Tourism In Natural Areas Research Articles

A A Case Study: Tourism Impact on the Inhabitants of Lake Sandoval – Tambopata National Reserve – Peru

Purpose: This study analyzes the impact of tourism on the inhabitants of Lake Sandoval in the Tambopata National Reserve – Peru. Theoretical Background: Developing tourism in Sandoval Lake is framed under the nature-based tourism, ecotourism and Community-based tourism, where the villagers are the main human resource to develop tourism activities, taking advantage of the scenic beauty of Sandoval Lake. Method: Applying a qualitative case study approach that followed a qualitative route and approach, through judgmental sampling, an in-depth interview was applied to all the entrepreneurs whose business is located around Sandoval Lake. Results and Conclusion: The villagers have developed businesses that offer tourist services such as lodging, restaurants and rain transportation, considering that they all descend from the same marriage, they perceive tourism as a main economic activity that allows them to improve their quality of life, contribute to the household economy and conserve the area. Implications of the Research: The study suggests that local managers should have greater communication with the villagers to develop effective management, this relationship will allow opening spaces for research in similar areas. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature on the impact of tourism in natural protected areas, especially in Lake Sandoval, considering that there is scarce literature on the area and even more so, given that the local people perceive tourism as a positive economic alternative in a region where illegal mining is prevalent and destroys the Amazonian forests. The relevance and value of this research is evidenced by the fact that it is the first research that directly investigates the impact of tourism as a main economic activity.

Culinary tourism in natural protected areas: The case of the Cuxtal Ecological Reserve in Yucatan, Mexico

The Cuxtal Ecological Reserve is located in the urban periphery of Merida. This reserve represents an element of tourist interest due to the diversity of tourist resources, although these have not been recognized yet. In addition, most of the local population has traditional culinary knowledge, which is little explored from a tourist perspective. This article proposes to identify the culinary resources of the reserve to elaborate a culinary map. The study is based on in-depth interviews with residents to assess their culinary knowledge, visitor surveys, and the field´s traditional food and agricultural product mapping. The results show that it has the potential to develop culinary tourism. Gastronomy can play an important role in boosting the local economy and conserving culinary identity among the inhabitants under the pressure of ultra-processed food from Merida.

Selected aspects of the organization of tourism and recreation in natural areas with different status of legal protection

An important place in the strategy of promoting health of modern societies, especially in the post-pandemic world, is played by orienting recommendations on how to spend free time towards tourism and recreation in the natural environment. The utilitarian nature of this type of activity is associated with the need to respect legal provisions, relating to the use of statutory forms of nature conservation, as well as non-statutory protection areas. The aim of the study is to characterize the tourist-recreational use in both of the abovementioned types of ecological habitats, and to indicate the similarities and differences in the conditions of this use, taking into account legally recognized forms of activity, and the permissible scope of infrastructure investments. Within the statutory forms of nature protection, the analysis includes national parks, nature reserves, landscape parks, protected landscape areas and NATURA 2000 areas. The characteristics of non-statutory nature areas include forests with special natural values, promotional forest complexes, world biosphere reserves, and UNESCO natural heritage areas. The analysis carried out, regardless of the status of the nature areas, indicates a legislative desire to maintain harmony between human needs and the ecological stability of the surrounding sub-natural spaces.

Can Virtual Reality Become an Instrument in Favor of Territory Economy and Sustainability?

The study aims to identify how virtual reality technology can help protect and conserve flora and fauna in national parks and other environmental settings. To this end, the literature published in the Scopus database is examined. A Systematic Literature Review methodology from 2018 to 2022 and an Empirical Research (survey) applied to tourism in natural areas, mainly national parks, have been proposed. Virtual reality technology is particularly useful as a complement or alternative to visiting national parks. The main results indicate that, currently, daily life confronts us with stressful situations that can be mitigated through ecotourism, as well as virtual reality applications, such as games and videos, which interactively inform about the species of flora and fauna present in the park visited. This helps in the conservation and protection of endangered species, the conservation of the forest, as well as archaeological heritage sites present in these natural parks. The development and implementation of this technology varies from one context to another. It is beneficial for people with some kind of disability or for the physical effort involved in long walks, even on steep terrain, and sometimes it improves the conditions of access to the national park and the dangers related to such an exciting adventure.

РОЛЬ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ТУРИЗМА В РАЗВИТИИ ОХРАНЯЕМЫХ ПРИРОДНЫХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ

The article considers the experience of eco-tourism development in European countries. The basic principles of ecotourism are high-lighted. The types of protected natural terri-tories are identified and the degree of severi-ty of the prohibition of the applicability of forms of use of natural territories is deter-mined. The analysis of the current state of ecotourism development is also carried out on the example of the Russian subjects of the Kaliningrad and Leningrad regions. The study of scientific works allowed us to de-termine the role of ecological tourism in the development of protected natural areas. The development of ecological tourism in special-ly protected natural areas contributes to the formation of people's understanding of the importance of natural areas for the conser-vation of biological diversity.

ECOTOURISM - A 21ST CENTURY NECESSITY OR RESPONDING TO CONSUMER DEMAND?

This article identifies ecological tourism as a type of tourism that is most fully in line with the principles of sustainable development being a global ecological and economic concept and corresponding to "slow tourism", as a form of behavior alternative to mainstream tourism. Particular attention is paid to the study of ecological tourism in protected natural areas in the forms as close as possible to "green" tourism. The scientific novelty of the work is aimed at studying the essential features and the following trends in the development of ecological tourism as a special type of recreational activity. The authors conducted a sociological study using questionnaires and focus group interviews. Tour guides providing services in a specially protected natural area were selected as the target sample. The study was carried out in the Curonian Spit National Park – a UNESCO site. The authors have studied and analyzed the individual motives and desires of tourists when visiting specially protected natural areas. The results of the study reveal the significance of various types of resources for ecological tourism; the significance of the historical and cultural potential of the territory; the role of natural resources in creating a tourist product aimed at environmental education and awareness; technologies for excursion and educational activities with an ecocentric orientation. The authors demonstrate and propose possibilities and techniques for extrapolation of the principles of "slow tourism", including ones for visiting natural areas. The role of guides as conductors of "slow tourism" is indicated.

Measurement of Tourism-Related CO2 Emission and the Factors Influencing Low-Carbon Behavior of Tourists: Evidence from Protected Areas in China.

In the fight against climate change, future policy directions in the transition toward a green travel- and tourism-based economy include improving tourism-derived CO2 emission levels and guiding individual low-carbon behavior. In China, people tend to engage in outdoor adventure travel and cultural tourism in natural areas. However, limited information is available on the empirical evaluation of energy use and the CO2 emissions associated with tourism in protected areas. The present study used a life cycle assessment to explore energy use and CO2 emissions due to tourism and identify the factors driving low-carbon behavior. To these ends, survey data for the protected areas of the Qinling Mountains from 2014 to 2019 were used. The results showed that energy use and CO2 emissions in various tourism sectors steadily increased from 2014 to 2019, primarily because of an increase in transportation activity. This study used data derived from the calculation of CO2 emissions per tourist per trip to identify the various factors jointly contributing to the low-carbon behavior of tourists. These included a low-carbon attitude, low-carbon knowledge, environmental education, and policy reward. The broader implications of this study are that several emission reduction policy options are available to address the challenges inherent in sustainable tourism development and that these policies may be selected according to specific conditions. The low-carbon transformation of recreational facilities at travel destinations, policy rewards, and environmental education can regulate tourist behavior, holding the key to sustainable tourism development in protected areas.

Proposta para fazer da Brotas, Brasil, um destino turístico inteligente

The aim of the article was to determine what are the points of improvement to be adopted at the Tourist Town of Brotas, in the interior of São Paulo, in order to make it a destination where technology generates an operative tourism intelligence, converging to the locus where the A electronic intelligence can make a decisive contribution so that this community can become a smart tourist destination. As a specific objective, it was also sought to verify what could differentiate a tourist destination, which has its image and its activities linked to tourism in natural areas, from destinations that have a tourist appropriation based on essentially urban attractions. An initial basis for triggering the research was a previous study, where 114 tourist destinations in São Paulo were promoted, in a non-individualized manner. Thus, it was found that this same criterion can be adopted for any other tourist destinations. In the end, it was concluded that the priority indicators for an action plan for the Brotas destination are environmental sustainability and the municipal tourist information system and that the parameters can be scientific in different types of destinations, regardless of their tourist vocation.

Proposta para fazer da Brotas, Brasil, um destino turístico inteligente

The aim of the article was to determine what are the points of improvement to be adopted at the Tourist Town of Brotas, in the interior of São Paulo, in order to make it a destination where technology generates an operative tourism intelligence, converging to the locus where the A electronic intelligence can make a decisive contribution so that this community can become a smart tourist destination. As a specific objective, it was also sought to verify what could differentiate a tourist destination, which has its image and its activities linked to tourism in natural areas, from destinations that have a tourist appropriation based on essentially urban attractions. An initial basis for triggering the research was a previous study, where 114 tourist destinations in São Paulo were promoted, in a non-individualized manner. Thus, it was found that this same criterion can be adopted for any other tourist destinations. In the end, it was concluded that the priority indicators for an action plan for the Brotas destination are environmental sustainability and the municipal tourist information system and that the parameters can be scientific in different types of destinations, regardless of their tourist vocation.

Tourism and Land Planning in Natural Spaces: Bibliometric Approach to the Structure of Scientific Concepts

Tourism management involves using a systematic approach to spatial planning that involves multiple variables in land planning. However, it is common to find multiple approaches for the more negative aspects of tourism, such as its impact on natural spaces. On the other hand, the idea of including tourism in land planning finds unanimous support in academia. Although scientific research on tourism and land planning in natural areas is significant, many topics do not receive sufficient attention and the domain has not yet been subject to a systematic analysis, which is the purpose of the present study. To this end, bibliometric data is gathered from the Scopus database and analyzed through a bibliometric approach involving keyword analysis with Pearson correlation coefficient. The results indicate that development, landscaping, and management are the most researched topics, followed by community and system, natural/nature, and the local community. The results of the detailed analysis of the word “tourism” connected with planning in natural spaces reveal that research in the area defends sustainable management, economic growth, energy management and monitoring, and the adoption of a green economy model by the hospitality industry. By featuring the overall structure of research on tourism and land planning in natural spaces published in Scopus, this study provides helpful and timely information to researchers, scholars, destination managers, industry managers, and tourism and hospitality consultants.

Managing Tourism and Environment—Trail Erosion, Thresholds of Potential Concern and Limits of Acceptable Change

Natural area tourism may contribute to deterioration in biophysical environments important for sustainable conservation of biodiversity and/or historically significant sites. Levels of protection within the IUCN guidelines provide general descriptors of desirable outcomes, and the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) management tool has often been implicitly applied. This article presents an initial attempt to assess the value of Thresholds of Potential Concern (TPC) relative to LAC as management frameworks for protected areas, using the example of trail width as an indicator of visitor impacts on vegetation, soil, water and, potentially, visitor safety. Visitor preferences relating to trail width were incorporated when applying the TPC and LAC principles. Sections of three walking trails in a high-visitation national park near Sydney, Australia, were measured at ~10.7 m intervals: the mean trail widths were 1.6 m, 1.8 m and 2.14 m. Of the 115 recreationists surveyed, 16% of those having the greatest tolerance towards management interventions (‘Non-purist’ wilderness category) viewed a trail ≥ 2 m wide as acceptable, but 96% of ‘Purists’ nominated a maximum of ≤1.5 m. The TPC was found to provide a broad strategy for identification, assessment and grading of multiple biophysical thresholds within an ecological framework. Combined with stakeholder information, the TPC allows for timely, proactive and calibrated management responses to maintaining biophysical and social sustainability.

English

Africa as a tourism destination is seen as a wildlife tourism hotspot that contributes significantly to job creation, community upliftment, and conservation. Wildlife tourism is based on encounters with non-domestic animals that can occur in either the animal’s natural environment or in captivity. The interaction with the animals includes activities that are historically classified as consumptive and non-consumptive. This research aims to determine the environmental impacts of wildlife tourists (consumptive and non-consumptive) based on their behaviour as perceived by senior staff managing a game reserve in Namibia. The study applied qualitative research, namely interviews, to encapsulate in-depth information. From the results, it can be concluded that, although both consumptive and non-consumptive wildlife tourists impact the environment at the game reserve, the behaviour of non-consumptive wildlife tourists seems to be more negative than that of consumptive wildlife tourists. The study further found that hunters behave in an eco-friendlier manner towards the environment and tend to be more concerned about their own impact on nature. Key words: Wildlife tourism impacts; environmental impact; natural area tourism; protected area tourism; wildlife tourism.

Quantifying Geotourism: A Demoscopic Study for the “Litoral del Biobío” Geopark project (Chile)

Geotourism as a tool for local and social development requires evaluating how geology is perceived by society and how the geology can contribute to solve society’s needs and perspectives. This research is the result of a survey undertaken in the “Litoral del Biobío” geopark project (Chile) from April to September 2019. This survey consists of over 400 people and is a direct geoturistic demoscopic study on local communities. It covers a large diversity of social setting (ranging from urban to rural indigenous) and also a diverse level of education.Salient points of the results includes more than 80% of the community are aware of the sites of tourist interest in their community, while less than 20% recognize the geology and/or geosites of the territory. The need for economic development (21%) and tourism in natural areas (82.5%) stand out as the main tourism focus and tool for generating sustainable economic resources for the territory. Geodiversity and geotourism play an important role (48.1%), but are subordinate to biodiversity (76.7%) in the territory. Furthermore, geotourism is far from the perceptions of crime (23%), given that it is still a minority tourism sector. Finally, there is a certain level of resignation in the community regarding the medium-term development of its territory (52%), with education on geological and environmental risks (77%) being one of the main priorities.This study shows that, although there are basic needs to be covered in the territory, such as security and public infrastructure, there is also a great interest in developing tourism in natural areas. In this scenario, geotourism becomes relevant as a tool that can contribute to local sustainable economic development, education on geological risks, awareness of the geological value of the territory, as well as the revaluation of the cultural heritage in the study area.

A Nature Tourism Route through GIS to Improve the Visibility of the Natural Resources of the Altar Volcano, Sangay National Park, Ecuador

Tourism in natural areas attracts people seeking contact with pristine ecosystems as opposed to a polluted urban habitat and a stressful pace of life. An adequate tourist route and itinerary guarantees a high level of tourist satisfaction. The objective of this study was to focus on the design of a tourist route and itinerary in the Altar Volcano, Sangay National Park, central Ecuador, by integrating tourist attractions and facilities. Within the methodological process, the main tourist attractions of the area were identified and georeferenced; then, a thematic map was elaborated using ArcGIS 10.5® software. Distances were determined by considering the transportation alternatives in relation to the base camps. Finally, the itinerary was structured by considering the possible tourist activities of each place or attraction. As a result, a tourist route was obtained that included 19 attractions and an itinerary that interacts with various activities in the study area. This research will strengthen tourism activities in the Altar Volcano, allowing for an increase in the number of visitors and the development of sustainable tourism thanks to proper planning in the use of a new tourist route.

Sustainable and accessible tourism in natural areas: a participatory approach

ABSTRACT An emerging segment of tourism demand is represented by accessible tourism, i.e. tourism activated in public spaces in the absence of any kind of barrier (architectural, cultural, sensorial, attitudinal, communicational and informational barriers) and, from a business competitiveness point of view, accessibility represents the precondition of any sustainable tourism policy and strategy. In this paper, we concentrate on tourism accessibility for people with disabilities. In particular, to better understand and overcome all obstacles that could impede travellers with special needs from enjoying their tourism experience, in literature is argued that the entire process of defining guidelines to improve tourism accessibility should follow a participatory approach from drafting to implementation. Therefore, to plan services for disabled people in addition to the mandatory requirements, our aim for the present paper is to apply a participatory approach involving stakeholders in the definition of a trademark specification. The experiment was applied to a protected natural area, namely the Gargano National Park (Southern Italy). Results confirm the relevance of adopting a participatory approach to involve stakeholders in the definition of a trademark specification granting disabled tourists with a wider accessibility to protected areas.

Reflections on the theme issue outcomes: tourism sustainability in natural, residential and mountain locations: What are the current issues and questions?

Purpose Profiles the WHATT theme issue: “Tourism sustainability in natural, residential and mountain locations: What are the current issues and questions?” with reference to the experiences of the theme editors and writing team. Design/methodology/approach The author has used structured questions to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting-point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process. Findings This paper identifies some of the key challenge for sustainable tourism in natural spaces and mountain areas with reference to the issues that impede sustainability and possible solutions. Practical implications The theme issue outcomes provide indicators and action points for tourism industry stakeholders and for teaching and research in sustainable tourism development. Originality/value This paper draws on discussion and applies research to identify and assess the scope and scale of action needed to address tourism sustainability in a diverse range of locations, with particular reference to Europe. Taken together, the theme issue collection of articles provides a rich picture of the changes that are needed and key actions for the future.

Sustainable tourism and mobility development in natural protected areas: Evidence from Apulia

The natural protected areas of a territory represent an essential instrument of environmental policy and, if adequately exploited, a significant added value resource for European Regions. The evaluation of adopted policies and the economic planning of these areas require an integrated approach that considers several factors. In this article, through the construction of several indicators, we analysed three large protected areas of the Apulia Region (Italy). Using data collected from regional and national reports, we investigated the status and policies activated by these protected areas, focusing on different aspects: namely, transport services (including soft mobility and transport infrastructures), tourism and territorial economic development. This paper should be of interest for natural areas that in recent decades have been affected by considerable tourism expansion but that have recently launched sustainable development and transport policies. The proposed policies for the analysed areas can be adopted by parks or reserves with similar characteristics.

Visitor satisfaction in wilderness in times of overtourism: a longitudinal study

Developing a better understanding of visitor perceptions and satisfaction is integral to gaining insights into the pressures that lead to both overtourism and the under-utilisation of tourist attractions, including natural areas. Despite longstanding recognition of their value in monitoring and evaluating change there is a dearth of longitudinal studies in tourism. This study examines changing patterns of visitor use and satisfaction over time at Landmannalaugar, an internationally recognised wilderness area, in Iceland, a country which has been one of the focal points of concern as to the effects of overtourism. A questionnaire survey has been conducted in Landmannalaugar in the summers of 2000, 2009 and 2019 using the same questionnaire and distributed by the same method. Visitor satisfaction fell over the study period and crowding issues became much more important to tourists over time. Despite being based on a single site the research highlights the importance of long-term monitoring for visitor and site management as well as developing a better understanding of concepts of change in natural area tourism management.

A VISITAÇÃO TURÍSTICA NO PARQUE NACIONAL DO IGUAÇU

Este artigo propõe discutir a trajetória da visitação turística no Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, um dos parques mais célebres e visitados no Brasil. A visitação turística nunca deixou de ser um dos objetivos do Parque ao longo de seus quase 80 anos, contudo, essa atividade sofreu considerável transformação, com reflexos significativos em sua organização territorial. A consolidação do movimento ambientalista e o desenvolvimento de instrumentos de gestão de áreas naturais protegidas podem ser apontados como causas dessas transformações. Da mesma forma, a valorização do turismo de natureza e a visão do Parque como uma oportunidade de negócio também podem ser apontados como causas. A partir da ideia de evento, foram identificadas rupturas e continuidades nessa trajetória, o que permitiu a este estudo propor compreender a visitação turística do Parque por meio de três grandes fases: a visitação recreativa, a visitação recreativa monitorada e a visitação comercial, que se estende até os dias de hoje. Espera-se contribuir para um maior conhecimento do Parque do Iguaçu e, sobretudo, fomentar as discussões sobre o turismo em áreas naturais, em especial, nos parques nacionais.

The Importance of Regional Trails for the Viability of the Brazilian Long Trails Network

Abstract Accelerated urbanization has stimulated tourism in natural areas and the search for a reconnection between man and nature. In that context, this article narrates the implementation of the Brazilian Trails System (RBT) based on the monitoring of the Regional Trail Caminho das Araucárias activities and the analysis of official documents and data available in social media. We evaluated the RBT’s potential to contribute to environmental conservation, landscape connection, tourism promotion and well-being through open-air recreation. In this study, we found that 1.600 kilometers of new trails were created in two years, and that there has been a growth of volunteer work and of integration among Protected Area managers. Lastly, the study highlights the importance of regional trails in enabling the RBT and its valuable contribution to the conservation of protected areas and the generation of employment and local income, based on the good practices of similar international initiatives.