Attitudes towards trail preferences and environmental management strategies in outdoor recreation areas: a comparison between resident and visiting trail users

Conference Contribution ResearchOnline@JCU
Stevenson, Lisa;Pabel, Anja;Law, Lisa;MacGregor, Colin;Judd, Jenni
Abstract

This study investigates the characteristics and attitudes of recreationists using two adjoining forest reserves for walking and mountain biking near a regional township in Australia. The research aim was to compare the views of different trail user groups towards environmental management strategies and trail users' preferences. This study found visitors were more supportive of a voluntary code-of-conduct and trail closures for wet conditions compared to local recreationists. Both groups, mountain bikers, and walkers identified exercise/fitness, scenery, and a sense of freedom as the most important features when using the trail. Trail design features such as naturalist features for walking trails and technical features for mountain bike trails were preferences raised by residents and visiting trail users alike. This paper emphasizes that park management may need to use different environmental management strategies depending on the type of trail users.

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CAUTHE 2020: 30th Annual Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education Conference: 2020 vision: new perspectives on the diversity of hospitality, tourism and events

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978-0-473-50923-1

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4

Location

Auckland, New Zealand

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Council for Australian Tourism and Hospitality Education

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Publisher Location

Auckland, New Zealand

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