Differences in information dissemination and activities by managers of visitor centers in national parks

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the management, dissemination of the information through the Internet, and activities of the visitor centers in national parks, with the aim to identify differences between managers and issues for future management improvement. Data were mainly collected from published materials of the Ministry of the Environment and websites of the visitor centers. In total, 111 visitor centers and 12,011 activities conducted during 2019–2020 were assessed. The results of the survey revealed that visitor centers managed by the private sector and councils consisting of administration and private sectors disseminate information through a wider range of media on the Internet and have more extensive websites than those managed by public, such as the Ministry of the Environment and local authorities. In addition, differences were observed in the types of activities performed by different managers, with private sector- and council-managed visitor centers conducting activities that seemed to require more expertise than public-managed visitor centers. The participation fee for the activities was higher in private sector- and council-managed visitor centers than in public-managed visitor centers. Private sector-managed visitor centers tended to require the contribution of the beneficiary to support their activities.