Authors
Brent Lovelock, Yun Ji, Anna Carr, Clara-Jane Blye
Publication date
2023/12
Journal
Invasive Plant Science and Management
Volume
16
Issue
4
Pages
240-252
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Description
Tourism, one of the world largest economic sectors, moves a substantial body of individuals and materials about the world and is implicated in the spread of invasive plants and is itself impacted by biological invasions that can degrade touristic landscapes and affect destination communities. Tourists constitute not only an immediate biological threat, but through their landscape and biota preferences also constitute a substantial economic and ecological force that has implications for invasive plant management in destinations. Tourists and the tourism industry are therefore significant stakeholders in invasive plant introduction, spread, and management. This paper discusses an onsite survey (n = 231) of domestic and international visitors in New Zealand, a destination where invasive species are an important ecological and economic issue. Findings show that visitors have a low understanding of the presence and …