Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management最新文献

Management Implications

Many state and federal agencies are promoting outdoor recreation as an economic development strategy in natural resource-dependent rural regions of the United States that have experienced sustained divestment and outmigration after the collapse of traditional extractive industries. An underappreciated dimension of these efforts is how to prepare a future workforce from within rural communities that can help develop this diverse and growing sector. This article reports on an intervention delivered to middle and high-school aged youth in a rural area in the northeastern U.S. that examined whether outdoor recreation activities can serve as an accessible context for informal STEM learning. Results show strong engagement regardless of sociodemographic barriers, suggesting that outdoor recreation activities may be harnessed to engage youth who have historically been excluded from STEM and other career pathways, yet whose future participation is important for achieving rural development aims.

This study investigates golf tourists’ preferences for diverse social distancing measures implemented by golf courses during the COVID-19 pandemic using a discrete choice experiment. With a sample of 430 South Korean golfers, this study provides a better understanding of how gender affects their trade-offs among several precautionary policies. Results suggest the maximum occupancy of each restaurant table is considered a critical factor in reducing infection risk, while golfers are willing to pay KR₩10,747 for a one-person reduction in table occupancy. Gender groups reveal different preference patterns regarding several safety measures. Female golfers show a higher willingness to pay for several preventive measures, particularly restaurant occupancy limits and locker spacing. These findings provide insights for golf course managers to develop targeted strategies that enhance customer safety and satisfaction during future health crises.

This research investigated the effects of destination attributes, enduring involvement, place attachment, and satisfaction on mountain bikers’ behavioral intentions by incorporating the Mehrabian-Russell model. A survey approach was employed to test this model. Data was collected from 682 mountain bikers in the Taiwan Bike Association and Taiwan Cyclist Federation from March 2022 to July 2022. This was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Our results indicate that the destination attributes of tourism attraction and accessibility and amenities and complementary services affect enduring involvement both positively and negatively. While tourism attraction and accessibility positively affect place attachment and satisfaction, amenities and complementary services positively affect place attachment but not satisfaction. Moreover, enduring involvement, place attachment, and satisfaction positively affect behavioral intentions. Enduring involvement, place attachment, and satisfaction had mediating effects on the relationship between tourism attraction and accessibility and behavioral intentions. Enduring involvement also played a mediating role in the relationship between amenities and complementary services and behavioral intentions. We discuss both the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings.

Management implications

The findings of the current study have the following management implications.

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  Excellent natural resources and accessibility are essential for positive assessments of cycling routes.

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  Tourism attraction and accessibility is a strong predictor of enduring involvement, place attachment, and satisfaction.

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  Professional trail building and ongoing maintenance can mitigate adverse environmental impacts and improve the mountain biking experience.

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  An oversupply of amenities and services can diminish mountain bikers' sense of accomplishment and the pleasure and relaxation of the activity.

Blue spaces are being increasingly linked to a public health agenda, as the presence of water increases perceived restorativeness. Much research has examined coastal nature experiences and sense of place in coastal areas specifically, but little research has attempted to compare sense of place across different types of natural environments. In this study, we used place meanings to investigate how people perceive, experience, and attach to coastal and inland natural environments, providing new insights into human-nature relations in coastal and inland environments in Denmark. The study uses a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative analysis of free-text responses from a national online PPGIS survey with statistical analysis of background information. Responses from 500 coastal and 500 inland nature visitors were analysed through an inductive coding process, which elicited one hundred different place meanings. These meanings were categorized according to Williams’ (2014) layers of tangible and intangible place meanings. The meaning layer distribution was similar between coastal and inland nature visits, just as the most frequent place meanings were similar across the environments (e.g., Nature, Nice, Forest, Walk). However, significant differences were found among some individual place meanings (e.g., Wild, Vacation, Healing and comfort were more frequent for coastal visits), suggesting special coastal place meanings that should be further explored in future research. The analysis of place meanings was supplemented by an analysis of relevant visit characteristics behind the 500 coastal and 500 inland visits, suggesting great attraction coupled to coastal places (e.g., longer travel distance).

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted people's lifestyles. Camping, as an outdoor activity, has become increasingly popular in urban China, especially during the pandemic. However, existing literature lacks the recognition of changes in the psychological aspects of camping at various stages of health crises. This study developed a comprehensive model to explore the connections between constraints, motivations, satisfaction, and subjective well-being in camping experiences at different stages of COVID-19 pandemic. A two-wave tracking survey was collected in May 2022 during the COVID-19 period, and April 2023 in the post-COVID-19 period. The findings indicate that travelers faced fewer constraints after the health crisis, with their satisfaction levels less affected by these constraints. Travel motivations, however, did not show significant changes. It is worth noting that while camping satisfaction continued to positively impact subjective well-being, its influence notably decreased after the health crisis. This research illuminates the evolving relationship between antecedents and consequences of camping throughout different stages of health crises, providing insights for enhancing camping product and experience design, as well as campground planning and management.

Management implications

This pioneering study examines camping in nearby natural settings across different phases of COVID-19, elucidating differences in well-being outcomes and factors influencing camping experiences. Findings offers invaluable insights into current practices and management strategies related to camping. Campsite managers need to pay attention to the psychological processes of campers at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, governments and service providers can tailor products and services based on tourists' evolving needs and psychological changes.

Currently we know little about how visitors perceive invasive species, nor how this may vary across visitor cohorts. Previous research suggests that visitors to natural areas have a low awareness of the impact of invasive species. This note reports on a survey of domestic and international visitors (n = 231) in New Zealand, investigating their awareness of invasive wild conifers and attitudes toward their control. Awareness of the wild conifer problem was generally low, especially among international visitors. There were significant differences between domestic and international visitors, and among visitors of different nationalities for how wild conifers were perceived. International visitors, and particularly those from China or other Asian countries were more accepting of wild conifers in the landscape and less supportive of eradication. The findings have implications for management of invasive species, which requires the support of all stakeholders, including tourists, recreationists and their associated sectors.

Providing access to natural areas through recreation is a valuable strategy for garnering social support for nature conservation. Direct experiences bring landscapes into people's perceptible realms and create sense of place and place meaning. This meaning can even be transferred to similar areas through a brand effect. Mega trails can play a role in creating meaning and sense of place for large landscapes. We investigated the sense of place and its spatial scale among hikers on the three national scenic trails forming the triple crown of hiking in the USA (Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trail) and discusses their potential to promote nature conservation at large landscape scales. We surveyed 602 hikers and assessed the level of sense of place and its spatial scale using Likert scales and heatmaps. Analyses of variance were performed to explore their relationships with hike duration, motivation, and trail section popularity. Results suggest that the longer the hiking, the stronger and broader the sense of place. Hikers motivated by national scenic trails present a stronger and broader sense of place, and this difference occurs even among day hikers, suggesting a brand effect. Implementing and promoting mega trails can create extensive meaningful places, facilitating the understanding of ecological processes and helping to promote large-scale nature conservation. Through the brand effect, mega trails have the potential to reach a wider audience, going beyond long-distance hikers and raising the awareness of millions of people who hike at least a short trail section about the importance of large-scale conservation.

Management implications

By offering long experiences in contact with nature, mega trails are associated with a greater sense of place and on a broader spatial scale. These trails help create meaning for large landscapes, raising support for their conservation. Furthermore, mega trails also create brands that reach an audience beyond long-distance hikers. Investing in mega trails that connect large landscapes or cross geographical features, such as biomes or mountain ranges, can help build support to promote connectivity across these landscapes. Corridors protected by mega trails can even facilitate species range shifts in response to climate change, acting as climate corridors.

One of the major concerns for mountainous Protected Area management is the disposal of trash triggered by the influx of visitors. Providing on-site waste collection facilities, such as trash cans, could encourage visitors to stop littering. However, providing such facilities poses logistical challenges especially in altitude destinations due to the collection costs and ethical concerns due to gaps in perception and social norms between site managers and visitors. This study uses a survey conducted in summer 2023 to examine the predictors that influence climbers' compliance with the third principle of the ‘Leave no Trace’ (LNT) code connected to trash disposal norms. Independent sample t-test and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to delineate differences in preferences for trash cans amongst the 353 respondents. Results revealed descriptive norms (climbing habits and prior awareness) and group identity (nationality) as significant predictors of climbers' compliance. Findings indicated a gap in LNT perception between Japanese, expat and inbound climbers, with domestic visitors tending to tolerate the lack of trash cans due to Japanese social norms, whereas international visitors indicated otherwise. Moreover, findings also showed a relationship between regular climbing habits and LNT compliance, with more experienced hikers and climbers manifesting higher awareness and compliance with LNT. The findings will facilitate improved LNT engagement, helping site managers to establish effective communication and promote possible alternatives (e.g. environmental education interventions) as part of a holistic waste management strategy at Mount Fuji and other mountainous frontcountry settings.

Management implications

Driven by the post-covid rebound in nature-based tourism demand, visitor influxes have inundated many mountainous destinations with additional trash. As Protected Areas increasingly use public education outreach programs such as ‘Leave no Trace’ (LNT) to mitigate visitors' trash-related norms, this study has implications for site managers:

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  Encouraging all climbers to engage in LNT practices by providing basic information prior to arrival along with on-site equipment to help collect litter (e.g. trash bags).

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  Actively targeting frontcountry visitor segments with lower awareness of and compliance with LNT practices, such as less-experienced and international climbers.

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  Conducting educational programs that raise awareness, interweave LNT code throughout the site management plan and disseminate the LNT philosophy across cultural norms.