Linking Urban Forests And Urban Tourism: A Case Of Savannah, Georgia

The importance of linking forests and tourism has long been recognized and studied in forest management, community development, and tourism. However, little has been written specifically about urban forests' role in urban tourism development. Based on data collected from Savannah, GA, this article develops a structural equation model to explore the linkages among urban forest appeals, city beauty, tourism experience, tourism satisfaction, and destination loyalty. The results indicate that urban forests can positively and significantly contribute to the enhancement of city beauty and enrichment of tourist experience, which, in turn, positively and significantly contributes to tourism satisfaction, which can significantly lead to destination loyalty. This study also finds that urban forests not only function as a main attractor for most visitors, but also serve to complement other tourism attractions (i.e., historical sites) in the city.