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Abstract |
Managers of parks and forestshave to optimize the allocation of resources to provide new recreational infrastructure and maintain the existing one.In order to successfully managerecreationalareas and to gain realistic view on actual visitation levels as well as visitors’ needs and expectations, it is necessary to find reliable and effective tools and methods for visitor data collection and analysis(Kajala et al., 2007,Cessford, Muhar, 2003). In recent years, the use of online surveys in outdoor recreation research as complement to traditional survey methods (on-site, mail and telephone surveys) has been significantly expanded. Comparability of data gathered from traditional paper interviewing and from online surveys is a subject of discourse in many fields of social science research (Namhun, Xiaojuan, Zvi, 2013, Dolnicar, Laesser, Matus, 2009, Yetter, Capaccioli, 2010). Personal interviewson-site survey and online survey may involve respondents with different sociodemographic profiles because of the different mode. Furthermore, both approaches differ in place and time of interviewing. On-site surveys take place during a trip in a forest and the online survey at a random moment while browsing the internet. In this setting other influencing factors may play a significant role. In outdoor recreation research sampling biases and the influence of social media dynamics on participation in online surveys and representativity of results have not yet been sufficiently researched. |
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