ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDE BY TRIP AND VISITOR CHARACTERISTICS UNITED-STATES VIRGIN-ISLANDS NATIONAL-PARK

Visitors and destinations are the focal point of spatial interaction. The nature and extent of such interaction can influence the level and intensity of environmental degradation or enhancement. This study exam ines the variation of environmental concerns with respect to visitor ( age, gender, marital status, education) and trip (destination type, tr avel group, overnight stay, residence, and site-specific preference) c haracteristics in the US Virgin Islands National Park. The findings of this study suggest that trip behaviour, including site-specific prefe rences, rather than demographic characteristics accounts for most of t he variance in environmental concerns.