Visitors' use of national park services and their affinity to the Gesäuse National Park
Saukel Lena, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (AT)
This master thesis investigated the use of information sources and recreational offers by conducting a visitor survey in the Gesaeuse National Park in February 2014 (n=293). The study quantified the use of the new Mobile-App of the Gesaeuse National Park, which was published in September 2013. The visitor's attitudes towards the national park and some recreation offers were further aspects which were investigated. Chi-square-tests and non-parametric tests were carried out to analyse relations between the previously stated variables and the affinity towards the national park, socio-demographic features as well as characteristics concerning the national park trips of the surveyed visitors. Most of the visitors used the internet, tour-guides and the homepage of the Gesaeuse National Park as information sources. The most common recreational offers of the national park were information boards and the visitor centers “Weidendom” und “National Park Pavillon Gstatterboden”. 80% of the visitors had heard about these offers, but more than half of them hadn't used any of them. In the winter season 2014, only a few visitors knew the Smartphone-App of the Gesaeuse National Park. The percentage of visitors with an affinity towards the national park was 21%. The affinity to the Gesaeuse Nationalpark played a minor role regarding the use of information sources and recreational offers of the national park. In contrast, socio-demographic features and characteristics concerning the trips of the visitors were more often associated with the use of information sources and recreational offers of the national park. Some of these results could be interesting for future concepts of information services and recreational offers. Some results are in line with investigations regarding other European National Parks, some are contradictory and others present new aspects.