National parks as tourist attractions

National parks as tourist National parks as tourist attractionsattractions Estanislao Plantada Siurans, Spain

Joost Brandsma, the NetherlandsMathilde Jomain, France

Anne Maria Sparf, Finland

IntroductionIntroduction

• Four National Parks in Europe• Emphasis: relationship between tourism

and national parks• What challenges and opportunities have

arisen in these parks?• Can we draw conclusions based on these

examples?

The examplesThe examples

Finland: The UKK National park in LaplandThe Netherlands: Nationaal Park De Hoge VeluweFrance: Parc National des Ecrins in the AlpesSpain: National Park Aigüestortes in Catalonia

The Urho Kekkonen National The Urho Kekkonen National Park in LaplandPark in Lapland

FinlandFinland

The Urho Kekkonen National The Urho Kekkonen National Park in LaplandPark in Lapland

• Established: 1983• Visitors: 100.000 a year• Size: 2500 sq. km• Objectives of park:

– protect wilderness, mainly forest, fell and peatland ecosystems

– provide recreation/hiking possibilities

– preserve preconditions for traditional reindeer herding

The Urho Kekkonen National The Urho Kekkonen National Park in LaplandPark in Lapland

• Challenges:– Increasing amount of

visitors– Use of vehicles, such

as snowcats– Too large amount of

reindeer• Consequences:

– Erosion– Threats to wildlife

The Urho Kekkonen National The Urho Kekkonen National Park in LaplandPark in Lapland• Opportunities:

– Management plan– Increasing visitor

awareness– “Friend” parks across

the border– Park fees – increased

funding– Limiting visitor amounts

during sensitive times

Nationaal Park De Hoge VeluweNationaal Park De Hoge VeluweThe NetherlandsThe Netherlands

Nationaal Park De Hoge VeluweNationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe• Established: 1935• Visitors: 600.000 a year• Size: 55 sq. km• Objectives of park: provide a

synergy between arts and nature, nature protection, leisure

• Attractions: Kröller-Müller Museum, St. Hubertus hunting lodge, Museonder, wildlife

Nationaal Park De Hoge VeluweNationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe

• Challenges:

Funding

Nature and wildlife protection

Landscape preservation

• Opportunities:

High educational value in both art and nature

Leisure function

Combination of nature and culture opens up the way for new attractions

Nationaal Park De Hoge VeluweNationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe

Culture... Kröller-Müller Museum St. Hubertus hunting lodge Museonder

Leisure... Restaurant ‘De Koperen Kop’ Cycling visitors

Nature... Red deer Sunlight in the forest The heathland

Parc National des EcrinsParc National des EcrinsFranceFrance

Parc des EcrinsParc des Ecrinsbetween protection and

development• Established: 1973• Visitors: 800.000 a year • Size: 270 sq. km• Objectives of park:

• Protection of alpine flora and fauna

Visitor management in Parc Visitor management in Parc National des EcrinsNational des Ecrins

• Classification of national park visitors: Pedagogical discoverers Faithful walkers Young sportsmen Low motivated tourists

• Impacts of the concentration of visitors on main sites negative for the environment,

positive for the management

• 11% growth of secondary residences between 1990 and 1999 in the villages situated in the Parc National des Ecrins

• Car frequentation in protected areas

• Massive because of the individual organisation of the journeys

Challenges in Parc National des Challenges in Parc National des EcrinsEcrins

• Artificialisation of space• Low economic consequences• Growth of the prices

of land and property• Housing difficulties • Traffic jams during summer

Consequences:Consequences:

The growing importance of tourism at The growing importance of tourism at Parc National des EcrinsParc National des Ecrins

• Visitor awareness has increased

• New objectives of park management:Management of visitors in

central zonesTourism marketingSustainable tourism

promotion

National Park d’Aigüestortes. Catalonia, Spain.

National Park d’Aigüestortes.

Catalonia, Spain

12 Nationals parks12 Nationals parks in Spainin Spain

1 National Park in Catalonia1 National Park in Catalonia

Established: 1955Visitors in 2001: 410.427 personsSize: 408 sq. kmObjectives of park: ecological preservation, fauna protection , environmental research and public use

Leisure time in the Leisure time in the

National ParkNational Park

Nature routes, trekking, hiking, Ascent high mountains,Climbing and mountain refugees…

Attractions Rivers and lakes

Some Romanesque churches are UNESCO World Heritage Sites

ConclusionsConclusions

Rural Tourism around andin National Parks has increased lately...which has lead to growing tourism in parks

Tourism causes problems (mainlyconcerning nature protection),but is a necessary means to provide income for a National Park

It seems that expectations on national parks differ by nationality,i.e. what is wilderness to one is a park to another

National Parks can be centered on cultural as well as natural landscapes

The concept of a National Park is an attraction by itself