Recreation Experience Research Articles

Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things in Recreation: A Systematic Literature Review

This study aimed to examine the literature on the use of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in the field of recreation and leisure and present the results within themes identified inductively from the data. We employed a systematic review methodology, consisting of determining appropriate selection criteria, choosing data sources, extracting data, categorizing the results, and reporting. Using the Web of Science database, we identified a total of 69 articles published between 2017 and 2024. After filtering and screening for keywords, 23 full-text articles related to artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in the field of recreation and leisure were included in the analysis. Relevant studies were evaluated according to year, journal, focus, country, type of technology, recreation area, and results obtained. Findings from the reviewed articles are discussed under six themes: safety, ecosystem, personalized recreation experience, wearable technology, health, and potential recreation and leisure areas. We observed that the most frequently investigated topic in the studies was recreational tourism, with a general focus on outdoor recreation. The studies often referred to nature conservation and planned and safe personal leisure time. In conclusion, we determined that artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technologies have various applications in the field of recreation, but relevant studies are limited.

Accessible Trail Tourism: Trail Accessibility and Difficulty Rating Approach Designed for Individuals, Including With Mobility Impairments

ABSTRACTThis study introduces a novel approach to trail accessibility and difficulty rating tailored specifically for individuals, including those with mobility impairments, aiming to promote accessible trail tourism. Grounded in theoretical frameworks of inclusive outdoor recreation, equality, and complex adaptive systems, the proposed rating system incorporates criteria addressing physical access, terrain challenges, and amenities to accommodate diverse user needs. This study employed a sensor technology, called wheeled instrumentation sensor package (WISP) within the framework of the high‐efficiency trail assessment process (HETAP) to develop a new quantitatively based trail classification scheme. A case study trail and two hypothetical synthetic data trails were used to demonstrate both the trail wheelchair accessibility binary classification approach and the proposed trail difficulty classification approach. This research pioneers trail accessibility and difficulty rating and underscores the importance of integrating accessibility considerations into trail management practices to create truly inclusive outdoor recreational experiences.

A Qualitative Case Study of Trail Visitors’ Experiences and COVID-19 Mitigation Decisions During the Pandemic

Although there have been numerous studies concerning COVID-19 and its impact on people’s recreational experience, most projects only documented observable behaviors or used cross-sectional surveys to ask respondents about their behavior. Few projects explored the participants thought processes and attitudes about how the pandemic affected their recreation during this period. This project consisted of 31 interviews that were designed to understand recreational users’ trail use during the pandemic and the motivations and decision making when they adopted (or not) guidelines given to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The interviews, structured around six main questions, revealed four key themes: changes in trail use, perceptions of risk and safety, adoption of COVID-19 mitigation behaviors, and influences on these decisions. This research provides valuable insights into the behaviors and attitudes of trail users during the pandemic.

Anxiety, Self-Satisfaction and Self-Defining Events: Exploring the Inter-Related Dimensions of the Self

ABSTRACT Increasing self-satisfaction could reduce anxiety symptomology; however, strategies to enhance self-satisfaction are relatively unexplored. The primary aim of the present research was to examine the relationship between self-defining events (past and future), self-satisfaction, and anxiety. In total, 155 students (78.1% female, mean age = 20.54, SD = 5.49) were recruited from an English University. Participants were asked to record the content and valence of three self-defining memories and self-defining future-projections. Path analysis showed that past and future valence were positively related to self-satisfaction, which was negatively related to anxiety. Content analysis showed a significant positive relationship between self-satisfaction and the frequency of achievement-orientated past events and recreational future events. In addition, there was a significant negative relationship between self-satisfaction and the frequency of life-threatening past events. Overall, these findings present new avenues for future interventions designed to increase self-satisfaction through targeting the valence of self-defining past and future events. In addition, the findings from the content analysis could facilitate the development of more targeted interventions that for instance, focus on promoting achievement-oriented and recreational experiences while mitigating the impact of life-threatening events. These strategies could prove effective in enhancing self-satisfaction and subsequently reducing anxiety.

Use of Natural Areas among Latinxs Living in South Carolina

The Latinx population in the United States (US) is growing. While Latinxs have historically been present in US cities and southwestern states, there is a notable surge in migration to new destination states, including South Carolina (SC). As the Latinx population grows and extends to new geographies, there is a need to examine the evolution of Latinxs’ outdoor recreation patterns. Exploring their changing preferences regarding public spaces can inform park management planning and policy. This study examines outdoor recreation use among SC-based Latinxs, exploring three central questions: 1. What are the outdoor recreation preferences among Latinxs living in SC? 2. What constraints do Latinxs face while engaging in outdoor recreation? 3. What are Latinxs’ primary motivations in visiting natural areas? This study employs a convergent parallel mixed method design. The quantitative phase consists of a cross-sectional sampling approach via online surveys, while the qualitative phase utilizes focus groups. Analyses of survey results include descrip-tive statistics and ANOVA and Chi-square tests for select variables. Qualitative analyses are based on a priori open coding with thematic development. Quantitative and qualitative data were first examined separately and later compared. Results suggest that walking/hiking is the primary outdoor recreation activity in which Latinxs engage. Focus-group participants also mentioned a variety of land- and water-based outdoor recreation activities. The most prevalent motivations for recreation experiences included relaxation, escape, and improved health. The top five factors preventing survey respondents from visiting natural areas were tiredness after work, insufficient time off work, insufficient time and money to visit natural areas, and proximity to natural areas. Focus group participants also reported various constraints hindering their visits to natural areas, including time, cost, safety, inadequate on-site amenities, weather, and Latinx-specific constraints. The findings indicate that natural resource agencies wanting to improve Latinx outdoor recreation experiences should have bilingual front-line staff and provide communicative media, such as website information or on-site signage, in Spanish. Our findings also underscore the importance of Latinx-focused social media groups as useful tools for disseminating information.

Advancements in monitoring: a comparison of traditional and application-based tools for measuring outdoor recreation.

Outdoor recreation has experienced a boom in recent years and continues to grow. While outdoor recreation provides wide-ranging benefits to human well-being, there are growing concerns about the sustainability of recreation with the increased pressures placed on ecological systems and visitor experiences. These concerns emphasize the need for managers to access accurate and timely recreation data at scales that match the growing extent of the recreation footprint. Here, we compare spatial and temporal patterns of winter and summer recreation using traditional (trail cameras, infrared counters, aerial surveys, participatory mapping) and application-based tools (Strava Metro, Strava Global Heatmap, Wikiloc) across the Columbia and Canadian Rocky Mountains of western Canada. We demonstrate how recreation use can be estimated using traditional and application-based tools, although their accuracy and utility varies across space, season and activity type. We found that trail cameras and infrared counters captured similar broad-scale patterns in count estimates of pedestrians and all recreation activities. Aerial surveys captured areas with low recreation intensity and participatory mapping captured coarser information on the intensity and extent of recreation across large spatial and temporal scales. Application-based data provided detailed spatiotemporal information on recreation use, but datasets were biased towards specific activities. Strava Metro data was more suited for capturing broad-scale spatial patterns in biking than pedestrian recreation. Application-based data should be supplemented with data from traditional tools to identify biases in data and fill in data gaps. We provide a comparison of each tool for measuring recreation use, highlight each tools' strengths and limitations and applications to address real-world monitoring and management scenarios. Our research contributes towards a better understanding of which tool, or combinations of tools, to use that can expand the rigor and scope of recreation research. These findings support decision-making to mitigate pressures on wildlife and their habitats while allowing for high-quality recreation experiences.

Intrinsic Leisure Motivation and Recreation Experience Preference among Individuals Attending Family Life Centers

Intrinsic Leisure Motivation and Recreation Experience Preference among Individuals Attending Family Life Centers

Estimating the value of self‐drive recreation in the remote Kimberley: Sensitivity to multi‐destination trips

AbstractThe remote and iconic Kimberley region, in northern Western Australia, is a contested landscape with growing pressure for different types of land use and development. The region has high biodiversity values and impressive scenery that provide attractive recreation experiences for visitors. We estimate the value of domestic recreation to the region using a travel cost model. Analysis includes two approaches for accounting for multi‐destination trips (MDTs) given travel to remote sites are more likely to include these than shorter trips, and four specifications for the value of travel time. We estimate a total consumer surplus of A$110.34 million annually and find that adjusting travel costs for MDTs using stated survey information produces a better fitting model than using revealed travel information. These findings highlight both the importance of estimating recreation values for use in land use planning in the Kimberley and for improving the travel cost method for remote sites where per‐trip travel costs are high.

Evaluating Visitor Usage and Safety Perception Experiences in National Forest Parks

Various physical and environmental factors affect the recreational experience in national forest parks. Understanding visitors’ preferences regarding these factors is significant for promoting the physical and mental health and well-being of urban residents. This study aims to quantify residents’ usage patterns and safety perceptions of national forest parks. It focuses particularly on Santai Mountain National Forest Park in Jiangsu, China, and conducted a semi-structured questionnaire survey with 688 participants. The statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics 24 was used for data analysis. A descriptive quantitative analysis was conducted on the respondents’ demographic information. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and an ordinal logistic regression model were employed to analyze the survey data. The survey results show that most visitors go to the forest park only once or twice a year, usually on weekends, holidays, and during leisure time rather than on workdays. Because the national forest park is located in the suburbs, the journey is long, and most visitors choose to drive there. Additionally, the majority of visitors go to the forest park with family and friends. Because the park is well managed and has complete safety facilities, most visitors feel safe in the national forest park.

Integrating importance- performance analysis into transboundary natural resource management of water trails: Case study at the Chattahoochee river national recreation area water trail in Atlanta, GA (USA)

Despite growth in National Water Trail designations year after year along with paddlesports popularity, there is little research on water trail users' experiences within transboundary managed water trail systems. Specifically, there is a lack of evidence regarding which experiential attributes paddlers' find important and how these transboundary zones perform on those attributes. This is problematic because the entities managing transboundary water trail zones do not know if there are common attributes that are important to all water trail users and if they are providing satisfactory water-based recreational experiences based on these expectations. With this gap in mind, this research integrates the domain of Transboundary Natural Resource Management for National Water Trail Systems with the analytical method of Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to explicitly compare paddlers’ perceptions (n = 360) of 12 water trail attributes between two different management zones (city park vs. federal National Park Service) of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Water Trail in Atlanta, GA (USA). Results revealed that paddlers within both management zones place high importance on the biophysical attribute of water quality yet are equally dissatisfied with the performance of water quality, a reported decades long issue for the Chattahoochee River. Additionally, paddlers within the National Park Service zone expressed greater dissatisfaction with the lack opportunities available for quiet spaces and paddling in undeveloped areas. Results also indicated that water trail visitors had various levels of expectations and perceptions of river setting attributes that differed by management zones. A focused understanding of how physical, social, and managerial attributes of National Water Trails are perceived by recreational users (e.g., paddlers) aids transboundary natural resource efforts in collaborative decision making to better balance river conservation and recreation management for the future sustainability of National Water Trails. Management implications•The increasing popularity of river-based recreation and National Water Trail Systems spanning multiple jurisdictional zones justifies the need to proactively discuss transboundary visitor use management and collaboration across resource management entities (e.g., federal, municipal, private, state, etc.).•Importance-Performance Analyses (IPA) are a cost-effective and relatively intuitive method for managers across multiple jurisdictions to collaboratively manage the satisfactory performance of recreational setting attributes, while also allowing visitors to express their opinions and perspectives on current and future managerial elements.•Managers can gain a stronger understanding of the process to evaluate river setting indicators through analytical methods (e.g., IPA) that may save them time and money, as well as provide a logical decision-making pathway to prioritizing action within the Interagency Visitor Use Management Framework (IVUMF) for parks, rivers, and other protected areas.

The relationship research between restorative perception, local attachment and environmental responsible behavior of urban park recreationists

The environmentally responsible behavior of tourists has been one of the focal points in the field of sustainable tourism research in recent years. Taking Guangzhou City Park as an example, this study investigates the relationship between restorative perception, place attachment, and environmentally responsible behavior of urban park recreationists by constructing the theoretical framework of "cognition-emotion-behavior" of recreationalists via online questionnaire surveys and using the test method of structural equation mode. Studies have shown that: (1) When the restorative perception of the environment is compatible, malleable, and attractive, the recreationist will produce environmentally responsible behavior. Meanwhile, when the environment has a sense of distance and compatibility, it will promote the active environmentally responsible behavior of tourists; (2) the path of perceptual environmental compatibility in the restorative perception of recreationists being → place dependence→ place identity → environmentally responsible behavior has a positive impact on environmentally responsible behavior; (3) place attachment has a significant positive impact on environmentally responsible behavior. This paper suggests that urban park management governors should focus on improving the charm and attractiveness of parks, diversifying recreational activities, and creating emotional attachment places, so as to promote the development of urban parks and meet the diverse needs and experiences of park recreation.

Third Father’s Authority in Family Upbringing in Palestinian Society

This study aims to analyze the impact of the third father’s authority on the family upbringing processes of children in the Palestinian community and to evaluate the effect of using technological media on children’s educational and cognitive achievement. Additionally, it examines the influence of the recreational and behavioral content of technological media on children’s behavior and habits and analyzes the impact of technological media on children’s social interactions and social relationships. This study used the descriptive-analytical method, with the study population consisting of all Palestinian children aged between 6-14 years in the West Bank governorates. The study sample comprised 413 children. The results showed a statistically significant impact of the third father’s authority on family upbringing processes in the Palestinian community. The use of technology for educational and cognitive purposes enhances children’s academic and cognitive achievement. Moreover, the recreational and behavioral aspects of technological media have a positive effect on children’s behaviors and provide rich recreational experiences, in addition to improving their social interactions and communication skills. Based on these results, it is recommended to set specific time schedules for technology use, guide children towards beneficial educational content, choose games that promote positive values, and encourage physical and social activities to ensure balanced and healthy development for children.

Understanding camping tourism experiences through thematic analysis: An embodiment perspective

Camping is a major form of nature tourism that emphasizes one’s physical presence in a natural environment for recreation. Despite research on recreation experiences, how one’s body and mind interact during camping tourism—and the physical environment’s contributions to these embodied experiences—has received limited academic attention. Theoretical tenets of embodiment include the roles of the external world, situational action, and physical states on people’s psychology and behavior. This study aimed to elucidate, from an embodiment perspective, the mechanisms underlying tourists’ camping experiences. Thematic analysis of 31 online blog posts revealed that the camping environment and physical activities elicit campers’ sensory experiences and subsequently stimulate psychological reactions. These sensory perceptions and responses lead to embodied experiences, which are composed of physiological experiences, cognitive experiences, and social experiences.

Behavioral Conflicts in Urban Greenway Recreation: A Case Study of the “Three Rivers and One Mountain” Greenway in Xi’an, China

The current greenway systems in China are relatively homogenous, whereas recreational groups and their needs are highly diverse. This discrepancy has resulted in increasingly severe behavioral conflicts during greenway recreation. However, scholarly research on behavioral conflicts in greenway recreational activities is lacking. Recreationists’ perceptions of conflict negatively impact their evaluation of the recreational experience, thereby limiting the ecological and recreational benefits of greenways. Therefore, it is crucial to categorize these conflicts, understand their formation mechanisms, and identify influencing factors, so as to put forward targeted management strategies for greenway construction. This study selected urban segments of greenways along the Wei and Feng rivers in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China. Field observation, semi-structured interviews, and NVivo 12 three-level coding were used to investigate and analyze the main types of behavioral conflicts perceived by various recreational groups on urban greenways and the factors influencing these perceptions. The results indicate that the primary types of behavioral conflicts are danger perception, space occupancy, environmental damage, and noise disturbance. Younger groups, highly educated individuals, local residents, and those with exercise as their primary recreational purpose are more likely to perceive conflicts. In addition, recreationists also focus on the completeness of greenway infrastructure, the richness of green landscapes, and the adequacy of behavior management. These findings can help greenway managers and planners understand the perception of recreational conflicts, enabling the formulation of targeted design strategies and management measures to mitigate these conflicts in urban greenway recreation.

Visitors' recreational & leisure experiences in urban river corridors? A case study of Hutuo River in Shijiazhuang, China

Various physical environmental factors influence the recreational experience of urban river corridors, and understanding visitors' perceptions of these factors holds significant implications for promoting the health and well-being of urban residents. This study specifically focuses on the Hutuo River corridor in Shijiazhuang, China, and conducted a semi-structured questionnaire survey with 620 participants. The findings reveal that visitors mainly come here to socialize with family and friends in a natural environment and escape the city's hustle and bustle. Safety, management and maintenance, and overall conditions are the primary features visitors are concerned about in their experience. When addressing usage constraints, visitors highlight accessibility issues, including traffic congestion and overcrowding. Additional limitations encompass deficiencies in physical facilities, such as shortages of shared bicycles, convenience amenities, fitness facilities, and services catering to vulnerable groups. Moreover,challenges include unavailable toilet services and insufficient shaded areas along the riverbanks. Sociodemographic attributes such as gender, age, marital status,education level, monthly income, and residential distance significantly influence the recreational experience of urban river corridors, emphasizing the importance of considering diversity in urban planning and design. By comprehensively exploring the dynamics of urban river corridor utilization from a social-ecological perspective, our study's findings offer insights relevant to future design and maintenance endeavors.

Exploring the benefits of outdoor activity participation in national parks: a case study of the Peak District National Park, England

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the role that regular outdoor activity participation in national parks plays in subjective wellbeing (SWB). It also considers the influences on SWB, including the national park environment, resilience-building, coping skills, mental health and stress alleviation. There is a wealth of research on the benefits of outdoor recreation in natural settings, yet studies which specifically examine the impacts of regular activity engagement in national parks are scarcer. Using the Peak District National Park (England) as a case study, fifteen online stakeholder interviews were conducted, probing participants about their outdoor recreation experiences both during and before the onset of the pandemic. Findings suggest that frequent outdoor activity participation in the Park positively influences coping, resilience and subjective wellbeing, and, relatedly, helps to improve mental health, and alleviate stress. These outcomes are valuable for dealing with the vicissitudes of everyday life and in facilitating long term SWB.

A cognitive appraisal approach to understanding mountain bikers' post-trip trails recommendation intent

This paper presents findings from a study that examined how well mountain bikers' cognitive processes predicted their recommendation intent—the intention to share their recreation experience with others. Specifically, we examined relationships between different mountain biking recreation goal appraisals, emotions, and mountain bikers’ intentions to suggest mountain biking destinations to others. We tested hypothesized relationships using a structural equation modeling approach. Our results show that goal congruence and interest are the primary appraisal factors predicting recommendation intent among mountain bikers. While satisfaction and affective emotions are distinct factors that affect post-trip recommendation behavior, our results suggest that satisfaction emotions are significant secondary predictors of recommendation intent and have a stronger relationship with post-trip recommendation intentions than affective emotions. These study outcomes may be used to inform and develop effective management strategies for mountain biking destinations by designing based on user experiences. Study implications for managementThe study underscores the crucial need to tailor mountain biking trails to align with bikers' recreational aspirations and abilities, emphasizing the importance of offering diverse experiences suited to different skill levels. Instead of the typical strategy to grow biking destinations by expanding trail networks, managers should prioritize aligning trail experiences with bikers' expectations and desires to boost competitiveness. Strategic investments in trail infrastructure and services, coupled with feedback systems to gauge changing needs and satisfaction levels, are critical. Collaborating with local biking groups can enhance understanding and adaptability to evolving preferences. Continuous efforts to personalize trail experiences based on bikers' preferences are essential for garnering positive feedback, ensuring enduring enjoyment, and sustaining the appeal and growth of mountain biking destinations.

How Critical is Tourism Engagement in Determining Traveller Loyalty?

Objective: This research aims to determine the relationship between Emotional and Recreational Experience on Customer Engagement and the relationship between Customer Engagement on Destination Loyalty and satisfaction felt while traveling. Method: This research is survey research, with the sample research consisted two parts respondent's criteria, the first part included 180 respondents from the mountaineering community who had climbed Mount Lawu and Mount Merbabu, and the second part consisted of 180 respondents who had visited the Prambanan Temple and Borobudur Temple tourist attractions. Primary data collection in this research was carried out using a questionnaire. The data analysis technique in this research uses the multivariate Structural Equation Model (SEM) method with the Smart PLS3 program Results and Discussion: From the model, five significant hypothesized paths are the influence of emotional experiences on customer engagement, the influence of recreational experiences on customer engagement, the influence of between customer engagement on destination loyalty through, and the influence of customer engagement on destination loyalty. The results of further analysis of the role of satisfaction on destination loyalty show that higher tourist satisfaction leads to higher destination loyalty, which encourages tourists to revisit the destination and recommend the destination to others. Conclussion: This research concludes that emotional and recreational experiences can increase customer engagement with tourists who visit tourist destinations.

Wildland encounter norms across time and activity type: Stable preferences and shifting thresholds

Social and ecological conditions are constantly changing, but research concerning how visitors to wildlands perceive such changes across time is both limited and narrow. With a focus on the social settings of recreation experiences, this study provides an understanding of how perceptions of wildland visitors have changed over time. Specifically, across three time periods (1989, 1994, and 2022) within a wildland unit in Montana (USA), we found that preferences for encounters with other visitors remained relatively stable, levels of acceptable encounters (or thresholds) increased across time in some instances, and levels of acceptable encounters varied across the activity types that visitors encountered. By expanding evaluative norms research to include both activity type and multiple time periods, we contribute to both theory and application of wildland recreation management.

Understanding the visitor complaints about urban green spaces: a thematic investigation of online reviews on nation gardens in Istanbul, Türkiye

Urban Green Spaces have become essential tools for promoting public health, especially in over-urbanized cities. Following visitors’ outdoor recreation experiences, this paper aims to identify visitors’ complaints about nation gardens in Istanbul. The study site consisted of 12 nation gardens in Istanbul. Initially, 38,965 Google Maps reviews about the nation gardens through December 2022 were screened. Then, 4143 comments containing the visitors’ complaints were identified. After gathering these comments in an Excel spreadsheet, the data was imported to MAXQDA software. Braun and Clarke’s six-phased thematic analysis approach was applied to explore codes and themes. Considering the visitors’ complaints, 91 codes were generated. Relevant codes are categorized under five themes: outdoor areas/physical characteristics, facilities, visitors’ interactions, accessibility/entrance management, and restrictions and security implications. Outdoor areas/physical characteristics, facilities, and visitor interactions are the most common complaints, followed by accessibility and security. Park planners can use visitor feedback to improve existing parks and design new ones, maximizing individual and social benefits, such as health outcomes, and ensuring the effective use of green spaces.