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

Coral reefs in Oman boast remarkable biodiversity and distinct features, yet their economic contribution remains largely unexplored, making this topic seriously under-researched. This study addresses this gap by aiming to estimate the recreational value of ecosystem services offered by natural and artificial coral reefs along Oman's coastline, a valuable asset that falls under the category of public goods that has never been assessed. Moreover, the study delves into the impact of varying reef richness levels, indicating biodiversity levels, on overall recreational value in this seldom-studied region with significant coral reef resources. Notably, this research marks the first attempt in the literature to examine the influence of different richness levels of reefs on recreational value. A survey was conducted to evaluate the recreational value of ecosystem services provided by coral reefs using Travel Cost Method. Coral reefs are found to provide an annual consumer surplus of 187,763 OMR (about 487,727 USD), emphasizing their substantial economic value. Greater biodiversity within a reef corresponds to a higher preference among recreationists, leading to increased economic benefits and enhanced consumers satisfaction. The substantial increase in recreational demand at sites with high reef richness levels underscores the importance of these ecosystems not just for their intrinsic natural value but also for their contribution to the tourism sector. It is essential for decision-makers to focus on the preservation of existing coral reefs as a primary concern, prior to contemplating the creation of additional reefs to enhance marine tourism.

Managerial implications

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  Coral reefs not only draw more recreationists but also significantly enhance consumer surplus and satisfaction

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  The richer the biodiversity of a reef, the more it is preferred, deriving greater economic value and consumer satisfaction

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  Oman's coral reefs provide a consumer surplus of 187,762.955 OMR (487,726.84 USD), emphasizing their economic significance

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  Policymakers should prioritize maintaining existing coral reefs before considering the development of new ones

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  Conserving and enhancing coral reefs is crucial for ecological and economic reasons, benefiting tourism-related activities

Crowding and congestion in parks and protected areas can prompt visitors to use behavioral coping strategies, including intra-site spatial displacement, where visitors rearrange themselves spatially within a recreation destination, seeking unoccupied areas. To date, intra-site displacement has primarily been measured using aspatial survey, interview, or observational methods. Using an explicitly spatial approach combining GPS tracking of visitor groups and concurrently collected estimates of use, we hypothesized a pattern of spatial spreading characteristic of intra-site displacement as use levels increased at three popular day hiking recreation destinations in Yosemite National Park, USA. Using nearest neighbor hierarchical cluster analysis, we quantified patterns in spatial behavior data collected at low, moderate, and high use times at each location. We used three measures of spatial behavior (time spent in all clusters, time spent in entry portal clusters, and percent of groups visiting clusters) to explore how visitor use of clusters varies by use level. Across these metrics, we mostly found no evidence of intra-site displacement as use levels increased. Our results suggest that the relationship between use level and intra-site displacement is nuanced, and other factors such as visitor and site characteristics should be explored in future research. Methodologically, our lack of findings using spatial analyses suggest that findings from self-reported aspatial data collection techniques may overstate the occurrence of intra-site displacement. We discuss implications for managing social and ecological conditions at high use recreation destinations.

Hiking tourism becomes a popular wellness travel trend across the world. In recent years, we have witnessed the construction of walkways or boardwalks aiming to leverage the attractiveness of nature-based tourism destinations. This paper aims to assess the quality and economic value of two walkways/boardwalks in Portugal (MRW-Mondego River and PRW-Paiva River). A questionnaire applied to visitors at the entrances/exits of those linear walkways obtained 301 (MRW) and 188 (PRW) responses. In both case-studies, visitors provided high scores for the walkways' attributes and their overall satisfaction, which is positively correlated with their willingness to pay for a ticket to access the walkway (MRW- €4.56 and PRW- €6.31 respectively). This study also conducted a K-means cluster analysis for the Mondego RW sub-sample, that identified four different clusters: Cluster 1- (N = 8) Older and heavy spenders, a small segment of male visitors that spend a high amount of money during more than a 2-day stay in the region; Cluster 2- (N = 35) Heavy donators women, composed mainly by women who are willing to donate an higher amount for the conservation of the walkway; Cluster 3- (N = 62)- Average visitor whose members have a profile with characteristics similar to the average scores of the sample; and Cluster 4- (N = 189) Low spenders younger women, that plan their journey avoiding all the consumption moments and spending the lowest amount as possible (about €24). Based on the proposed theoretical framework and on the claims shared by visitors on the survey, this paper provides some recommendations for public decision-makers.

Management implications

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  The local administration should reinvest the direct revenues from the walkways in new support infrastructures (e.g. accessibility, litter collection or the fire prevention/evacuation plan). They must also design an environmental education program for visitors to mitigate conflicts with local population.

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  The tourism operators must advertise and diversify the experiences, targeting the preferences of the four major visitors’ segments identified in the cluster analysis aiming to extend their stay in the region. The quality and variety of the restaurants should be improved and a new line of certified merchandising products is a potential source of shop owners’ revenues.

Extreme weather events are causing increasing levels of loss and damage, including to natural assets and associated nature-based tourism economies. This article provides estimates of the economic impacts on public conservation lands and waters in New Zealand's North Island from the flooding events of Cyclone Hale and Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023. Losses and damage are estimated in four buckets: regional tourism GDP losses from cancelled visitor bookings at Department of Conservation accommodation facilities; lost business revenue of companies operating in protected areas; lost value of government-managed visitor assets; and regional tourism GDP losses from estimated reductions in visitor numbers at three iconic protected area sites. The research also attributes a proportion of these losses to climate change, assisting learning and future planning for New Zealand's conservation agency.

Through the lens of narcissism theory, this study investigates and analyzes the recent trend of picnics in China with the following primary research objectives: (1) What are the patterns, attitudes, and motivations for picnics in China? (2) How the picnic experience shapes picnickers' attitudes and behaviors based on narcissism theory. A mixed-methods approach was conducted for this study, with 17 respondents participating in in-depth semi-structured interviews and 383 questionnaire respondents invited to participate. A theoretical framework was developed based on the findings of the qualitative phase and related literature. Subsequent quantitative results further verified that self-expression, self-presentation, and conspicuousness are three key narcissism-based motives for the picnic experience. Additionally, curiosity plays a moderating role that influences how self-expression, self-presentation, and conspicuousness drive perceived flow during picnics. The major contribution of this study is the construction of a theoretical framework that understands picnicking motives and processes as an overlooked tourism domain.

Management implications

This study explored the picnic phenomenon in China and examined its implications from a management perspective. It was identified that picnicking in the Chinese context differs significantly from the western perspective. In Eastern cultures, picnics are conspicuous activities and lifestyles where the presentation of decorations and delicacies takes precedence over the picnic food itself. Therefore, destinations and stakeholders catering to Chinese picnickers should emphasize how they can assist picnickers in showcasing their uniqueness and self-presentation. This distinction has crucial management implications, highlighting the need to focus on the aesthetic and social aspects of picnicking to cater effectively to Chinese picnickers.

Tourism companies can attain sustainable development goals by comprehending the geotourism destination development phenomenon. Although extensive literature has dealt with the geotourism concept, limited studies have focused on geotourism destination development. This paper developed the quantitative measurement geotourism destination development characteristics scale, the first scale to concentrate on sustainable tourism. In this paper, a total of 476 geologists and geotourism experts from various nations participated. They were found using Amazon Mechanical Turk, and their responses were analyzed using confirmatory composite analysis. Findings refer to a four-dimensional scale consisting of geotourism services, legislative requirements, experiential geotourism, and scientific, preservation, aesthetic, and recreational values. The dimensional structure and scale validity were determined to be supported by geotourism development characteristics. Additionally, this paper discovered that these characteristics have significant effects on geotourism destination development. Findings provide tourist businesses with the chance to employ this new scale to identify their destinations’ geological features.

South African National Parks (SANParks) must generate operational income through innovative resource development. Astrotourism was identified as a potentially suitable income-generating activity. Various astrotourism initiatives are operational globally. However, their applicability within the South African context is unknown. The research evaluated successful global astrotourism initiatives to determine how these examples can be applicable to SANParks. Sixty-two global astrotourism initiatives were evaluated and 42 in-depth stakeholder interviews were conducted. Thematical data analysis was followed by a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. The research makes a meaningful contribution by highlighting important concepts for consideration in support of viable astrotourism development in SANParks. Elements requiring consideration to provide tourists with quality experiences include appropriate locations for astrotourism activities, mitigation of light pollution, climate, seasonality, need for community engagement, well-trained presenters, carefully planned programmes and development of suitable management policies to protect dark skies, allowing for variation within each park's unique situation.

National parks, crucial for nature-based tourism, often grapple with balancing marketing and sustainability objectives. Destination brand positioning offers a solution, yet techniques leveraging social media data for strategic positioning remain scarce. This research introduces a method, using Flickr photos, to: (a) identify the key features that define the brand identity of Thailand's national parks, (b) develop a categorical framework to group these parks based on their features and (c) uncover the distinctive features that differentiate parks within each identified category. Utilising Google Cloud Vision AI and LDA topic modelling, 51,387 photos across 125 parks were analysed, revealing 11 topics. K-Means clustering, supplemented by an innovative associative word analysis, discerned five park categories, and the distinctive features of each park. The findings advocate for Thai national parks to adopt strategies including brand positioning, repositioning, demarketing, and collaborative branding to harmoniously bridge sustainability and market demands.

Management Implications

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  Association analysis can serve as an important tool for DMOs and conservation agencies to better understand and manage points of difference in nature-based tourism destinations.

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  The results of association analysis can inform brand positioning, repositioning, demarketing, and collaborative branding strategies that balance market needs with sustainability.

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  Distinctive brand positioning can be used to promote lesser-known destinations. Repositioning can be used to promote other strategic images and attributes of the destination. E.g., Khao Khitchakut National Park, which is famous for “Buddha footprint” can promote outstanding natural trails and wildlife that could attract high-value tourists. Demarketing may be necessary to conserve the uniqueness of certain destinations. We show some examples with overtourism that are put under great concern and should rely on carrying capacity strategies.

The phenomenon of rapid urbanization and densification in megacities has emphasized the significance of access and exposure to urban green spaces. Pocket parks, due to their small size, low cost, and accessibility, have the potential to meet the daily needs of nearby residents for urban green spaces. They play crucial roles in enhancing the satisfaction and health benefits of city residents through physical activities, social engagement, and stress relief. In this study, we conducted a survey to evaluate pocket park satisfaction and to identify the importance level of different park attributes from users' perspective. The results showed that (1) The satisfaction levels of visitors in terms of environment, facilities, management, and overall satisfaction were significantly associated with their social groups, while the satisfaction levels related to environment and landscape were significantly different among visitors of different age and visiting frequency groups, respectively; (2) visuality characters had higher importance level than perceptibility characters, with “well-maintained facilities”, “landscape richness” and “safety facilities”, “hard landscape”, and “plant conservation” having the highest importance scores; (3) proximity to parks, visitors’ age and overall satisfaction had significant impact on pocket park visiting frequency. These findings provide implications for decision makers to on how to build high-quality and well-designed pocket parks that have a positive impact on the well-being of citizens.

Management implications

The work in this study is related to the mangement of pocket parks. It explored factors that affected visitors’ satisfaction and preferences towards different attributes and features of pocket parks. It also identified the predictors for visiting frequencies of pocket parks. The findings will provide implications for decision makers to on how to build high-quality and well-designed pocket parks that can attract more citizens. The high importance of “well-maintained facilities” and “plant conservation” showed this study will also help park administrators to prioritize their work in the management and maintenance of pocket parks.