Cognizant Communication Corporation

09/28/2025

🌍 Marine Tourism Facts Worldwide | TiME

🔍Can snorkelling with scientists transform tourists into ocean advocates? A Cape Town study questions citizen science tourism’s real impact.

📋 Researchers tracked 111 tourists who helped scientists monitor Cape Town’s kelp forests between 2021 – 2022. Participants actively spotted cat sharks, recorded species data on underwater slates, and contributed to identifying 2,002 individual sharks through 2,790 observations.

📊 To understand the impact, the study measured two types of engagement. Experiential engagement captured the immediate thrills: excitement of spotting wildlife, hands-on data collection, and feeling wonder in the kelp forests. Reflective engagement measured deeper processing such as contemplating environmental threats, discussing conservation issues, and connecting emotionally with marine life.

😯 The results revealed a telling gap. Experiential engagement scored high at 4.42/5, while reflective engagement lagged at 4.16/5. This split had consequences: hands-on experience boosted participants’ confidence and kelp forest knowledge, but only reflection sparked genuine interest in marine science and motivated conservation behaviour. Surprisingly, the thrill of swimming with sharks alone didn’t create curiosity about coastal monitoring – that required contemplation.

🎯 The study’s blind spot: All impacts were measured immediately post-experience. Whether participants actually changed behaviours, joined conservation groups, or retained their learning remains unknown. For an industry claiming to create “ocean stewards”, this absence of long-term data is troubling.

Is citizen science tourism creating real conservation impact, or just selling the feeling of making a difference?

Read the full study here: https://doi.org/10.3727/216901924X17200766329319

Affiliations: TREES (Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

09/24/2025

Meet Associate Professor Serena Lucrezi, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Tourism in Marine Environments
https://jrnl.onl/a15hfo

A marine scientist who transitioned to the social sciences 14 years ago. Passionate about marine tourism research, with a focus on governance, conservation, citizen science, education and human-wildlife conflicts. Widely published in journals such as Tourism Management, Journal of Ecotourism, and Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.

A marine scientist who transitioned to the social sciences 14 years ago. Passionate about marine tourism research, with a focus on governance, conservation, citizen science, education and human-wildlife conflicts. Widely published in journals such as Tourism Management, Journal of Ecotourism, and Jo...

09/22/2025

🌍 Marine Tourism Facts Worldwide | TiME

🔍When conservation meets commerce: What happens when a community’s survival strategy becomes its biggest threat?

Indonesia’s Karangsong Village presents a sobering case study of ecotourism’s double-edged sword. After coastal erosion destroyed 127 hectares by 2008, this fishing community turned to mangrove conservation as salvation. This approach successfully protected 20 hectares of forest that now hosts 34 bird species and 40 mangrove varieties.

🌀 The paradox: PT Pertamina’s corporate involvement helped win prestigious conservation awards (Gold Proper Grade from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for four consecutive years), attracted 1,000 – 3,000 student visitors monthly, and created jobs for 200+ locals. Yet this “success” fragmented the community. Conservation groups now compete with tourism operators for control of “emerged lands” (aanslibbing), while entrance fees are split between two conflicting management bodies charging visitors twice.

🤯 The gentrification trap: As ecotourism flourished, original conservationists found themselves marginalised by profit-driven corporate management. The very shrimp farmers who abandoned eroded lands during the crisis now demand them back for tourism development. Meanwhile, infrastructure for tourists degrades the ecosystem it was meant to showcase.

💡 Most revealing finding: Despite international NGO support and government regulations, the community lacks autonomous capacity to manage their own conservation area, creating dependency on external entities while local conflicts intensify.

🤔 Is ecotourism destined to consume the very communities and ecosystems it claims to protect? Or can we reimagine conservation that doesn’t require communities to commodify their own survival?

Read the full study here: https://doi.org/10.3727/216901925X17395247078750

09/18/2025

Meet Professor Emeritus Michael Lück, Founding Editor-in-Chief of Tourism in Marine Environments.
https://jrnl.onl/s1m25a

Professor Emeritus Lück is a tourism researcher with an interest in coastal and marine tourism and recreation, wildlife tourism, ecotourism, sustainable tourism, interpretation/education, and aviation. Widely published in the field, including editing the Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments (CABI).

Tourism researcher with an interest in coastal and marine tourism and recreation, wildlife tourism, ecotourism, sustainable tourism, interpretation/education, and aviation. Widely published in the field, including editing the Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments (CABI).

09/16/2025

Ingenta Connect Top 100 for August, 2025
Cognizant Communication Corporation journals rank in the top 100 out of more than 10,000 titles on Ingenta Connect for number of full-text downloads.

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Cognizant Communication Corporation journals rank in the top 100 out of more than 10,000 titles on Ingenta Connect for number of full-text downloads.

09/15/2025

🌍 Marine Tourism Facts Worldwide | TiME

What if the tourists themselves hold the key to sustainable whale shark tourism?

This thought-provoking research analysed 31,509 words from 58 tourist blogs across Mexico, the Philippines, and Australia to uncover what tourists really think about their whale shark encounters. The findings reveal troubling gaps between tourism promises and reality, but also point toward solutions.

📊 The uncomfortable truth about proximity. While tourists in the Philippines described swimming “arms-length” away and being “so close I could see its eye looking around,” these closer encounters often resulted in whale shark avoidance behaviours like deep diving and “banking” away from disturbance. Meanwhile, Australian tourists who followed stricter 3-metre distance rules reported consistently higher satisfaction levels.

When “sustainable” tourism isn’t sustainable: In Mexico, 14,000 people touched whale sharks in just one region during 2015 season alone, despite a 77% compliance rate with no-touching rules. The Philippines showed even more concerning patterns, with compliance rates for minimum distance dropping to just 44%.

🤔 The expectation paradox: Tourists in Australia, who experienced the most regulated encounters, showed greater overall satisfaction than those in the Philippines who had guaranteed sightings through controversial feeding practices. This challenges the assumption that “more access equals better experience.”

Could the path to truly sustainable whale shark tourism lie not in giving tourists what they think they want, but in educating them about what they actually need for a meaningful encounter?

Read the full study here: https://doi.org/10.3727/216901924X17091056910403

Affiliations: 1: School of Business and Law Central Queensland University, Cairns, QLD, Australia 2: Learning Design and Innovation Directorate, Central Queensland University, Cairns, QLD, Australia

09/12/2025

Tourism Review International, Volume 29, Number 3 is now available. Read all articles from this issue for free for the next 2 weeks at https://jrnl.onl/tri293

09/10/2025

Meet Dr. Andreas Skriver Hansen, Associate Editor for Tourism in Marine Environments - https://jrnl.onl/v7aitk

Dr. Hansen is a human geographer with an interest in coastal-marine tourism and recreation as well as visitor planning, management and monitoring activities. Dr. Hansen often works in and with coastal and marine settings as well as peripheral and island geographies around the globe.

Human geographer with an interest in coastal-marine tourism and recreation as well as visitor planning, management and monitoring activities. Dr. Hansen often works in and with coastal and marine settings as well as peripheral and island geographies around the globe.

09/09/2025

New Book Announcement: I Ching (The Book of Changes) and its Influence on Philosophy, Science and Chinese Medicine

Order at https://cognizantcommunication.com/publication/i-ching-the-book-of-changes/

Most people who study Chinese classics or traditional Chinese medicine will encounter difficulties in understanding its theories and concepts, unless they first understand the basic concept of Yin and Yang, upon which the theories are based. But very few, if any, translated books have been able to illuminate the true meanings of the fundamental concepts of I Ching. I Ching (The Book of Changes) and its Influence on Philosophy, Science and Chinese Medicine is a simple and practical method for curious beginners. The method described in this book may be more logical and rational for those seeking guidance from the I Ching.

09/06/2025

Meet Professor Stephen Pratt, Associate Editor, Tourism Culture & Communication

https://cognizantcommunication.com/2025/09/03/stephen-pratt/

Stephen “Steve” Pratt is Full Professor in the Department of Tourism, Events, Entertainment and Attractions at Rosen College of Hospitality Management, a position he took up in August 2022. Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master degrees in Economics from the University of Sydney, Australia, and a Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham, UK. Prior to joining Rosen College, Steve served as Deputy Head of School of Business and Management at the University of the South Pacific, based in Suva, Fiji. From 2018 to 2022, he was also Head of Discipline of Tourism & Hospitality Management.

Stephen “Steve” Pratt is Full Professor in the Department of Tourism, Events, Entertainment and Attractions at Rosen College of Hospitality Management, a position he took up in August 2022.

09/02/2025

Cognizant Communication is pleased to announce Tracy Berno as a new Co-Editor-in-Chief for our Gastronomy and Tourism journal beginning with Volume 9. Learn more at: https://jrnl.onl/k0es1w

Tracy Berno is Associate Dean – Postgraduate and Professor of Critical Food Studies at AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand. The overall aim of her research is to contribute to sustainable and resilient food systems in Aotearoa/New Zealand and the broader Pacific region, particularly in relation to the challenges that sustainable development presents.

Cognizant Communication is pleased to announce Tracy Berno as a new Co-Editor-in-Chief for our Gastronomy and Tourism journal beginning with Volume 9.

09/01/2025

🌍 Marine Tourism Facts Worldwide | TiME

🎨 What if the creative economy could revolutionise marine tourism, but we’re missing the blueprint?

This comprehensive systematic literature review analysed 45 articles to explore creative economy development strategies in marine tourism. Researchers used the TCCM framework (Theory, Context, Characteristic, and Methodology) to identify trends, gaps, and future directions in this emerging field.

📊 The research landscape is still taking shape. Scientific production peaked in 2019 and 2021 with 10 articles each year, but dropped to just 2 articles in 2022. The field remains exploratory, with 64.4% of studies using qualitative methods and only 11.1% employing quantitative approaches - revealing a significant methodological gap.

🌍 Europe dominates, but the world awaits. The UK leads research with 6 articles, followed by China with 5. A striking 43% of publications focused on Europe, while Africa contributed only 5% - highlighting a major geographical imbalance that limits global understanding of effective strategies.

🔗 Three pillars emerge from the research. Co-occurrence analysis revealed sustainable development as the central theme, closely linked to "creative economy" and "blue economy." The most utilized theories are Sustainable Development Theory (15.4%), followed by Circular Economy (5.8%) and Blue Economy (3.8%) approaches.

🚀 Four future frontiers demand attention: sustainable creative economy practices, technology integration, comprehensive market segmentation, and meaningful coastal community engagement - areas where current research falls short but holds transformative potential.

Read the full study here: https://doi.org/10.3727/216901925X17367756790656