Page 35 - Koderman, Miha, and Vuk Tvrtko Opačić. Eds. 2020. Challenges of tourism development in protected areas of Croatia and Slovenia. Koper, Zagreb: University of Primorska Press, Croatian Geographical Society
P. 35
transport accessibility as a factor of tourist flow ...
The assessment of transport accessibility for the 16 entrances to pro-
tected areas researched in this paper was conducted using the following
indicators:
a) public transport connectivity (bus, ship/catamaran/ferry);
b) public transport frequency;
c) road transport connectivity;
d) temporal distance from cities/towns; and
e) temporal distance from larger tourist centres.
Considering that some tourists arrive at protected areas by public
transport, the first indicator for assessing transport accessibility was the
public transport connectivity of each protected area. In order to determine
its public transport connectivity, the cartographic analysis with Google
Maps (Google Maps, 2019) was used to determine the existence of pub-
lic transport stops for bus transport and ship/catamaran/ferry ports, with-
in a maximum buffer of 800 m (which corresponds to a 10-minute walk-
ing distance) from the entrance mostly used by visitors. Even though a 400
m distance (i.e. a 5-minute walking distance) is often considered adequate
for using public transport (e.g. Murray and Wu, 2003; Hurni, 2006; 2007;
Kimpel, 2007), this distance is usually used in the study of public trans-
port accessibility in cities. Some authors consider that the longer distance,
in this case 800 m (i.e. a 10-minute walk), from a public transport stop can
also be taken into consideration, e.g. in research by Murray et al. (1998) and
Hurni (2006; 2007). In this research it is assumed that the tourists who ar-
rive at the protected area are willing to walk for a maximum of 800 m, or 10
minutes, from a public transport stop to the entrance of a protected area3.
Regardless of the existence of a public transport stop within 800 m of
the protected area, the frequency of public transport was also an impor-
3 For the purposes of this research, places in an extended sense (settlements, locali-
ties) rather than strict geographical locations /coordinates of the gates were taken as
the entrances to the protected areas. Considering this, when assessing the connec-
tivity of a protected area by public transport, the distance of the gate itself from the
public transport station could be taken into account and the connectivity by pub-
lic transport could be assessed in two categories (strong and weak connectivity). In
the case of Croatian protected areas, the following national and nature parks would
have weak connectivity, where the distance of the gate is more than 800 meters (or a
10-minute walk) from the nearest public transport station: Risnjak; Paklenica; and
Krka national parks, as well as Telašćica and Vransko Lake nature parks, but the re-
search results and conclusions were not affected. Taking into account the other ana-
lysed indicators, the selection of entrances to protected areas, which are described in
detail below, could be considered as well-grounded.
33
The assessment of transport accessibility for the 16 entrances to pro-
tected areas researched in this paper was conducted using the following
indicators:
a) public transport connectivity (bus, ship/catamaran/ferry);
b) public transport frequency;
c) road transport connectivity;
d) temporal distance from cities/towns; and
e) temporal distance from larger tourist centres.
Considering that some tourists arrive at protected areas by public
transport, the first indicator for assessing transport accessibility was the
public transport connectivity of each protected area. In order to determine
its public transport connectivity, the cartographic analysis with Google
Maps (Google Maps, 2019) was used to determine the existence of pub-
lic transport stops for bus transport and ship/catamaran/ferry ports, with-
in a maximum buffer of 800 m (which corresponds to a 10-minute walk-
ing distance) from the entrance mostly used by visitors. Even though a 400
m distance (i.e. a 5-minute walking distance) is often considered adequate
for using public transport (e.g. Murray and Wu, 2003; Hurni, 2006; 2007;
Kimpel, 2007), this distance is usually used in the study of public trans-
port accessibility in cities. Some authors consider that the longer distance,
in this case 800 m (i.e. a 10-minute walk), from a public transport stop can
also be taken into consideration, e.g. in research by Murray et al. (1998) and
Hurni (2006; 2007). In this research it is assumed that the tourists who ar-
rive at the protected area are willing to walk for a maximum of 800 m, or 10
minutes, from a public transport stop to the entrance of a protected area3.
Regardless of the existence of a public transport stop within 800 m of
the protected area, the frequency of public transport was also an impor-
3 For the purposes of this research, places in an extended sense (settlements, locali-
ties) rather than strict geographical locations /coordinates of the gates were taken as
the entrances to the protected areas. Considering this, when assessing the connec-
tivity of a protected area by public transport, the distance of the gate itself from the
public transport station could be taken into account and the connectivity by pub-
lic transport could be assessed in two categories (strong and weak connectivity). In
the case of Croatian protected areas, the following national and nature parks would
have weak connectivity, where the distance of the gate is more than 800 meters (or a
10-minute walk) from the nearest public transport station: Risnjak; Paklenica; and
Krka national parks, as well as Telašćica and Vransko Lake nature parks, but the re-
search results and conclusions were not affected. Taking into account the other ana-
lysed indicators, the selection of entrances to protected areas, which are described in
detail below, could be considered as well-grounded.
33
