Visitor Management in Protected Areas: A multi-scale and multi-method analysis in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic

Identifier:  TDX:4420

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX4420

Authors:  Medina Chavarria, Maria Esperanza

Abstract:
This dissertation explores issues related to visitor management in protected areas in the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Protected areas have benefited from the development of nature-based tourism, both for funding and raising public awareness. However, as tourism has grown, conflicts among different stakeholders’ perspectives on how these areas should be valued and used have risen. Moreover, the effectiveness of protected area management is challenged when balancing the preservation of ecosystems with visitors’ rights and aspirations of enjoying nature, particularly in the face of external drivers of change such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This dissertation focuses on how the pandemic impacted visitor flows in protected areas, which lead to adjustments in the management of these, as well as on visitors' attitudes toward measures implemented in a natural park. The study further discusses the relationship between protected areas and tourism, as well as the concept of visitor management on these types of destinations. It also argues on the crucial role of an adaptive visitor management in balancing the different stakeholders’ interests, user experiences, and the conservation functions of protected areas. The methodology used, herein, is a mixed method approach that includes both quantitative and qualitative data collection. Using a multiscale perspective, the research investigates managers’ responses at the global, regional (Catalonia), local (Province of Tarragona), as well as site (Ebro Delta Natural Park) levels. All things considered, the research offers insightful information for improving visitor management and adaptability in the post-pandemic context.