Social–ecological factors influencing tourist satisfaction in three ecotourism lodges in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon

Analysing the factors that influence visitor satisfaction is critical for the appropriate management of tourism, particularly in nature tourism enterprises, which are expected to contribute to biodiversity conservation and the development of local people. In this paper, we investigate the effect of different socio-economic and ecological variables, as well as tourist-operation related factors, on the overall satisfaction of tourists visiting three Amazonian lodges in Peru. We found three typologies of tourists, differing by several socio-economic and cultural factors, and by their motivations. The quality of the lodge was the factor that had the largest influence on overall satisfaction. Only one type of tourists (“true ecotourists”) showed a positive relation between their overall satisfaction and ecological features such as the species observed or cultural features such as operation of the lodge by native communities using local guides. Implications for management are discussed in terms of the potential of nature tourism to contribute to sustainable development in the Peruvian Amazon.

► We analyse social–ecological factors that influence visitor satisfaction.
► Three typologies of tourists were found based on socio-cultural factors.
► The quality of the lodge has the largest influence on overall satisfaction.
► Ecological features positively influence satisfaction of only one type of tourist.
► Selective marketing focused on true ecotourists can be used to improve sustainability.