The protected areas: are they still in the ‘pleasure periphery’ or are they destinations for sustainable tourism activities?

Abstract

The protected natural areas play an important role in recreation. This paper discusses the issue of recreational activities in these areas. The National Park and Protected Landscape Areas in the southern part of the Czech Republic were selected for the purposes of illustration. It has been revealed that relaxation is the most important activity among tourists in the large-area protected natural territories, according to a recent survey of 1,500 participants. Entertainment is the second most important activity. Recreational sport activities (such as swimming, tennis, etc.) are respectively in the third and fourth places. We can talk about the large-area protected natural reservations as destinations for “nature-based tourism”, whose prerequisite is the existence of a pristine natural environment, which is primarily bound to protected natural areas in today’s world, and it is not for sustainable tourism. According to the participation in recreation activities, four segments of demand have been identified in visits to these large-area protected natural territories: (1) passive visitors, (2) visitors focused on exploring but not participating in any physical activity, (3) active visitors with a dominant interest in bicycle touring, and (4) active visitors with a dominant interest in history.

A Conceptual Evaluation of Cycling Tourism in the Context of Sustainable Tourism

“…Tourists have been visiting these areas for recreational sports activities such as swimming, cycling, tennis. Active visitors who have participated in bicycle tours are very interested in these areas (Navrátil, Knotek, Pícha, & Fialová, 2015). Natural parks are places where local and foreign tourists can participate in ecotourism activities with their cultural and natural landscape potential.…”

“…The success of cycling tourism depends on social, environmental, industrial and political factors (Chang & Chang, 2003). Protected natural areas of high interest to cycling visitors can be organized as nature-based tourism destinations in today's world and in a sustainable way (Navrátil, Knotek, Pícha, & Fialová, 2015).…”