Page 49 - 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. 49
transport accessibility as a factor of tourist flow ...
to the nature park itself, only to specific sights or specific activities/pro-
grammes within the protected area; therefore, these findings should be tak-
en into consideration with reserve.
Conclusion
Transport is one of the significant preconditions and factors of tourist flow
in all types of tourist areas. The role of transport in protected areas as a
tourist factor is especially pronounced, because transport is simultaneous-
ly a prerequisite for a large number of tourist visits, but it is also a limiting
factor due to potentially adverse environmental circumstances.
The aim of this chapter was to assess transport accessibility as a factor
of tourist flow in Croatian national parks and nature parks. The research
observed 16 of the 19 Croatian national parks and nature parks, in which it
was possible to determine entrances used by the majority of visitors during
their visit. The 16 locations selected in this way underwent scoring assess-
ment using a point scale to determine transport accessibility, according to
the following factors:
a) public transport connectivity (bus, ship/catamaran/ferry);
b) public transport frequency;
c) road connectivity;
d) time distance from city/town; and
e) time distance from a leading tourist centre.
In order to determine the connection between transport accessibili-
ty and tourist flow, a correlation analysis was conducted for each national
park and nature park in 2018, with the transport accessibility score as the
independent variable and the number of visitors as the dependent variable.
The research showed that the national parks and nature parks with
better transport accessibility also have higher visitor numbers. This conclu-
sion rises from the strong correlation between transport accessibility and
tourist flow in national parks, whereas in nature parks the correlation be-
tween these variables is weaker. The latter can be explained with the fact
that national parks are more attractive in a tourism context and are more
exposed via marketing campaigns in the tourism supply than nature parks,
therefore, they attract a larger number of (foreign) tourists. Those nation-
al parks that feature accommodation capacities within their borders, e.g.
Plitvice Lakes, Brijuni, Mljet, can be identified as tourism destinations in
and of themselves and are frequently presented as such on the tourism mar-
47
to the nature park itself, only to specific sights or specific activities/pro-
grammes within the protected area; therefore, these findings should be tak-
en into consideration with reserve.
Conclusion
Transport is one of the significant preconditions and factors of tourist flow
in all types of tourist areas. The role of transport in protected areas as a
tourist factor is especially pronounced, because transport is simultaneous-
ly a prerequisite for a large number of tourist visits, but it is also a limiting
factor due to potentially adverse environmental circumstances.
The aim of this chapter was to assess transport accessibility as a factor
of tourist flow in Croatian national parks and nature parks. The research
observed 16 of the 19 Croatian national parks and nature parks, in which it
was possible to determine entrances used by the majority of visitors during
their visit. The 16 locations selected in this way underwent scoring assess-
ment using a point scale to determine transport accessibility, according to
the following factors:
a) public transport connectivity (bus, ship/catamaran/ferry);
b) public transport frequency;
c) road connectivity;
d) time distance from city/town; and
e) time distance from a leading tourist centre.
In order to determine the connection between transport accessibili-
ty and tourist flow, a correlation analysis was conducted for each national
park and nature park in 2018, with the transport accessibility score as the
independent variable and the number of visitors as the dependent variable.
The research showed that the national parks and nature parks with
better transport accessibility also have higher visitor numbers. This conclu-
sion rises from the strong correlation between transport accessibility and
tourist flow in national parks, whereas in nature parks the correlation be-
tween these variables is weaker. The latter can be explained with the fact
that national parks are more attractive in a tourism context and are more
exposed via marketing campaigns in the tourism supply than nature parks,
therefore, they attract a larger number of (foreign) tourists. Those nation-
al parks that feature accommodation capacities within their borders, e.g.
Plitvice Lakes, Brijuni, Mljet, can be identified as tourism destinations in
and of themselves and are frequently presented as such on the tourism mar-
47
