Gentle tourism in the National Park

Diploma thesis at Johannes Kepler University Linz Linz The working hypothesis underlying this study was: An increased commitment of the National Park Administration to gentle tourism in the region increases the acceptance of this large protected area in the local population. The comparison with other studies shows an endorsement of this hypothesis. The empirical study in the NP Gesäuse region yields the following picture: The activities of the Nationalpark Gesäuse GmbH are perceived by everyone and are pursued with more or less strong interest. Nevertheless, these activities are understood less as their own benefit but rather as an offer for guests. It is considered positive that this offer exists, but in its execution particularly innovative projects (e.g. Weidendom, NP pavilion) cause very different reactions among the population. It is interesting that typing is hardly possible. Even within the individual areas (politics, tourism, agriculture, etc.) there are very mixed perspectives. Political representatives are most positive about NP and gentle tourism in the region, with the opinion that engagement could or should be stepped up (see quote Dr. Scherzinger, above). The biggest skepticism about the gentle tourism in the NP is the nature conservation representatives. Although they consider the activities in environmental education to be very useful, increasing the frequency of visitors means further interventions and disturbances in nature. It is striking that the individual representatives from the tourism sector, but also from agriculture, take very different positions. This divergence seems to be driven by the different involvement of the individual representatives in the activities of the NP Gesäuse. Another subdivision is the topographical conditions. The Buchau saddle (between St. Gallen and Weng) represents a natural barrier along which the spirits separate. It may also be due to the spatial distance from the NP infrastructure facilities that the municipalities of St. Gallen and Landl make their decisions on their own and that identification with the NP region is low. From an economic point of view, the individual communities are still competing with each other. The NP can function as a link if it also engages in the social environment.约翰内斯·开普勒林茨大学学位论文 本研究的核心工作假说为：国家公园管理局加大对本区域温和旅游（gentle tourism）的投入力度，可提升当地民众对这片大型保护地的接纳度。与其他研究的对比验证了该假说。 针对格萨乌国家公园（NP Gesäuse）区域开展的实证研究得出如下结论：格萨乌国家公园有限责任公司（Nationalpark Gesäuse GmbH）的各项运营活动已为当地民众所熟知，并引发了程度不一的关注。但当地民众大多未将此类活动视作惠及本地的福利，而是视为面向游客的服务供给。该服务供给的存在本身被视为积极举措，但在落地执行过程中，特色创新项目（如Weidendom、国家公园展馆）却引发了当地民众截然不同的反响。 值得注意的是，难以对当地民众进行明确归类：即使在同一领域（如政治、旅游、农业等）内，民众的观点也存在显著分歧。政界代表对该国家公园及本地温和旅游的态度最为积极，且普遍认为应进一步强化相关投入（参见前文舍青格博士的引述）。对国家公园温和旅游持最大质疑态度的群体为自然保护从业者：尽管他们认可环境教育类活动的价值，但认为游客到访频次的增加会进一步干预并扰乱自然生态。值得关注的是，旅游行业与农业领域的从业者群体内部也存在立场分化，这种分歧似乎源于不同群体参与格萨乌国家公园运营活动的程度存在差异。 另一划分维度为地形条件：布考鞍部（位于圣加仑与文格之间）是一道天然屏障，以此为界，两侧民众的态度出现分化。圣加仑与兰德尔两座市镇因距国家公园基础设施较远，倾向于自主制定本地决策，对国家公园片区的认同感也相对较低。从经济视角来看，各辖区仍存在竞争关系，若国家公园能主动融入本地社会环境，便可发挥联结各辖区的作用。