Managers' experiences of visitor monitoring in Swedish outdoor recreational areas

Abstract

Systematically collected information on outdoor recreation participation, motives and behaviors can improve recreation opportunities and reduce the risk of user conflicts. There are many uses of this type of information for managers of recreational areas including analyses of environmental, social and economic impacts, development of infrastructure, and marketing to appropriate audiences. One key component in building this knowledge is the application of visitor monitoring. This study takes an exploratory approach by analyzing managers' experiences on different on-site monitoring methods at 12 recreational areas in Sweden. Results show that knowledge of these methods and their use are strongly linked to individual managers' skills and competence. Contemporary changes in recreation behavior calls for more innovative monitoring approaches, but managers included in this study primarily work with rather traditional methods, which is likely representative of the overall situation in Sweden. Networking, educational programs and closer collaborations with universities could facilitate some of the challenges identified.

Keywords

Visitor monitoring; Counting; On-site survey; Recreation manager

Published in

Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
2016, Volume: 14, pages: 35-40 Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

SLU Authors

• Lindhagen, Anders

  • Department of Forest Products, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

Nature experiences and health


Sustainable Development Goals

SDG9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure


UKÄ Subject classification

Economic Geography


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2016.04.008

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/105474