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Abstract |
The demand of nature-based tourism and recreation has increased due to changes in society, leisure, urbanization, and increased awareness of the health benefits of nature, and during the COVID-19 pandemic destinations such as national parks and protected areas have become even more popular (e.g. Haukeland et al. 2021; Rikkonen et al. 2020). The steady growth during the last decade can be identified also from the increased number of national park visits in Finland (see Figure 1). The growing numbers of visitation, combined with the increase in park hectares, place pressures for management, especially as customer needs and preferences have become increasingly diversified. Gaining visitor insight – identifying growth trends and changes in visitor profiles – is essential for the quality of management in national parks. The purpose of this study is to gain a broader view on the development and trends of visitor motivations, activities, and demographics during the last 20 years. More detailed examination is also made in four park categories. |
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