Starting to enjoy nature in Mediterranean mountains: Crowding perception and satisfaction.
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Elsevier
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Abstract
The aim of the present study was to identify the profile and motivations of users of public facilities in Sierra de las Nieves, a protected area (‘natural park’) in the Spanish Mediterranean mountains, and their influence on perceptions of crowding and satisfaction. A self-reported questionnaire, including socio-demographic questions and a scale measuring perception of crowding, type of motivation, frequency of visits, and satisfaction, was administered to 345 visitors. Four profiles of visitors were identified: social, sport, learning, and nature visitors. Results showed that sport and nature visitors perceived more crowding than learning visitors. Type of motivation, and the interactions, age × type of motivation and employment-status × type of motivation, explained a significant amount of variance of perceived crowding. Interaction analysis showed that both age and employment status moderated the relationship between type of motivation and perception of crowding. We suggest implications for park planning and management
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a) Our results showed four profiles of visitors: nature visitors, social visitors, sport visitors, and learning visitors, with different needs and expectancies, and with diverse degrees of crowding perception. Most of the visitors were the nature type, searching for solitude and contact with nature, and with no specific interests. If visits continue increasing, there may be a clear problem of overload. This data provides a reason for diversifying the location and characterisation of the infrastructure within the natural park, and generating a methodology for relocating trails in accordance with user preferences and environmental constraints, thus alleviating the pressure on areas that are currently over-utilised (http://analisisgeografico.uma.es/sierranieves/). It could also be useful to provide visitors with information regarding peak visiting times and locations, so that they can plan their leisure experience based on their preferences of density.
b) Results suggest that management efforts should be directed toward relocating trails outside core areas, such that user preferences may be satisfied, while less impact is made on the areas of highest environmental value.
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Luque-Gil, A.M., Gómez-Moreno, M.L., & Peláez-Fernández, M.A. (2018). Starting to enjoy nature in Mediterranean mountains: Perception of crowding and satisfaction. Tourism Management Perspectives, 25, 93-103.
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Except where otherwised noted, this item's license is described as Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional