Attractiveness of protected areas for geotourism purposes from the perspective of visitors: the example of Babiogórski National Park (Poland)

Abstract

This article examines the tourist role of protected areas important for their unanimated nature potential. In Poland the highest form of legal protection is a national park. Babiogórski National Parks is one of 23 national parks in Poland. The aim of this article is to present its tourist attraction based on its geotourist potential considered by tourists who visit this park. At the beginning a brief history of protection of Babia Góra is presented. Based on stock-taking sightseeing method an analysis of the most important tourist attractiveness elements (like infrastructure or tourist values) is done. The focus on the values of unanimated nature is made grouping them into four main categories. As the result of research on infrastructure the most important accommodation units were indicated present at the surroundings of this National Park which is vital for its tourist capacity. For the correct functioning of tourist movement at the protected area the supporting infrastructure is important bearing a lot of functions. The function of channeling of the tourist movement as well as the didactic function are the most important for protection and correct use of geotourist values. Among the many elements of the supporting infrastructure the most important ones are tourist and didactic routes (their course and themes are presented). The most important part of the article is the presentation of the participants of the tourist movement opinions on the Babiogórski National Park tourist attractiveness. A survey was conducted and then analysed on 308 respondents in 2011. They were asked to judge both the quality of infrastructure as well as attraction of geotourist values together with their adaptation to reception by the tourist movement. The results analysis served as a base to appraise the state and perspectives for the geotourism development in Babiogórski National Park from the point of view of the receivers of tourist product i.e. the protected area.

Geotourism Potential Assessment: a Case Study of the Czech-Austrian cross-border area

“…Vysoká in the Novohradské Mountains are very accessible for hiking, biking, car and public transport, including during the weekend, and a sufficient number of accommodation facilities are available in the close vicinity. At the same time, there is a potential threat of tourists becoming concentrated in protected areas only on the most attractive tourist destinations and routes (Kim et al 2019;Widawski et al 2018). Mt.…”

“…A sufficient number of accommodation facilities near geomorphosites (Bajer et al 2018;Honţuş et al 2015) is also of great importance. Accommodation facilities in naturally protected areas should preferably be built in accordance with nature and landscape conservation conditions with minimal impacts on the most valuable areas (Widawski et al 2018). A lack of accommodation can be a constraint on the tourist development of the area or may be a limitation for longer stays in the region (Vijulie et al 2018).…”

“…A lack of accommodation can be a constraint on the tourist development of the area or may be a limitation for longer stays in the region (Vijulie et al 2018). Another issue is the concentration of tourist at the most attractive tourist destinations and routes in protected areas (Kim et al 2019;Widawski et al 2018). Building thematic nature trails and alternative hiking trails (Widawski et al 2018) are good solutions to achieve a more balanced tourist burden.…”

Geotourism Potential as Information for Infrastructure Planning of the Karst Area, Kayen District, Pati Regency, Central Java

“…Prospective visitors will set a standard of didactic and aesthetic. To meet this expectation, geosites must be developed based on their value and maintained sustainably [10]. 10 9) fauna in some places potential as a field laboratory and study center.…”

Geological Features for Geotourism in the Zanjan and Hamadan Area, Northern Iran

“…However, it is imperative to consider that popular geotourism destinations face the same challenges as other tourism destinations, such as overcrowding and a wide range of negative impacts on geoheritage and on the vegetation and wildlife of these destinations [12]. The connection between tourism and geosites is definitely a multifaceted one, resulting from the economic focus of tourism on one side and the preservation efforts of protected areas on the other side [13]. Lately, a new concept arises, called cultural sustainability, which is the concept for the improvement and protection of cultural identities.…”