Visitor Management Strategies Research Articles

Measures for Mitigating Adverse Impacts of Tourism in wetlands

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems globally, providing crucial services such as water filtration, food resources, building materials, transportation routes, and coastal protection. Additionally, they support recreational and tourism activities, collectively known as ecosystem services. The migration of numerous bird species and the rich plant diversity within wetlands underscore the importance of effective biodiversity conservation initiatives. However, wetlands face significant threats from urbanization, pollution, resource overharvesting, climate change, and tourism. Tourism, in particular, leads to habitat destruction, pollution, and environmental degradation, compromising water quality and soil stability. Thus, assessing the impacts of tourism on wetlands is essential to develop strategies that enhance their resilience and protect these critical ecosystems. A practical approach to promoting sustainable tourism involves implementing visitor management strategies that regulate visitor behaviour to minimize site impacts. Zoning is an effective visitor management tool that aims to balance the negative impacts of tourism while promoting ecotourism and wetland restoration. While existing literature suggests various zoning factors, each wetland's unique biological characteristics require tailored approaches. This research focuses on importance of zoning and identifying specific zoning parameters to manage tourism impacts in Kerala's wetlands, aiming to support sustainable tourism and conservation efforts.

Enhancing Educational Strategies for Sustainable Tourism in the Geopark Area: A Case Study Geopark Maros Pangkep

Tourist destinations in ecologically sensitive areas face significant challenges in balancing visitor management with conservation efforts. The Rammang-Rammang Karst Area in Maros District, part of the proposed UNESCO Global Geopark Maros-Pangkep, exemplifies these challenges. This study investigates current visitor management strategies in Rammang-Rammang, focusing on physical, regulatory, economic, and educational approaches. Methodologically, the research employs a qualitative descriptive analysis through a case study approach. Data collection includes on-site observations, interviews with key stakeholders such as local tourism authorities, Geopark management, community-based tourism groups, and tour guides, supplemented by document analysis. Triangulation of data ensures reliability and validity. Key findings highlight the effectiveness of existing strategies in managing visitor impacts on both the environment and local culture. Challenges identified include inadequate infrastructure and inconsistent enforcement of regulations. Educational initiatives show promise in raising visitor awareness but require enhancement. The study concludes by recommending integrated strategies that strengthen regulatory frameworks, improve infrastructure, and enhance visitor education to achieve sustainable tourism practices in Rammang-Rammang. This research contributes insights applicable to similar karst landscapes globally, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches that harmonize conservation goals with socio-economic benefits. By addressing these challenges comprehensively, this study aims to support the long-term sustainability and resilience of ecotourism in Rammang-Rammang and comparable geological formations worldwide.

Exploring Vulnerability Indicators: Tourist Impact on Cultural Heritage Sites in High Arctic Svalbard

This article reports findings from two research projects that aimed to understand the vulnerabilities of cultural heritage sites in Svalbard and investigated factors that influence tourism-induced pressures and site degradation. It draws upon fieldwork conducted at ten selected historic locations, including interviews with tourists and guides, consultations with regional and central cultural heritage management authorities, on-site observations, and condition assessments. The primary goal was to explore indicators rendering cultural heritage sites susceptible to the impacts of tourism and human visitors. These indicators were common denominators and encompassed the sites’ physical state/degree of decay, legibility, accessibility, and quantity and quality of objects at the sites. This article seeks to enhance the understanding of these sites’ vulnerabilities and provide insights for effective heritage site management and sustainable tourism development. The principal findings highlight key factors contributing to cultural heritage sites’ vulnerability. These factors encompass intensity and frequency of visitor traffic, suboptimal visitor management strategies, tourists’ limited awareness of proper site behaviour and conservation practices, and restricted resources for site maintenance and protection. These findings can guide policymakers, site managers, and tourism stakeholders in formulating strategies to balance tourism promotion with site conservation, ensuring the long-term preservation of cultural heritage in this unique and vulnerable environment.

Assessing pro-environmental behaviors and implications for integrated conservation in protected areas: A study of visitors and entrepreneurs in the Asinara National Park, Italy

Understanding pro-environmental behaviors in protected areas is vital for effective resource management, visitor management, infrastructure development, and conservation strategies. Therefore, this study aims to assess environmentally friendly practices and behaviors (eco-practices) of visitors (demand side) and entrepreneurs and tour operators (supply side) to explore the implications for the long-term sustainability of the protected area. The study utilizes the shared value framework and the value-belief-norm theory extended to environmentalism to investigate the relevant values for pro-environmental behaviors. The paper focuses on the Asinara National Park in Italy. It employs a partial least squares-structural equation model to analyze the pro-environmental behavior and willingness to commit to conservation goals. The findings reveal that visitors demonstrate a willingness to commit to eco-practices in a protected area based upon non-extractive cultural ecosystem services (path coefficient = 0.196*) and accept earmarked taxation (path coefficient = 0.254***), which indicates their loyalty and satisfaction with their visit. On the other hand, entrepreneurs are motivated by internally adopted ecological practices (path coefficient = 0.509***) and altruistic reasons (path coefficient = 0.377**). In conclusion, the study emphasizes aligning service and facility supply with demand and the mission of protected areas to achieve balanced and sustainable resource management. By understanding and promoting pro-environmental behaviors, long-term resilience can be ensured for protected areas, benefiting both the environment and the visitors. AcknowledgmentsWe would like to thank the participants of the XI Workshop on Institutions, Individual Behavior and Economic Outcomes, Session Environmental and Ecological Economics, Corte (France) and at the Research Meeting Seminar, Burgundy School of Business, Dijon (France) for their helpful comments. We also thank Fondazione di Sardegna (Economia e Benessere tra Società e Istituzioni), grant 2022–2023, Programme 2014–2020 INTERREG V-A Italy – France Maritime (grant EcoSTRIM), and Fondo di Ateneo UNISS 2020 for financial support.

The Impact of Visitor Profile on Effective Management of Protected Areas: A Case of Atatürk Arboretum

Protected areas are important for education and scientific research, in addition to making a significant contribution to the economy in terms of tourism and recreation. One of the most important factors in the effective management of these areas are the visitors. In this article, the effect of visitors on the effective planning and management of arboretums, which is one of the protected areas used for scientific research, education, and observation concerning various species of plants, was investigated. This study focused on the visitors to Atatürk Arboretum, segmented into specific subgroups by applying cluster analysis according to their activities. The data were obtained via conducting face-to-face questionnaires with the visitors (n = 383) in the area. The cluster groups were characterized by the perceived importance of their desired benefit, and socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics. The socio-demographic characteristics of the visitors were determined using descriptive statistics, and the relations among visitor characteristics were determined through linear regression analysis. The visitor segments which differed from each other significantly were identified as recreationalists and photographers and learners. This study has practical and managerial implications for understanding the role of visitors in the management of the arboretum. The study revealed that the arboretum was visited for reasons outside of its establishment purposes. These findings might directly help the arboretum managers in improving more effective visitor and resource management strategies.

Management strategy for marine tourism in Bunaken National Park North Sulawesi Province

Bunaken National Park is well-known as one of the special interest tourist destinations with diving activities as its main attraction. Bunaken National Park is also famous for its unique underwater landscape in the form of coral reef walls. Some of the marine tourism attractions in Bunaken National Park are diving, snorkeling, underwater photography, Bottom Glass Boat (catamaran), dolphin watching, and dugong watching. In its management, Bunaken Park has several problems, such as the potential for tourist attractions that are not optimal, mass tourism, litter and the illegal capture of protected marine animals. This study aims to obtain a marine tourism management strategy and its priorities. The analysis method used is interpretative structural modeling using experts as data sources. The experts used as data sources are 2 people from academics and 1 person from the former manager of the Bunaken National Park (DPTNB). The strategies obtained are visitor management strategies, environmental quality improvement strategies and community empowerment strategies. To realize this strategy, program implementation is strengthening regulations and permits, Waste Management, Destination development, community empowerment and stakeholder cooperation.

EVALUATION OF INTERNAL VISITORS MANAGEMENT CONTROLLING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AT CAMPSITE RANU KUMBOLO TNBTS

Camping activity is one of the outdoor activities that are considered to have the biggest role in environmental damage. On the other hand, the impact of environmental degradation can be substantially minimized by managing visitor behavior. The formulation of a visitor management framework as a strategy to achieve a sustainable state needs to pay attention to 3 basic elements that are interrelated, namely the formulation of indicators and standards according to management objectives, implementation of a monitoring system, and implementation of strategies to maintain conditions according to predetermined standards. A documentation study based on the standard operating procedure of hiking activity at Ranu Kumbolo Campsite was done to evaluate the accuracy of the visitor management strategy carried out by the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park as the area manager in addressing the environmental impact problems that occurred.

A Simulation-Based Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Prevention Strategies for Visitors of Healthcare Institutions

ObjectivesThe aim is to quantitatively evaluate different infection prevention strategies in the context of hospital visitor management during pandemics and to provide a decision support system for strategic and operational decisions based on this evaluation. MethodsA simulation-based cost-effectiveness analysis is applied to the data of a university hospital in Southern Germany and published COVID-19 research. The performance of different hospital visitor management strategies is evaluated by several decision-theoretic methods with varying objective functions. ResultsAppropriate visitor restrictions and infection prevention measures can reduce additional infections and costs caused by visitors of healthcare institutions by >90%. The risk of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by visitors of terminal care (ie, palliative care) patients can be reduced almost to 0 if appropriate infection prevention measures are implemented. Antigen tests do not seem to be beneficial from both a cost and an effectiveness perspective. ConclusionsHospital visitor management is crucial and effectively prevents infections while maintaining cost-effectiveness. For terminal care patients, visitor restrictions can be omitted if appropriate infection prevention measures are taken. Antigen testing plays a subordinate role, except in the case of a pure focus on additional infections caused by visitors of healthcare institutions. We provide decision support to authorities and hospital visitor managers to identify appropriate visitor restriction and infection prevention strategies for specific local conditions, incidence rates, and objectives.

Nature Interpretation as an Environmental Educational Approach in Visitor Management; The Application Dilemma for Different Target Groups at Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Various scholars have endorsed contemporary visitor management strategies broadly categorized as hard or soft approaches. The hard strategies like area closure, penalties, patrols, or limiting access have been deemed punitive and restrictive to visitors seeking escape into natural environments. On the other hand, nature interpretation (NI) and general conservation information, christened as soft strategy, are pushed as complementary or alternative non-obstructive visitor management tactics. However, these arguments notwithstanding, questions linger about the choice of appropriate NI strategies, their application, and their effectiveness. This study sought to establish which NI and visitor information approaches can be used be to manage visitors by target group effectively at the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Data was collected by surveying n = 570 respondents that constituted visitors (n = 413) and tour guides (n = 157) participating in wildlife tourism at MMNR over six months. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to present and analyze data with spearman’s correlation used for testing the relationships to answer the research question. Study results established mixed results with different NI attributes comprising a few weak, some very weak, and the majority no correlations with the respondents’ demographics. The month of the visit and type of vehicle used had very weak negative correlations with attributes of NI, generally implying inverse relationships. Nationality and gender had the least correlations, while the month of visit and the purpose of the visit had the highest number of correlations with, the latter having slightly stronger correlations. Display boards and orientation signage had the highest number of very weak and weak correlations with nearly all the respondents’ demographics except nationality and gender. Visitor codes/do’s and don’ts followed with tour guiding with no correlations with almost all the demographics. The study recommends continuous improvement of all NI approaches at the MMNR, with urgency being given to display boards and orientation signage followed by visitor codes and tour guiding, as evidenced from findings. The study further recommends research on contemporary trends in NI and conservation education and information dissemination.

The utilisation of protected area visitor research: a conceptual framework

Visitor research constitutes a substantial body of knowledge within tourism literature. Effective application thereof enhances managerial decision-making towards more sustainable tourism management. However, this research is rarely exploited to its full potential. Little is known about the process of utilisation of visitor research in tourism and recreation. This article conceptualises this phenomenon in the context of protected areas by applying knowledge utilisation theory. A two-round Delphi survey was conducted among a panel of visitor research and visitor management experts from various countries to explore the determinants of utilisation, and the components of utilisation impacted. The results suggest visitor research is not optimally applied in visitor management strategies, practices and policies. The utilisation process is complex and involves at least five different categories of determinants: Skills, capacity and awareness of practitioners; the engagement between researchers and practitioners; the organisational context; dissemination efforts; and the characteristics of the research. Determinants underpinned by the organisational interest and interaction explanations appear to play an important role in utilisation. The study proposes a novel conceptual framework outlining the dynamics involved in the movement of visitor research from researchers to practitioners across the stages of utilisation. Recommendations for closing the research-practice gap are provided.

PERAN KELOMPOK SADAR WISATA DALAM PENGELOLAAN PENGUNJUNG DESTINASI WISATA BUKIT JAMUR DI KABUPATEN BENGKAYANG

Bukit Jamur is a tourist attraction located in the Bengkayang Regency, West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Originally, Bukit Jamur is protected forest area, because of this place has a tourist attraction, the West Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Office established Bukit Jamur as a Forest Park in 2018. The goal is to be managed as a tourist attraction. This destination is managed by the Pokdarwis Organization, but its management is still not optimal. This can be seen from the condition of the untreated destination and the management system of visitors who are still irregular, causing a lot of garbage that pollutes the destination environment due to tourists visit. This research was conducted to find out what are the problems in the Bukit Jamur destination visitor management system and strategies that can be done to overcome the problem of the visitor management system. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach. Data sources used are primary data and secondary data, while the data collection techniques are by literature study, interviews, observation, and documentation. Data analysis techniques in this study by compiling all data that has been obtained to be compiled and processed so that it can produce a concise research discussion and a clear as well as an easy comprehensive conclusion.

Tourist Perception of Visitor Management Strategy in North Bandung Protected Area

Sustainable tourism is one of Djuanda Forest Park (Tahura) management goals in implementing a visitor management strategy in the North Bandung Protected Areas. Djuanda Forest Park is an important area to be preserved as a tourist destination because of its very strategic function for environmental sustainability in Bandung City and its buffer areas. The visitor management strategy's implementation level can be seen from the perception of tourist who comes to Djuanda Forest Park, which analyzes by the intensity of destination use, accessibility, and carrying capacity. Perception cannot be separated from the satisfaction of tourists when visiting. This study aims to analyze tourists' perceptions of the implementation of visitor management strategies together with tourist satisfaction in the Tahura protected area. The method used is descriptive with data collection techniques through questionnaires. The results showed that tourist perceptions and satisfaction with the Visitor Management Strategy application were quite good. In improving quality, management is expected to be able to design a more systematic flow of visits and limit the number of visits for each tourist area to minimize the impact of tourism activities on the environment. On the satisfaction side, managers need to improve product and service quality, especially the preservation of tourist areas to create tourists experience

Segmenting visitors of a Greek recreational theme park using factors that motivate attendance

ABSTRACT Purpose This study aims to segment visitors to a Greek theme park using factors that motivate attendance. Research methods Three hundred and twenty-two young and adult visitors of an outdoor recreational theme park, located in the midlands of Greece, completed a questionnaire that measured four dimensions: motivation, service quality perceptions, intention to revisit, and word-of-mouth communication. Results and Findings A principal component analysis of the motivation items revealed a clear five-factor structure. Thereafter, a cluster analysis of the five factors was performed. This classified participants into three psychographic segments: “incurious to activities and social life”, “recreation and nature oriented”, and “outdoor activities enthusiast”. An analysis of variance test successfully validated the three segments relative to visitors’ perceptions of service quality and future behavioural intentions. Practical implications Theme park management can use this study’s newly developed visitor segmentation to better understand, commercialise, and personalise their services. Managers can more effectively execute visitor management strategies to attract customers and develop marketing techniques to create new competitors’ advantages. Research contribution The study successfully developed three validated psychographic theme park visitor segments: “incurious to activities and social life”, “recreation and nature oriented”, and “outdoor activities enthusiast”.

Nature Interpretation and Visitor Management Objectives: A Survey of Tourist Attitudes at Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Nature interpretation has been advocated as a soft and non-obtrusive on-site visitor management strategy to enhance visitor knowledge and understanding of the resource, mitigate visitor impacts, encourage the conservation and improvement of attraction areas, and assist visitors in enjoying their visit. However, the way in which nature interpretation programs are implemented, and the subsequent attitudes created amongst visitors can pose a challenge to the effectiveness of nature interpretation as a visitor management strategy. The situation becomes more complicated with limited resources to implement, monitor, and evaluate nature interpretation in expansive wilderness areas like Masai Mara National Reserve (MMNR). The question therefore is, does nature interpretation in MMNR create favourable attitudes amongst wildlife tourists, consequently leading to enhanced visitor experiences and satisfaction of the support for conservations, or not? This research, therefore, sought to establish the extent to which the attitudes created by nature interpretation affect visitor satisfaction or the enhanced visitor experience and support for conservation, broadly termed as visitor management objectives in MMNR Kenya. Thus, Ho1 postulated that attitudes created by nature interpretation do not influence visitors’ support for conservation in MMNR, and Ho2, that attitudes created by nature interpretation do not enhance visitor experience and satisfaction in MMNR. This study used a structured questionnaire for the survey to collect data from a sample of 351 respondents as a proportion of visitors into MMNR. Research findings revealed that a moderate relationship between attitudes created by nature interpretation and support to conservation with rs = 0.426 and p = 0.000, thus null hypothesis H01 was rejected. Secondly, results showed that attitudes created by nature interpretation moderately affected visitor satisfaction rs = 0.478 and p = 0.000, while similarly, null hypothesis H02 was rejected. The research concluded that various forms of NI result in the formation of attitudes that moderately affect support for conservation and visitor satisfaction. The study concluded that enhanced nature interpretation training and awareness creation, along with continual improvement initiatives, could unlock its full potential as a visitor management strategy. This consistent, well-coordinated, and diligent implementation of nature interpretation initiatives by all stakeholders in MMNR would sustain a cumulative, long-term impact.

Interpretation needs and preferences of visitors to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

South African National Parks is one of South Africa’s main drawcards for ecotourists. One of these parks is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP), which is also a World Heritage Site (WHS). Because tourism is key to national parks and WHSs, visitor management strategies such as interpretation are vital for these destinations to provide tourists with better experiences and knowledge. The aim of this research was therefore to determine the interpretation needs and preferences of visitors to KTP. The factor analyses revealed that tourists felt that park guidelines would add the most to a quality experience. Tourists preferred interpretation topics on nature and heritage and would like to receive in-depth information on these topics. Interpretation should also preferably be offered through audio and visual media. These findings impact the development of relevant interpretation services for the park, which will contribute towards visitors’ experiences. The research is original as it examined visitors’ interpretation needs and preferences on topics, the extent of information tourists would like to receive and the type of media through which information should be presented.Conservation implications: Designing relevant interpretation services based on tourists’ needs and preferences will contribute towards satisfactory experiences. In turn, this may lead to an increase in profits, which can support conservation practices. Effective interpretation messages can also foster additional support towards conservation efforts.

Visitor Management at UNWHS

Studies have shown a significant increase in the number of visitors to the site after being featured on the UNWHS list which leads to visitation pressure and impacts thereof on the site. Visitor management at the UNWHS is the need of the hour. The paper aims to critically analyse the existing visitor management plan at the selected UNWHS - Taj Mahal, the second-best UNWHS in the world with more than 8 million visitors every year (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, tribuneindia.com, indiatoday. in, hindustantimes.com, 2017), and to suggest numerous proactive and reactive measures to bring about an effective Visitor Management strategy for the Site. The descriptive and exploratory research methodology has been used along with a mixed approach of both Quantitative and Qualitative Methods. Literature review of Visitor Management practices followed at UNWHS globally and an in-depth study of opinion of different groups – Site Managers, Travel agents, Guides, Visitors visiting the site helped conclude, that to defy the harmful impact of the visitation and to give an enhanced experience, an effective marketing plan with strict conservation and preservation practices have to be implemented in collaboration with locals, stakeholders and the government agencies

The Impacts of Place Attachment on Environmentally Responsible Behavioral Intention and Satisfaction of Chinese Nature-Based Tourists

Increasing visits to protected areas in China have drawn public attention on the negative impacts on ecologically sensitive areas. Understanding potential determinants of the environmentally responsible behavioral intention of nature-based tourists has become a common focus in tourism studies. Scholars seek to explore potential determinants of visitors’ behavior, and the findings can be referenced by the managers of protected areas to formulate visitor management strategies. On the basis of a sample of 402 questionnaires collected in protected areas in South China, namely, Nanling National Forest Park and Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve, we explore the association between visitors’ place attachment and their satisfaction and environmentally responsible behavioral intention. The results show that place dependence and place identity are positively correlated with the satisfaction and environmentally responsible behavioral intention of visitors; thus, our results differ from those of previous studies on Western visitors. The lack of significant results regarding place social bonding revealed the shortcomings associated with visitor management in China’s protected areas. Chinese culture has a great influence on various findings in this study. All of the findings provide significant insights for management and policy-making regarding protected areas worldwide to accommodate the rising number of nature-based visitors to China.

Orange, black, and a little bit of white is the new shade of conservation: the role of tourism in Monarch Butterfly Conservation in Mexico

ABSTRACT Each year, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico attracts thousands of people from Mexico and around the world to witness the overwintering phenomena of aggregating and migrating monarch butterflies. Thus, conservation and tourism are central components to the management of this protected area. Despite the popularity of tourism, few researchers have described the on-site experiences provided to visitors of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. An ethnographic study documented the infrastructure, trails, signage, visitor management, and education strategies provided to visitors in this Reserve. The goal of this study was to examine how anthropogenic impacts from tourism activities are currently managed, and to present suggestions that could enhance the conservation of monarch butterflies and tourism experiences in this iconic protected area.

A visitor flow management process for touristified archaeological sites

ABSTRACTIn recent decades the number of visitors to archaeological sites has increased exponentially. This increase has generated both negative and positive impacts. This article proposes a Visitor Flow Management Process (VFMP) that aims to minimize the negative impacts and enhance the benefits visitor flows can have in touristified archaeological sites. Although several proposals for visitor management frameworks exist for natural protected areas, for archaeological sites there are only isolated strategies and actions. Following a review of the literature on the visitor impacts and visitor management strategies implemented in 11 touristified archaeological sites around the world, 96 visitor management measures were identified, classified and synthesized into a three stage-process: (1) Restrict the number of visitors; (2) Redistribute visitor flows in time and space and (3) Interpret the archaeological site considering the mass influx of visitors. VFMP is a useful tool for heritage site managers dealing with mass tourism, whose implementation can contribute to reducing damage to heritage and enhancing the quality of the visitor experience.

세계자연유산 방문 관광객의 동기, 만족, 환경태도, 행동의도의 관계 분석

Many scholars and practitioners have been suggesting that research on visitors’ behaviors and protection is a significant step for sustainable management of heritage, like Seongsan Ilchulbong in Jeju Island, registered as a World Natural Heritage Site. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to identify relationships between motivation, satisfaction, and environmental attitude among domestic tourists who visited Seongsan Ilchulbong. Results of a structural equation model indicated that motivational factors partially had significant positive direct effects on overall satisfaction and environmental attitude. In addition, results showed that overall satisfaction had significant positive effects on environmental attitude and behavioral intention, and environmental attitude had a significant positive effect on behavioral intention. The study implies that specific visitor management strategies in a particular area like Seongsan Ilchulbong, a World Natural Heritage Site, are needed to improve visitors’ experiential quality and satisfaction. For example, educational participation programs would be an effective way for tourists who are interested in environmental conservation and protection to improve their satisfaction and behavioral intention.