Abstract |
Increased demand and interest in outdoor recreation is an ideal opportunity for tourism development in protected areas, but also and challenge for park management to attract more visitors, meettheir needs andexpectations. Satisfying the needs as well and the expectations of the visitors, mostly lead to achieving a higher level of touristic experience which brings multiple benefits for the visited protected areas, such as increased spending, longer stay, return, recommendation etc.Seeing that the revenues from traditional government sources decreasing, tourism provides a vital source of revenues for park agencies. It also provides a key means for protected area agencies to realize their objectives relating to visitor appreciation and enjoyment (Bushell, Eagles, 2006). Anyway, the tourism development in protected areas brings not only benefits, but also the expenses, from the ecological, economical and sociocultural point of view.Ensuring that tourism contributes to the sustainable management of protected areas, it will require enhanced cooperation and partnerships among the tourism industry, governments at all levels, local communities, protected area managers and planners (Eagles et al., 2002). |