 Interest in Types of Gardens and Open Spaces ................................... 46 4.1.3 Trip Characteristics ............................................................................... 50 4.1.4 Visitor Motivation ................................................................................... 52 4.1.5 Leisure Activities at Home and on Holiday ............................................ 55 4.1.6 Satisfaction ........................................................................................... 56 4.2 Findings of the Expert Interviews................................................................. 58 4.2.1 Definition of Garden Tourism ................................................................ 58 4.2.2 Relevance of Garden Tourism in Europe .............................................. 58 4.2.3 Strength of Garden Tourism in different countries: ............................... 58 4.2.4 Weaknesses of Garden Tourism in different countries: ........................ 59 4.2.5 Potential of Garden Tourism in SEE: .................................................... 59 4.2.6 Main Characteristics of Garden Tourists ............................................... 59 4.2.7 Motivations of Garden Tourists ............................................................. 60 4.2.8 Activities: ............................................................................................... 60 4.2.9 Heritage Preservation in Gardens ......................................................... 61 4.2.10 Sustainability in Gardens ................................................................... 61 4.2.11 Recommendations: ............................................................................ 62 5 Summary and Conclusions of the Garden Survey ............................................. 63 List of References ..................................................................................................... 70 Appendices ............................................................................................................... 73 III Appendix I: List of Gardens for Survey .................................................................. 74 IV List of Tables Table 1: Garden Visitor Motivations ...................................................................... 18 Table 2: Types of Nature Tourists ......................................................................... 22 Table 3: Sample .................................................................................................... 29 Table 5: List of Garden Experts interviewed.......................................................... 32 Table 6: List of Garden Tour Experts interviewed ................................................. 33 Table 4: Mean Age per Site................................................................................... 35 Table 5: Cross Tabulation Sites and Garden Ownership/Cultivation ..................... 42 Table 6: Dwell Time by Site................................................................................... 50 Table 7: Cross Tabulation Site and Type of Trip ................................................... 51 Table 12: Mean Values of Visitor Motivations ....................................................... 52 Table 15: Mean Values on Leisure Activities at Home and on Holiday ................. 55 Table 16: Mean Values of Satisfaction Items ........................................................ 56 Table 17: Profile of the Garden Tourist ................................................................. 69 V List of Figures Figure 1: Classification of Attractions .................................................................... 15 Figure 2: A cultural tourist typology ....................................................................... 21 Figure 3: Age Distribution ...................................................................................... 35 Figure 4: Country of Residence - Powerscourt...................................................... 36 Figure 5: Country of Residence – Schloss Hof...................................................... 37 Figure 6: Country of Residence – Cluj Botanical Garden ...................................... 38 Figure 7: Country of Residence – Balchik Garden ................................................ 39 Figure 8: Level of Occupation ............................................................................... 40 Figure 9: Level of Education.................................................................................. 40 Figure 10: Garden Ownership ............................................................................... 41 Figure 11: Visitors‟ Knowledge about Horticulture ................................................. 42 Figure 12: Visitors‟ Knowledge about Garden Design ........................................... 43 Figure 13: Visitors‟ Knowledge about Garden History ........................................... 43 Figure 14: Visitors‟ Interest in Gardens ................................................................. 44 Figure 15: Interest in different Types of Gardens .................................................. 46 Figure 16: Interest in different Types of Open Spaces .......................................... 47 Figure 17: First Time versus Repeat Visitors ........................................................ 47 Figure 18: Companionship of Garden Visitors ...................................................... 48 Figure 19: Length of Stay in the Garden ............................................................... 49 Figure 20: Type of Trip .......................................................................................... 50 Figure 24: Sources of Information ......................................................................... 51 Figure 25: Chance of Site Visitation in the Future ................................................