ECOTOURISM ›› 2023, Vol. 13 ›› Issue (3): 466-482.doi: 10.12342/zgstly.20220165

• Research Tourism • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research on production mechanism of educational tourism products in nature reserves: A case study of Danxia Mountain, Guangdong Province

Zhou Tongxin1(), Liu Jun2,3,*()   

  1. 1. School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
    2. School of Tourism Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
    3. Research Center for Study Tour and Leisure Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
  • Received:2022-12-30 Revised:2023-04-06 Online:2023-06-28 Published:2023-08-04
  • Contact: Liu Jun E-mail:zhoutx6@mail2.sysu.edu.cn;liujun020@sina.com

Abstract:

Public education is an essential obligation of nature reserves. However, nature reserves in China are facing an insufficiency in the development of educational tourism products. A qualitative research method is used to explore the production mechanism of educational tourism product in Danxia Mountain, Guangdong Province. The research shows that: (1) The procedure of producing educational tourism products are divided into four steps: knowledge production, knowledge transformation, curriculum arrangement and design and operation of the educational tourism products. The formulation of this procedure is based on multiple internal and external factors such as the resources of the nature reserves, the internal logic of knowledge production and transformation, market demand and various policies and standards. (2) Under the guidance of public education, a production pattern has formed in Danxia Mountain, which dominated with the production of educational tourism products related to natural science knowledge and facilitated with the production of educational tourism products related to practical knowledge. (3) A structure of “core-surrounding-periphery” is formed in educational tourism industry. The interaction and cooperation among the different circles support the production of higher quality products, and contribute to the sustainable improvement of local educational tourism industry. The research shows that the logic of knowledge production and transformation, relevant policy standards, and the ability of the participants make the educational tourism product unique from other kinds of tourism products, Such uniqueness are the inner forces for the formation of the production mechanism of educational tourism products. This study systematically summarizes the practice of the educational tourism in Danxia Mountain. It helps to reveal the interactive relationship between various elements in the production process, based on the perspective of participants. Futhermore, this artical clarifies the specificity of educational tourism and its structural impact on the tourism industry in the nature reserves.

Key words: public education, educational tourism, study tour, production mechanism, nature reserves