Zoltan Kun, PAN Parks Foundation 14 August 2012 Wildlife/wilderness tourism within National Parks Oulanka NP © Kimmo Salminen
Nov 01, 2014
Zoltan Kun, PAN Parks Foundation 14 August 2012
Wildlife/wilderness tourism within National Parks
Oulanka NP © Kimmo Salminen
Soomaa NP © Mati Kose
What is PAN Parks?
Paanajärvi NP © Viktor Gritsuk
What is PAN Parks?
PAN Parks works to protect Europe’s wilderness, the continent’s most undisturbed areas of nature
What is PAN Parks?
The only European-wide organisation focusing on the protection of wilderness areas
Central Balkan NP ©CBNPAppenine Chamois © Bruno D’Amicis
PAN Parks links wilderness protected areas in Europe:European Wilderness Preservation System
The size of Spain
What is PAN Parks?
What is PAN Parks?Integrated approach to mobilise sustainable tourism development for strengthening wilderness conservationwww.panparks.org
Borjomi-Kharagauli NP © Kote Gabrichidze
The PAN Parks Concept Retezat NP © Andreas Beckmann
The PAN Parks Concept
An area of at least 10,000 hectares of land or sea, with its native plant and animal communities and their associated ecosystems, in an essentially natural state
Oulanka NP © Hannu Hautala
The PAN Parks Concept
Large spaces are needed to show wildlife to visitors and have the opportunity to enjoy wilderness!
Paanajärvi NP © Minna Koramo
We help to increase the management effectiveness of the areas through third party audit based on Principles and Criteria
Central Balkan © Nanko Minkov
The PAN Parks Concept
• active promotion of local and sustainable tourism and• raising awareness and creating positive perception of wilderness
Oulanka NP © Michael Hennemann
The PAN Parks Concept
Borjomi-Kharagauli NP © Kote Gabrichidze
TOURISM
• Promotion of sustainable tourism
• Certification of local businesses
• Tourism model
The PAN Parks Concept
Sustainable Tourism Development
• stimulates local cooperation
• involves local stakeholders
• aims for synergy between conservation and tourism
• improves the quality of tourism products
• improves the visitors experience
• includes local standard for businesses
The PAN Parks Concept
Partnership with Local
Businesses
• ensures the strategy is implemented
• partners are committed to the park
and PAN Parks
• different tourism service providers
• over 80 partners (typically SMEs)
Oulanka NP © Paavo Hamunen
The PAN Parks Concept
The PAN Parks Tourism Model
The PAN Parks Tourism Model
International tour operator partners
Retezat NP ©Falk Kienas
Tourism & Wilderness
Wilderness tourism
• and related activities are based on wilderness landscapes, parks and
special areas, significant wildlife features and wilderness-based
historical sites and events
• unlikely to see wildlife, but solitude and have the feel to be with
animals
• very natural
Tourism & Wilderness
Wildlife tourism
• Wildlife tourism is focused on showcasing wildlife (species)
• high likelyness to see animals
• might require modification of animal behaviour (hides + feeding)
Fulufjället NP © Orsolya Haaberg
The ‘big five’ dilemmaThe ‘big five’ challengeAfrica vs EuropeThe small 12 of AUS
Wilderness & Wildlife tourism
• better interpretation in National Parks is needed for visitors
• no-hunting rule can lead to change in animal behaviour
more likely to see wildlife without modifying behaviour
• no feeding inside the wilderness zone!
• entrepreneurs must work with the protected area
management
• examples: parks and species /Tatra NP chamois, Hohe Tauern
marmot, Duna-Drava red deer, Bialowieza bison (monitoring)
• ONE brand of wilderness is needed which can lift all
wilderness areas! Franchise of best practice
Tourism & Wilderness
All about educationManaging expectationUnderstanding the motives
Fulufjället NP © Orsolya Haaberg
Managing expectation
Fulufjället NP © Orsolya Haaberg
Something happening
Fulufjället NP © Orsolya Haaberg
Understanding the motiveProve yourselfCompetition No products: Father & Son weekend
Majella NP © Bruno D’Amicis
Tourism entrepreneurs can help to demystify Europe’s wilderness
• We need to demystify
wilderness, make it more
reachable for people
•Show it on the images too – use
more images with people in the
wilderness!!!
•Prepare a newsletter with
experiencing wilderness including
how people can enjoy and have
fun in wilderness
Tourism & Wilderness
Tourism can help to raise
knowledge and awareness about
Europe’s wilderness
• Important to have a good brand
• Clients need to see how their
contributions support wilderness
protection. Ideally local projects should
be visible in the parks.
• the brand must be marketed on
international and local level too, and
the two have to work together
Majella NP © Barbara Mayer
Tourism & Wilderness
Engagement
• connect people to wilderness and
engage them towards it
• The target group must be defined
clearly (nature-lovers)
• provide clients with something,
what helps to promote the network
and engage the visitors
• ensure travel related
communication and use social media
in promoting the destinationMajella NP © Bruno D’Amicis
Tourism & Wilderness
The current experience shows that
selling new wilderness destinations is
only possible if
there is a proper destination
management
Tourism is a very competitive market, which
suffers from the current financial crisis.
However good packages can still be sold.
Tourism & Wilderness
Most important lessons learned
•marketing through social media (mouth
marketing)
•engaging clients
•offer a special trip
•sustainability across the product cycle
•pricing
Tourism & Wilderness
Why should anyone travel that far?The activities dilemmaThe specialty challenge
© Eki Ollila
Case study - Oulanka National Park
• Finnish Wilderness Week package
• sold by Exodus (UK) – developed by
Basecamp Oulanka (FI)
• contribution to PPF after each client
• 23,000 € raised in 4 years
• local project supported in 4 PAN
Parkso visitor centre – Retezat NP o eco-trail – Rila NP o information boards –Borjomi NPo photo documentary project –
Majella NP
Oulanka NP © Hannu Hautala
The PAN Parks Tourism Model
Memorable experience
PAN Parks works to protect Europe’swilderness, the continent’s mostundisturbed areas of nature
www.panparks.org