Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1016/j.jort.2025.100943
Sarah Grocutt, Colin Wood
Background
There is little research on women who undertake solo pilgrimage walking.
Purpose
This study examined the experiences of women who undertake solo pilgrimage walking, and to consider its impact on their wellbeing.
Methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with eight solo female walkers who had walked between 200 and 1662 km on the via Francigena pilgrimage route. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore the data and draw tentative conclusions.
Findings/conclusions
The study finds that the walkers were seeking solitude, seeking adventure, seeking connection to others, and seeking connection to themselves. The study concludes that solo pilgrimage walking improved participants’ sense of wellbeing by building identity and resilience, and that the search for community was an important part of solo pilgrimage walking experience.
Implications
The study highlights that and that solo pilgrimage walking can be seen as a source of wellbeing as it appears to be a means to release tension, process grief and engage in physical movement that creates a meditative and reflective state.
{"title":"Walking with purpose – Eight solo women's pilgrimage hiking and wellbeing experiences on the via Francigena","authors":"Sarah Grocutt, Colin Wood","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>There is little research on women who undertake solo pilgrimage walking.</div></div><div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>This study examined the experiences of women who undertake solo pilgrimage walking, and to consider its impact on their wellbeing.</div></div><div><h3>Methodology/approach</h3><div>Interviews were conducted with eight solo female walkers who had walked between 200 and 1662 km on the via Francigena pilgrimage route. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore the data and draw tentative conclusions.</div></div><div><h3>Findings/conclusions</h3><div>The study finds that the walkers were seeking solitude, seeking adventure, seeking connection to others, and seeking connection to themselves. The study concludes that solo pilgrimage walking improved participants’ sense of wellbeing by building identity and resilience, and that the search for community was an important part of solo pilgrimage walking experience.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>The study highlights that and that solo pilgrimage walking can be seen as a source of wellbeing as it appears to be a means to release tension, process grief and engage in physical movement that creates a meditative and reflective state.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100943"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.jort.2025.100975
Denise Fecker
Outdoor sport and recreation organizations are key service providers in tourism, with their staff serving as their most valuable asset; however, while studies have explored employee retention in tourism service contexts, such as hotels and restaurants, research on employee commitment of outdoor sport guides is limited. This study examines the role of four different workplace commitments and their antecedents for the first time in the context of outdoor service providers in the tourism sector. Using a quantitative design, an online survey was conducted with 200 snowsport instructors in one of Austria's largest winter tourism destinations. Structural equation modeling was applied with SmartPLS 4.0 to test the hypotheses. This study's findings show that workplace commitments of outdoor sport guides are interrelated, and their explanations vary across the targets. Place attachment, camaraderie, meaningful work, and perceived organizational support significantly predict different workplace commitments. The results suggest that workplace commitments vary in their outcomes and highlight the roles of destinations and their stakeholders in employee retention and work outcomes within tourism and outdoor recreation sectors. This study establishes a workplace commitment framework that provides nuanced insights into the different emotional bonds of outdoor sport guides as a specific group of service workers in tourism.
{"title":"Peaks and passion: Examining the dynamics of workplace commitments among outdoor sport guides","authors":"Denise Fecker","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100975","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100975","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Outdoor sport and recreation organizations are key service providers in tourism, with their staff serving as their most valuable asset; however, while studies have explored employee retention in tourism service contexts, such as hotels and restaurants, research on employee commitment of outdoor sport guides is limited. This study examines the role of four different workplace commitments and their antecedents for the first time in the context of outdoor service providers in the tourism sector. Using a quantitative design, an online survey was conducted with 200 snowsport instructors in one of Austria's largest winter tourism destinations. Structural equation modeling was applied with SmartPLS 4.0 to test the hypotheses. This study's findings show that workplace commitments of outdoor sport guides are interrelated, and their explanations vary across the targets. Place attachment, camaraderie, meaningful work, and perceived organizational support significantly predict different workplace commitments. The results suggest that workplace commitments vary in their outcomes and highlight the roles of destinations and their stakeholders in employee retention and work outcomes within tourism and outdoor recreation sectors. This study establishes a workplace commitment framework that provides nuanced insights into the different emotional bonds of outdoor sport guides as a specific group of service workers in tourism.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100975"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145362644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-06DOI: 10.1016/j.jort.2025.100945
Emily A. Shirilla
Cultural landscapes are increasingly at risk of damage due to growing recreation tourism activity. This is especially true for public parks and protected areas due to their popularity for hiking, camping, rock climbing, and other activities. Rockshelters often hold valuable archaeological artifacts telling of past peoples and their lifestyle. These cultural landscapes hold contemporary importance to culturally affiliated Indigenous descendant communities as well as recreationists. In Kentucky's Red River Gorge Geological Area, hundreds of cultural sites have been impacted by visitors who may or may not be aware of the full consequences of their activities. This paper presents a review of histories of use in this area. It defines human impacts by developing a risk assessment model that investigates the relationship between destructive impacts to rockshelter sites and patterns in tourist behavior. The model is informed by Forest Service site data and consists of a series of geographic information system-derived variables assessing the impacts of distance and visibility on rockshelter disturbance. This model can be used to inform future heritage and conservation planning.
{"title":"Sheltered in place: Risk assessment modeling and proposed action in the Red River Gorge","authors":"Emily A. Shirilla","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100945","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100945","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cultural landscapes are increasingly at risk of damage due to growing recreation tourism activity. This is especially true for public parks and protected areas due to their popularity for hiking, camping, rock climbing, and other activities. Rockshelters often hold valuable archaeological artifacts telling of past peoples and their lifestyle. These cultural landscapes hold contemporary importance to culturally affiliated Indigenous descendant communities as well as recreationists. In Kentucky's Red River Gorge Geological Area, hundreds of cultural sites have been impacted by visitors who may or may not be aware of the full consequences of their activities. This paper presents a review of histories of use in this area. It defines human impacts by developing a risk assessment model that investigates the relationship between destructive impacts to rockshelter sites and patterns in tourist behavior. The model is informed by Forest Service site data and consists of a series of geographic information system-derived variables assessing the impacts of distance and visibility on rockshelter disturbance. This model can be used to inform future heritage and conservation planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100945"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-07DOI: 10.1016/j.jort.2025.100958
K. Shenyoputro, Thomas E. Jones
A better understanding of deviant tourist behaviour could help mitigate environmental and cultural impacts on protected areas. Aside from trash thrown by hikers, illicit mementoes and vandalism pose problems for site managers, especially in mountainous areas. This study examines hikers' perceptions of deviant behaviours such as taking scoria and leaving graffiti in the context of self-stated compliance with the ‘Leave No Trace’ (LNT) Principles on Mount Fuji's trails. After an on-site questionnaire was conducted over two summer seasons (2023–2024), a combination of independent sample t-tests and one-way Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine differences in LNT perceptions among the 525 respondents. Results revealed significant gaps among hikers linking their regular hiking experience with graffiti norms. Results also identified a link between deviant behaviour and collection of scoria as an illicit memento. A one-way MANCOVA indicated that prior experience hiking Fuji is amongst the significant covariances that influence hikers' scoria-collection behaviour. The findings may assist park managers in designing targeted educational outreach programs that discourage hikers' cultural impacts such as taking scoria and leaving graffiti.
{"title":"Take it or leave it: do regular hikers tend toward more responsible or deviant behaviour at Mount Fuji?","authors":"K. Shenyoputro, Thomas E. Jones","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100958","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100958","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A better understanding of deviant tourist behaviour could help mitigate environmental and cultural impacts on protected areas. Aside from trash thrown by hikers, illicit mementoes and vandalism pose problems for site managers, especially in mountainous areas. This study examines hikers' perceptions of deviant behaviours such as taking scoria and leaving graffiti in the context of self-stated compliance with the ‘Leave No Trace’ (LNT) Principles on Mount Fuji's trails. After an on-site questionnaire was conducted over two summer seasons (2023–2024), a combination of independent sample t-tests and one-way Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine differences in LNT perceptions among the 525 respondents. Results revealed significant gaps among hikers linking their regular hiking experience with graffiti norms. Results also identified a link between deviant behaviour and collection of scoria as an illicit memento. A one-way MANCOVA indicated that prior experience hiking Fuji is amongst the significant covariances that influence hikers' scoria-collection behaviour. The findings may assist park managers in designing targeted educational outreach programs that discourage hikers' cultural impacts such as taking scoria and leaving graffiti.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100958"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145267184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-11-17DOI: 10.1016/j.jort.2025.100982
Tor Erik Heyerdahl Nyquist , Reidun Birgitta Jahnsen , Trond Bliksvaer (Bliksvær) , Ana Koncul , Karin Marie Antonsen
Involvement in nature-based activities is shown to increase health and wellbeing. However, some people with disabilities require assistive devices to be able to participate in such activities. By exploring the needs of persons with disabilities regarding assistive devices, this study aims to gain a better understanding of how accessible nature-based experiences for all can be supported. The article builds on a large-scale digital survey of the needs and experiences of persons with disabilities who were contacted through user organizations and a rehabilitation center in Norway. Most of the respondents reported that they brought their own assistive devices for activities of daily living, such as crutches, wheelchairs, hearing aids, or a white cane. However, they wanted to rent or lend assistive devices for sports and outdoor activities. Information about accessibility was reported to be very important but often lacking. To allow for more universally designed services and environments, nature-based travel destinations should aim to provide assistive devices for activities along with ordinary equipment, information about it on their websites, and competent staff to make nature-based experiences accessible for all.
{"title":"Accessible tourism – Nature-based activities for all, needs for assistive devices and information among people with disabilities","authors":"Tor Erik Heyerdahl Nyquist , Reidun Birgitta Jahnsen , Trond Bliksvaer (Bliksvær) , Ana Koncul , Karin Marie Antonsen","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100982","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100982","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Involvement in nature-based activities is shown to increase health and wellbeing. However, some people with disabilities require assistive devices to be able to participate in such activities. By exploring the needs of persons with disabilities regarding assistive devices, this study aims to gain a better understanding of how accessible nature-based experiences for all can be supported. The article builds on a large-scale digital survey of the needs and experiences of persons with disabilities who were contacted through user organizations and a rehabilitation center in Norway. Most of the respondents reported that they brought their own assistive devices for activities of daily living, such as crutches, wheelchairs, hearing aids, or a white cane. However, they wanted to rent or lend assistive devices for sports and outdoor activities. Information about accessibility was reported to be very important but often lacking. To allow for more universally designed services and environments, nature-based travel destinations should aim to provide assistive devices for activities along with ordinary equipment, information about it on their websites, and competent staff to make nature-based experiences accessible for all.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100982"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145578531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1016/j.jort.2025.100955
Michelle N. Murphy, Elizabeth A. Halpenny
For effective human-wildlife coexistence, particularly in landscapes where human activity overlaps with large predator habitats, gaining insight into the determinants of recreational trail users’ pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) is essential. Human cognitions, like norms and attitudes, are often positively associated with PEBs (Cialdini et al., 2006; Pearce et al., 2022; van Riper & Gerard, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of three human cognitions on wildlife- and trail-specific PEBs. Three key psychological drivers were selected as independent variables based on a literature review: 1) personal norms; 2) social norms; and 3) place attachment. Additionally, the study examines the differences in wildlife- and trail-specific PEB levels between locals and visitors. Much of the existing research examines the predictive power of human cognitions on general PEBs – such as recycling, energy consumption, and littering. This study developed measures of wildlife- and trail-supportive PEBs in collaboration with park agency staff and from a literature review. With a focus on local predators (bears, wolves, cougars, etc.), a survey was distributed to users of recreational trails near Canmore, Alberta, Canada during the summer of 2023. The three aforementioned psychological variables and selected demographics were examined for their influence on wildlife- and trail-specific PEBs. Results found only personal norms to be significantly and positively associated with both wildlife- and trail-specific PEBs. Despite predictions, place attachment and social norms were not significantly associated with the PEBs.
{"title":"The psychological drivers of pro-environmental behaviors on recreational trails in Canmore, Alberta","authors":"Michelle N. Murphy, Elizabeth A. Halpenny","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>For effective human-wildlife coexistence, particularly in landscapes where human activity overlaps with large predator habitats, gaining insight into the determinants of recreational trail users’ pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) is essential. Human cognitions, like norms and attitudes, are often positively associated with PEBs (Cialdini et al., 2006; Pearce et al., 2022; van Riper & Gerard, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of three human cognitions on wildlife- and trail-specific PEBs. Three key psychological drivers were selected as independent variables based on a literature review: 1) personal norms; 2) social norms; and 3) place attachment. Additionally, the study examines the differences in wildlife- and trail-specific PEB levels between locals and visitors. Much of the existing research examines the predictive power of human cognitions on general PEBs – such as recycling, energy consumption, and littering. This study developed measures of wildlife- and trail-supportive PEBs in collaboration with park agency staff and from a literature review. With a focus on local predators (bears, wolves, cougars, etc.), a survey was distributed to users of recreational trails near Canmore, Alberta, Canada during the summer of 2023. The three aforementioned psychological variables and selected demographics were examined for their influence on wildlife- and trail-specific PEBs. Results found only personal norms to be significantly and positively associated with both wildlife- and trail-specific PEBs. Despite predictions, place attachment and social norms were not significantly associated with the PEBs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100955"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-04DOI: 10.1016/j.jort.2025.100963
Iree Wheeler , Wayne Freimund , Ryan Knowles
Park and Protected Area (PPA) managers and researchers have identified a suite of tools to manage visitors to public lands, on a spectrum from indirect (education) to direct (enforcement) actions. Rationing and allocation techniques are a suite of frequently studied direct management actions in the context of wilderness, backcountry, and river use permitting. Recently, PPAs in the United States have implemented rationing and allocation techniques in high-use front-country settings, in the form of entrance reservation systems. In 2022, Arches National Park, Utah, implemented a pilot vehicle entry reservation system to address the impacts of congestion on visitor experience and biophysical resources. This study used a survey of Arches visitors (n = 537) to investigate visitor perceptions of Arches’ pilot reservation system, and how experience characteristics (i.e., ease of navigating the reservation system) and coping strategies employed by visitors (i.e., rationalization, product shift, and displacement) influence their support for public land reservation systems. Results of the study indicate high levels of support for this management action in the future. Satisfaction with the communication and navigation of the system predicted support the strongest. Coping strategies did not significantly influence support for reservation systems on future visits. These findings present valuable information for managers and policymakers when designing vehicle reservation systems in PPAs that both preserve the integrity of biophysical resources and alleviate congestion without diminishing the visitor experience.
公园和保护区（PPA）的管理者和研究人员已经确定了一套管理公共土地游客的工具，从间接（教育）到直接（执法）行动。配给和分配技术是一套经常研究的直接管理行动，在荒野，偏远地区和河流使用许可的背景下。最近，美国的购药计划在高使用率的前线国家环境中以入口预约制度的形式实施了定量配给和分配技术。2022年，犹他州拱门国家公园（Arches National Park）实施了一项试点车辆进入预订系统，以解决拥堵对游客体验和生物物理资源的影响。本研究通过对拱门游客的调查（n = 537）来调查游客对拱门试点预订系统的看法，以及游客的体验特征（即预订系统导航的便利性）和应对策略（即合理化，产品转移和流离失所）如何影响他们对公共土地保留系统的支持。研究结果表明，今后对这一管理行动的支持程度很高。对系统通信和导航的满意度预测支持度最强。应对策略对预约系统对未来访问的支持没有显著影响。这些发现为管理者和政策制定者在设计ppa中的车辆预约系统时提供了有价值的信息，这些系统既能保护生物物理资源的完整性，又能在不影响游客体验的情况下缓解拥堵。
{"title":"Using experience characteristics and coping strategies to understand visitor support for a national park managed access system: case study of arches National Park","authors":"Iree Wheeler , Wayne Freimund , Ryan Knowles","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100963","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100963","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Park and Protected Area (PPA) managers and researchers have identified a suite of tools to manage visitors to public lands, on a spectrum from indirect (education) to direct (enforcement) actions. Rationing and allocation techniques are a suite of frequently studied direct management actions in the context of wilderness, backcountry, and river use permitting. Recently, PPAs in the United States have implemented rationing and allocation techniques in high-use front-country settings, in the form of entrance reservation systems. In 2022, Arches National Park, Utah, implemented a pilot vehicle entry reservation system to address the impacts of congestion on visitor experience and biophysical resources. This study used a survey of Arches visitors (n = 537) to investigate visitor perceptions of Arches’ pilot reservation system, and how experience characteristics (i.e., ease of navigating the reservation system) and coping strategies employed by visitors (i.e., rationalization, product shift, and displacement) influence their support for public land reservation systems. Results of the study indicate high levels of support for this management action in the future. Satisfaction with the communication and navigation of the system predicted support the strongest. Coping strategies did not significantly influence support for reservation systems on future visits. These findings present valuable information for managers and policymakers when designing vehicle reservation systems in PPAs that both preserve the integrity of biophysical resources and alleviate congestion without diminishing the visitor experience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100963"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Forest management needs a multifunctional model that balances recreational use and forestry, contributing to the broader goals of land conservation, carbon neutrality, and local community development. This study explored the potential of forest rental services as a novel approach to integrating recreational use and forestry, focusing on a case study in Higashishirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Forest rental services, initiated in December 2020, offer users with the exclusive and free right to use small plots based on an annual contract without the need for capital investment by the forest owners and with continuing silviculture, thereby facilitating a dual-purpose model for forest management. This study employed questionnaires for actual users and social media analysis to investigate the contributions of forest rental services to increasing interest in forestry, and attribution types, activity types and preferred forest settings of users. The findings revealed that over half of the users had no prior experience with planted forests, but their engagement with forest rentals significantly increased their knowledge of and interest in forestry. Activities at the rental sites predominantly included ground cultivation, bonfires, outdoor cooking, and camping. The preferred forest settings highlighted a substantial inclination toward broadleaf forests and thinned young planted forests. Social media analysis further underscored the importance of active recreational activities like camping, cooking and doing bonfire rather than the static experience of the forest landscape. Forest rental services can serve as an effective tool for connecting urban residents with forestry, thereby supporting the sustainability of forestry and local communities.
{"title":"Exploring the potential of forest rental services as a tool for balancing recreation and forestry","authors":"Yusuke Mizuuchi , Keita Otsuka , Yuki Sakamoto , Naomi Shimpo","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100931","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100931","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest management needs a multifunctional model that balances recreational use and forestry, contributing to the broader goals of land conservation, carbon neutrality, and local community development. This study explored the potential of forest rental services as a novel approach to integrating recreational use and forestry, focusing on a case study in Higashishirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Forest rental services, initiated in December 2020, offer users with the exclusive and free right to use small plots based on an annual contract without the need for capital investment by the forest owners and with continuing silviculture, thereby facilitating a dual-purpose model for forest management. This study employed questionnaires for actual users and social media analysis to investigate the contributions of forest rental services to increasing interest in forestry, and attribution types, activity types and preferred forest settings of users. The findings revealed that over half of the users had no prior experience with planted forests, but their engagement with forest rentals significantly increased their knowledge of and interest in forestry. Activities at the rental sites predominantly included ground cultivation, bonfires, outdoor cooking, and camping. The preferred forest settings highlighted a substantial inclination toward broadleaf forests and thinned young planted forests. Social media analysis further underscored the importance of active recreational activities like camping, cooking and doing bonfire rather than the static experience of the forest landscape. Forest rental services can serve as an effective tool for connecting urban residents with forestry, thereby supporting the sustainability of forestry and local communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100931"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145362647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study quantifies the economic impact of the Peaks of the Balkans (PoB) Trail, a 192 km transnational hiking trail in Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro, on rural mountain regions in the post-pandemic Anthropocene. Using Hubert Job's Value-Added Analysis (VAA), the research integrates electronic visitor counting (2024) and expenditure surveys (2023) to estimate visitor numbers, spending patterns, and primary and secondary local income effects. Results show approximately 43,075 hikers annually, with an average daily expenditure of EUR 73.93 per person. The trail generates an estimated EUR 25.48 million in gross annual turnover, contributing EUR 16.28 million in local income effects and supporting the equivalent of 1380 full-time jobs. The findings highlight the PoB Trail's role in driving rural economic development through tourism revenue, job creation, and infrastructure improvements. Building on the adapted methodology, a transferable and cost-efficient model is presented for evaluating the economic effects of long-distance trails on rural communities in emerging economies.The case of the PoB trail exemplifies how long-distance trail destinations can transform local economies while promoting regional cooperation and resilience in the post-pandemic Anthropocene, offering insights into evolving hiker mobilities driven by an intensified desire for nature-based experiences during that period and reinforcing the significance of long-distance trails as both economic assets and a form of movement heritage.
{"title":"Economic impacts of trail destinations: The case of the Peaks of the Balkans trail","authors":"Simon Reuter , Tessa Kemmerling , Theresa Schmalenbach , Claudia Brözel","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100928","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100928","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study quantifies the economic impact of the Peaks of the Balkans (PoB) Trail, a 192 km transnational hiking trail in Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro, on rural mountain regions in the post-pandemic Anthropocene. Using Hubert Job's Value-Added Analysis (VAA), the research integrates electronic visitor counting (2024) and expenditure surveys (2023) to estimate visitor numbers, spending patterns, and primary and secondary local income effects. Results show approximately 43,075 hikers annually, with an average daily expenditure of EUR 73.93 per person. The trail generates an estimated EUR 25.48 million in gross annual turnover, contributing EUR 16.28 million in local income effects and supporting the equivalent of 1380 full-time jobs. The findings highlight the PoB Trail's role in driving rural economic development through tourism revenue, job creation, and infrastructure improvements. Building on the adapted methodology, a transferable and cost-efficient model is presented for evaluating the economic effects of long-distance trails on rural communities in emerging economies.The case of the PoB trail exemplifies how long-distance trail destinations can transform local economies while promoting regional cooperation and resilience in the post-pandemic Anthropocene, offering insights into evolving hiker mobilities driven by an intensified desire for nature-based experiences during that period and reinforcing the significance of long-distance trails as both economic assets and a form of movement heritage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100928"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144989473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study clarified the advantages and disadvantages of employing big data (cell phone users' location data), compared with data obtained using conventional collection methods, specifically within the context of visitor monitoring (e.g., trail-selection analysis including visitors to destinations in natural parks). This was accomplished based on a case study of Mount Fuji, using cell phone users' location data (CLD) generated automatically by NTT DoCoMo's mobile spatial statistics (MSS) service. The results indicated that, despite some limitations, MSS has the advantage of generating nationwide data 24 h a day, 365 days a year, unlike on-site questionnaire surveys, enabling the measurement of population dynamics during specific periods or times that are typically inaccessible through conventional survey methods. Analysis using the discrete-choice recreation demand model of the factors underlying the choice of mountain trails provided statistically significant results, while users' trail choice was found to be impacted by the number of cabins, the number of first-aid centers, and the trails' degree of congestion. Thus, it was concluded that CLD have significant potential for application to visitor monitoring.
{"title":"Application of cell phone users’ location data to visitor monitoring in natural parks: A case study of Mount Fuji","authors":"Masaya Fujino , Yuya Miyazaki , Takahiro Kubo , Koichi Kuriyama","doi":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100965","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jort.2025.100965","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study clarified the advantages and disadvantages of employing big data (cell phone users' location data), compared with data obtained using conventional collection methods, specifically within the context of visitor monitoring (e.g., trail-selection analysis including visitors to destinations in natural parks). This was accomplished based on a case study of Mount Fuji, using cell phone users' location data (CLD) generated automatically by NTT DoCoMo's mobile spatial statistics (MSS) service. The results indicated that, despite some limitations, MSS has the advantage of generating nationwide data 24 h a day, 365 days a year, unlike on-site questionnaire surveys, enabling the measurement of population dynamics during specific periods or times that are typically inaccessible through conventional survey methods. Analysis using the discrete-choice recreation demand model of the factors underlying the choice of mountain trails provided statistically significant results, while users' trail choice was found to be impacted by the number of cabins, the number of first-aid centers, and the trails' degree of congestion. Thus, it was concluded that CLD have significant potential for application to visitor monitoring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46931,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100965"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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