Motivations and Valued Attributes of Ecotourism in a Natural Protected Area: Santay Island (Ecuador)

Natural protected areas have become more appealing destinations for tourists. Although the concept of nature protection and the declaration of protected areas is old, scientific overview of this attractiveness is of a more recent date. This article empirically investigates three variables, with respect to the sociodemographic profile, motivations to visit and attributes valued by ecotourists that visited a Ramsar wetland of international importance: Santay Island, in Ecuador. This National Protected Area located in the middle of 2 cities, offers a green and recreational place for ecotourists´ relaxation. The analysis is based on 1002 on-site surveys collected from tourists visiting this isle. The results indicate that the ecotourists that visit the place are mostly national young people motivated by intellectual, interpersonal, challenge and relaxation aspects, except for the one related to gastronomy. Results highlight that the most valuable attribute of the the touristic destination is public security. Given the scarcity of information and research on Community-Based ecotourism in the region, there is a dire need for additional baseline data. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3p24