Preliminary communication
Understanding travel influences of overnight off-trail trekking: a case study of National Park Slovenský raj, Slovakia
Jana Janočková
; Institute of Geotourism, Technical University of Košice, Košice, Slovakia
Jana Jablonská
; Institute of Geotourism, Technical university of Košice, Košice, Slovakia
Abstract
While adventure tourism has attracted attention of scholars, reported research to date is mostly concentrated on marketing. In contrast, research reported here is focused on adventure travellers in the context of visitor management in protected natural areas. Specifically, the aim of this study was to establish relationship between adventure travellers’ motivation, their visiting behaviour, environmental awareness and readiness to compromise their enjoyment in order to minimise adverse environmental impacts. In this, the research was focused on hard-adventurers, that is those that partake in off-trekking and bivouacking that are contrary to the national park visiting rules. The study was conducted in the National Park (NP) Slovenský raj, one of the most popular national parks of Slovakia and Central Europe through visitor survey on attitudes towards the environment, activities, self-reflection and the situational factors. The outcomes indicate that the majority of respondents were willing to forfeit some freedoms if they would be educated on how this would preserve the natural environment. This emphasizes the need for management regulations to be complemented by strong educational strategies aimed at specific type of visitors.
Keywords
National Park Slovenský raj; adventure tourism; off-trail trekking; tourism impacts; interpretation of natural resources; Slovakia
Hrčak ID:
101410
URI
Publication date:
30.4.2013.
Visits: 1.541 *