The elaboration of the survey addressed to tourists visiting protected areas aims at understanding tourists’ attitudes towards nature and, particularly, protected environments. The questionnaire is the tool by which to investigate the knowledge of tourists about protected areas, their habits in organizing the visit, the type of excursion carried out, the awareness of the impacts generated on the visited area, the challenges and threats facing the areas.
The significance of the expected results from this survey doesn’t lie in quantifying objective data. Instead, it focuses on evaluating the level of sensitivity and perception tourists demonstrate in their interactions with nature, as well as their ability to make sustainable and mindful choices, taking into account the fragile ecological balance.
The overall objective is to investigate, understand, and accordingly try to improve the mutual interaction among these delicate ecosystems. The aim is to highlight the factors that define tourists’ behaviors, examining their prevalence, significance, impact, and potential to influence tourists’ attitudes towards sustainability.
The activity took place with the distribution of questionnaires to those tourists visiting the five project pilot areas scattered in Central Europe among Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, and Croatia, mostly mountain areas but also coastal. The on-site distribution of the surveys has been carried out between July and October 2023.
The questionnaires are structured in sections of questions, mostly closed ended, to gather general information regarding the target group, the choices adopted for the planning of the visit, the methods of carrying out the visit or excursion, the relationship and interaction with the environment visited. The expected output of the analysis of the surveys, conducted with a common approach, aims to outline the complex picture of behaviours of tourists in approaching protected areas.