Abstract
In recent years, there has been considerable growth in the provision of and demand for adventure tourism; however, research that examines the resources regarding adventure tourism is limited. A spatial suitability evaluation system for mountain-based adventure tourism (MBAT) was developed via the integration of the AHP-Delphi technique. The evaluation system parameters included resource conditions, difficulty levels, safety conditions, and ecological sensitivity. Furthermore, each parameter contained several indicators that can be quantified and visualised in ArcGIS. The results showed that suitable areas for professional adventure tourism in Xinjiang Tianshan include the Kurdening and Tomur regions, and the those for adventure tourism include the Tianshan Tianchi lake. Furthermore, suitable areas for experiential adventure tourism include the Tianshan Tianchi lake, Tianshan Grand Canyon, Jiangbulak, East Tianshan, Tuohurasu scenic area, and the Gongliu wild fruit forest, while those for mass adventure tourism include large areas in the middle and low altitude range of Tianshan. The methods and results proposed in this paper are expected to be significant for planning adventure tourism and can be helpful for mountain communities when choosing regions to develop for adventure tourism, formulating tourism development strategies, increasing tourism opportunities, and thus improving regional competitiveness.
Highlights
With the increased popularity of traditional sightseeing tourism, the prominent scenic areas tend to be overcrowded, but many tourists remain unsatisfied with only sightseeing
The results show that Tianshan Mountain has rich adventure tourism resources
The results show that the difficulty levels of adventure tourism resources in the Xinjiang Tianshan Mountains are quite varied; the distribution at difficulty level 5 is relatively even
Summary
With the increased popularity of traditional sightseeing tourism, the prominent scenic areas tend to be overcrowded, but many tourists remain unsatisfied with only sightseeing. In this context, adventure tourism is widely accepted as a representative practise of eco-tourism. Adventure tourism is widely accepted as a representative practise of eco-tourism It is one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism industry, as outdoor recreation has become increasingly commercialised [1]. Adventure tourism originated in "adventure recreation" or "outdoor adventure" [2]. Darst and Armstrong [3] suggested that outdoor adventure provided an instinctive and meaningful human experience, that was directly linked to various unique outdoor environments. Yerkes [4] pointed out that adventure activities are outdoor activities dependent upon
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