Visitor profiling for cable car mountain destinations as a basis for protected area management : a case study of the summer season in the Tatra Mountains at Kasprowy Wierch (Poland) and Skalnaté Pleso (Slovakia)

Protected areas play a crucial role in the conservation of vulnerable mountain ecosystems, but at the same time they may serve as tourist destinations and attract large numbers of visitors. Areas located in close proximity to cable cars belong to some of the most challenging sites for mountain protected area management. This study focuses on two cable car areas: Kasprowy Wierch (Tatra National Park, Poland) and Skalnaté Pleso (Tatra National Park, Slovakia). Both sites belong to the most heavily used leisure destinations in the Tatra Mountains. The study focused on the summer, snow-free tourist peak-season, for which there is an ongoing discussion concerning the development of cable car services. In 2014 and 2015, on-site interviews were conducted in the two study areas (n = 3 304). In order to better understand visitors’ needs and goals, visitor profiling using K-means clustering was performed. Four distinct segments based on visitor motivations were identified: nature oriented (32 %), family / friends & well-being oriented (23 %), sports oriented (14 %), and a mixed segment with multiple motivations (31 %). The results show that two tourist segments were not particularly interested in nature experience, although they visited protected areas. A significant relationship between motivational segments and trip characteristics was identified. The visitor segments defined can be used practically in the management of cable car destinations located within protected areas

The potentials for developing cross-border tourism between Poland and Slovakia in the Tatra Mountains

Section: Poster

Modelling the spatial distribution of visitors in recreational areas

Naturnahe Landschaften bieten einzigartige Möglichkeiten für das Ausüben von Freizeitaktivitäten. Um verschiedenen Typen von Besuchern gerecht zu werden und den natürlichen Lebensraum zu erhalten, sollte die Verwaltung solcher Gebiete jedoch ein Gleichgewicht zwischen den Bedürfnissen der Besucher und den ökologischen und sozialen Kapazitäten des Gebietes finden. Diese Dissertation trägt zu einem tieferen Verständnis der Besucherströme in Erholungsräumen bei und fokussiert im Besonderen auf die räumliche und zeitliche Verteilung von Erholungssuchenden in der Lobau, einem Teil des Nationalparks Donau-Auen (Österreich). Wir haben gezeigt, dass bestimmte Umgebungsmerkmale, wie die Gestaltung von Wanderwegen und eine vorhandene Beschilderung sowie die räumliche Lage der Pfade die räumliche Verteilung der Menschen in Erholungsgebieten bestimmen. Unter den Erholungssuchenden in der Lobau wurden drei Typen von Besuchern mit unterschiedlichen Präferenzen für Wanderwege gefunden: klassische Besucher, infrastruktur-orientierte Besucher und Nutzer von Trampelpfaden. Das Innovative dieser Arbeit ist die Identifikation und Quantifizierung der Parameter, welche die räumliche Verteilung von Besuchern innerhalb des Wanderwegenetzwerkes bestimmen. Diese Parameter wurden in drei Modellen verwendet: das allgemeine lineare Modell (General Linear Model GLM), das Regressionsbaummodell (Regression Tree Model - CART) und das agentenbasierte Modell (MASOOR). Die statistischen Modelle (GLM und CART) erklären die Nutzungsintensität spezifizierter Wegabschnitte des Wanderwegenetzes. Der agentenbasierte Ansatz simuliert das räumlich-zeitliche Verhalten von individuellen Erholungssuchenden innerhalb des Wegenetzes. Die Ergebnisse können für die Planung von touristischer Infrastruktur, die Bereitstellung von zweckmäßigen Informationen sowie für die Entwicklung alternativer Management-Szenarien für das Gebiet verwendet werden.Natural areas offer unique opportunities for performing outdoor leisure activities. However, in order to please different types of visitors and to preserve the natural environment, the managers of such areas should find balance between visitors needs and site capacities. This PhD thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of visitor flows in natural recreational areas, and more specifically, it focuses on the spatial behaviour of people in the Lobau area, part of the Danube Floodplains National Park (Austria). We have shown that particular environmental characteristics, such as the physical appearance of trails and availability of relevant signage, as well as the spatial configuration of paths determine the spatial distribution of people in natural recreational sites. Three types of visitors with different trail preferences were found among the Lobau recreationists: classical visitors, infrastructure-guided visitors and wild paths users. The novelty of this work is the identification and quantification of the parameters, which determine the spatial distribution of visitors using the trail network. These parameters have been used in three models: the General Linear Model (GLM), the Regression Tree Model (CART) and the agent-based model (MASOOR). The statistical models (GLM and CART) explain the usage levels at specified path segments of the trail network. The agent-based approach simulates the spatio-temporal behaviour of individual recreationists using the trail network. The results can be used for strategic planning of tourist infrastructure, provision of purposive information, as well as for testing alternative management scenarios for the area.submitted by Karolina TaczanowskaAbweichender Titel laut Übersetzung der Verfasserin/des VerfassersZsfassung in dt. SpracheWien, Univ. für Bodenkultur, Diss., 2009OeBB(VLID)193122

Unveiling the Essential Role of Green Spaces during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the essential role of urban and rural green spaces for societies coping with global public health crisis. During this particular time, a significant body of research was devoted to human–nature relationships, as well as the use and importance of green spaces, both from the management and visitors’ perspectives, along with the vital role of nature in human health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the pandemic experience induced new paradigms in spatial and urban planning, along with the management of forest and protected areas seeing the crucial role of green spaces in shaping long-term socio-environmental resilience and sustainability. Thus, after the official end of the pandemic, our study aimed to provide a systematic review of the international research related to green spaces within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on those published between 2020 and 2023. The literature search within SCOPUS and Web of Science databases was conducted on 16 May 2023. A dataset of 161 articles was analyzed using a two-stage analysis. In the first stage, screening based on the title, abstract, and keywords was carried out. In the second stage, a detailed full text analysis was carried out, resulting in a final dataset of 66 articles related to the scope of this review. This article gives an in-depth methodological and conceptual overview, also referring to the applied research and management context related to green spaces in urban and rural environments. It concludes with lessons learned and poses open questions for future research related to green space planning and management. The literature review shows that institutions managing green spaces in cities and forests are facing new challenges. These include pursuing sustainable management policies in cities, ensuring equitable access to urban green space and community participation in the decision-making process, adapting suburban forest management to social expectations, and the recreational development of forest areas taking into account social needs and ecosystem sustainability

Using a Social Science Approach to Study Interactions between Ski Tourers and Wildlife in Mountain Protected Areas

Development of winter outdoor leisure activities in areas of high natural value is a key issue in the sustainable use of mountain environments. Ski touring, an emerging outdoor activity in the Tatra Mountains, is believed to affect protected mammal species such as the Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica), alpine marmot (Marmota marmota latirostris), red deer (Cervus elaphus), European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes). To assess the impact of ski touring on these species, various studies are underway in Tatra National Park. The aim of this study was to investigate the interactions between ski tourers and large mammals in the park using a social science approach. A total of 274 skiers completed an online questionnaire about their encounters with large mammals during their ski tours in Tatra National Park and their perceptions of animals' reactions to their presence. Just over half of the respondents reported encounters with large mammals—most often with chamois, followed by deer (red or roe), foxes, and marmots. Only 6% reported encounters with brown bears. The most commonly reported animal reactions were vigilance and indifference (no reaction). Flight or aggression occurred less often—in about 22% of encounters with all species and 12% of encounters with chamois. An online survey on human–wildlife interactions can provide a cost- and labor-efficient complement to field research such as direct observation, GPS tracking, and physiological testing

Visitor profiling using characteristics of socio-demographic and spatial behavior as tools to support the management of protected mountain areas

Protected mountain areas are attractive tourist destinations, and the number of visitors to these areas is increasing. The extension of cable car operations into the summer season is a challenge for some protected areas. Our study focuses on visitor profiles and is based on the characteristics of socio-demographic and spatial behavior of cable car users of the Chopok area (Slovakia).The methods used involve recording visitors’ itineraries through the use of GPS loggers and conducting post-trip interviews with the study participants. In order to better understand visitors’ spatial behavior, the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and trip itinerary parameters was analyzed. Additionally, three distinct visitor profiles based on cluster analysis were found in the investigated sample. The results can be used to enrich our knowledge concerning the spatial behavior of tourists in mountain environments, and more directly, for the management of cable car destinations located within protected areas.46147

Analyzing Spatial Behavior of Backcountry Skiers in Mountain Protected Areas Combining GPS Tracking and Graph Theory

Mountain protected areas (PAs) aim to preserve vulnerable environments and at the same time encourage numerous outdoor leisure activities. Understanding the way people use natural environments is crucial to balance the needs of visitors and site capacities. This study aims to develop an approach to evaluate the structure and use of designated skiing zones in PAs combining Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and analytical methods based on graph theory. The study is based on empirical data (n = 609 GPS tracks of backcountry skiers) collected in Tatra National Park (TNP), Poland. The physical structure of the entire skiing zones system has been simplified into a graph structure (structural network; undirected graph). In a second step, the actual use of the area by skiers (functional network; directed graph) was analyzed using a graph-theoretic approach. Network coherence (connectivity indices: β, γ, α), movement directions at path segments, and relative importance of network nodes (node centrality measures: degree, betweenness, closeness, and proximity prestige) were calculated. The system of designated backcountry skiing zones was not evenly used by the visitors. Therefore, the calculated parameters differ significantly between the structural and the functional network. In particular, measures related to the actually used trails are of high importance from the management point of view. Information about the most important node locations can be used for planning sign-posts, on-site maps, interpretative boards, or other tourist infrastructure