1 Proportion of land used for construction in scenic areas
2 Vegetation coverage
3 The degree of soil pollution at scenic areas
4 The soil erosion ratio
5 Forest coverage
6 Biodiversity
7 Water reuse
8 Standards for sewage discharge
9 A comprehensive water pollution index
10 Air quality in scenic areas
11 Air pollution in scenic areas
12 The volume of negative ions in the air
13 The frequency of regional climate disasters
14 A climate comfort index for scenic areas
15 Essence of plant resources
16 Influence of low-carbon vehicles on environmental protection
in scenic areas
17 Use of environmentally friendly trail construction materials
18 Eco-trash cans
19 Solid waste recycling
20 Use ratios for eco-toilets
development is intended to reduce energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also developing the economy of the society, providing environmental protection through technological innovation, industrial restructuring and new energy development, among others. Correspondingly, the central goal of low-carbon tourism is to reduce energy consumption and emissions. Tourist destinations have begun to evaluate four considerations in seeking to achieve the goal of low-carbon tourism: the eco-environment, tourist facilities, management systems and participant attitudes (Shi & Gao, 2007).
(2) A low-carbon evaluation index system for tourist attractions
In developing the original low-carbon evaluation index, we examined the related literature to determine the relevant concerns that have arisen during the development of the tourism industry and identify the relevant national policy. After screening the indexes that are frequently discussed and evaluated in the media and related literature, we purposefully selected the original 40 evaluation indexes mainly based on three considerations: first, the closeness of the index to our own research; second, the reliability of the results reported in those studies; and third, the suitability of the evaluation for Delphi and AHP, which are summarized in Table 1.
2.3. Screening the low-carbon evaluation indexes for scenic areas
(1) Delphi method
The low-carbon evaluation indexes were first screened using the Delphi method, and expert opinions and advices were sought. The indexes were then modified based on the experts’ suggestions using the AHP. This index system includes four categories of indexes: first-level indexes, second-level indexes, third-level indexes, and fourth-level indexes.
Based on the 40 indexes, an advisory group of experts was composed that included 6 experts from the tourism industry, 20 graduates of tourism management programs and 3 professional planners from a travel planning company. Each of the 29 experts received a copy of the questionnaire. The experts were requested to provide his or her advice and recommendations regarding the
No. Index content
21 The use of disposable tableware
22 Ecological building materials used by accommodation facilities
23 Disposable supplies provided by accommodation facilities
24 The proportion of eco-parking
25 Low-carbon awareness among staff in scenic areas
26 Frequency per year of low-carbon knowledge training for working staff 27 Renewable energy use in scenic areas
28 “Carbon offset” in scenic areas
29 Degree of commerciality and artificiality of scenic areas
30 Low-carbon travel by visitors at scenic areas
31 The contribution of income from low-carbon travel to the yearly tourist
income from scenic areas
32 Local government support for low-carbon scenic area
33 Local residents’ awareness of low-carbon environmental protection 34 The degree of use of environmentally friendly materials to package
traveling goods
35 Tourist per capita carbon emissions
36 Energy-saving facilities in scenic areas
37 Population density in scenic areas
38 Tourist per capita solid waste disposal in scenic areas
39 The carbon emissions associated with cultural activities in scenic areas 40 Monitoring systems for environment in scenic areas