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This study was conducted with the aim of empirically analyzing the impacts of the pandemic of the Covid-19 on the Quebec tourism industry, with a particular focus on the outdoor sector, given that the latter seems to have been a form of escape in several countries and for many citizens. Based on a quantitative approach and a self-administered survey in the summer of 2020 (n = 1210), this study made it possible to analyze the organizational situation of this industry, the tourism performance of the organizations surveyed, their human resources concerns, their short- and medium-term development prospects, as well as the structural and organizational elements where the organizations are the most vulnerable. Overall, it can be seen that the outdoor sector, thanks to its 40 intrinsic characteristics, stands out very positively in this industry, in particular in contrast to organizations located in large urban centers that depend on clients from outside Quebec.
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Outdoor Recreation (OR) provides the benefits of physical activity and traditional leisure placed in an outdoor environment. Motivation, self-efficacy, and autonomy can increase depending on the physical and social environment. This study explored the relationship between self-efficacy and autonomy on OR behaviors and identified barriers and facilitators to OR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey information was collected from 995 U.S. adults (93.6% white, 64.0% female) regarding OR behaviors, changes in OR during COVID-19, and OR self-perceptions. Significant positive correlations existed between autonomy and self-efficacy (r = 0.138, p < 0.01), and self-efficacy and pre/post pandemic OR behaviors 2020 (r = 0.158, p < 0.01), (r = 0.129, p < 0.01) respectively. Qualitative data implied barriers and facilitators to OR as: social, mental health, and increased or changed OR/physical activity. Implications from this research are beneficial to OR and health professionals to promote overall physical and mental well-being for OR participants.
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INTRODUCTION: The extent of the health benefits of contact with nature came to the fore during the health crisis. However, studies do not fully appreciate the effect of the type of natural environment to which individuals are exposed. The studies often use a very vague category of "green space" for the purpose. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH: We apply social sciences analytical concepts to analyze demands for recreational uses of both forests and ocean beaches in a time of sanitary crisis. Our studies use data from two regional surveys applied to a representative sample of the Aquitaine population. RESULTS: We underline the social inequalities with regard to access to forest and ocean beaches, even though outdoor recreation is free of charge most of the time. We also identify salient differences between uses, motivations, and risk perceptions in both of the natural settings. We discuss how such discrepancies are inherited from previously constructed social representations. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that public health studies could benefit greatly from the achievements of several decades of research in the field of outdoor studies.
Introduction: La crise sanitaire que nous traversons est une occasion de mettre en lumière l'étendue des bienfaits sur la santé que procure le contact avec la nature. Dans ce contexte, néanmoins, les études négligent encore très souvent l'impact du type de milieu naturel que les individus fréquentent, retenant pour l'occasion une catégorie très générale d'« espaces verts ¼. But de l'étude: À travers deux enquêtes quantitatives portant sur la fréquentation des forêts et des plages océanes en Aquitaine, nous analysons, à l'aide d'outils empruntés aux sciences sociales, la façon dont chacun des deux espaces a répondu à des demandes spécifiques durant la première année de l'épidémie de COVID-19. Résultats: Nous montrons que les espaces se distinguent du point de vue des publics qui les fréquentent, des usages qu'ils permettent, mais aussi des attentes et des perceptions dont ils sont l'objet en matière de risques de contamination. Plus accessibles que d'autres formes de loisirs, les activités de plein air n'en demeurent pas moins un cas d'inégalité environnementale. Chez nos enquêtés, la forêt bénéficie d'une image plus positive que le littoral en termes de bien-être et de bénéfices pour la santé, y compris au niveau des risques de contamination par le SARS-CoV-2. Ces résultats renforcent l'idée qu'il existe effectivement des spécificités à la « santé verte ¼ (Green Health), d'un côté, et à la « santé bleue ¼ (Blue Health), de l'autre. Savoir d'où proviennent ces différences de représentations demeure une question ouverte, en émettant toutefois l'hypothèse que les croyances sont, au moins en partie, héritées de références constituées antérieurement à la pandémie, notamment sur la nature et le poids des fonctions environnementales. Conclusions: Les rapports que les individus entretiennent avec la nature résultent d'entrelacs complexes de facteurs environnementaux et sociaux. Ces relations influent sur les bénéfices qu'ils retirent de la fréquentation des espaces naturels. Dans ces conditions, les travaux de santé publique pourraient tirer profit des acquis obtenus depuis maintenant plusieurs décennies par les recherches en sciences sociales sur les activités de plein air.
Subject(s)
Pandemics , Recreation , Humans , Forests , Socioeconomic Factors , MotivationABSTRACT
Given the breadth and depth of environmental concerns such as biodiversity loss and climate change, sustainability is a topic for all sectors of contemporary society, inclusive of outdoor recreation. The guiding global framework focus for sustainability is the United Nations Agenda 2030;this framework is used to support a transition to a more sustainable society. Within outdoor recreation, sustainability can be explored and pursued from a multitude of perspectives, for example, participant behavior, outdoor recreation product production, or outdoor resource management. This paper will provide one small example of how an element of outdoor recreation, prepared backcountry food, can serve as a model for the numerous other questions that need to be addressed to pursue more sustainable outdoor recreation. The research will highlight the complexity of the details of sustainability and the opportunity for sustainable transitions. Outdoor recreation participants make extraordinary decisions as they plan and execute their participation;sustainability can be one of those critical decisions.
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The 20 papers in this special issue contribute to the COVID-19 related research by: (1) documenting the shock in the field of outdoor recreation and tourism, (2) understanding the immediate consequences on behaviour and the required managerial consequences;and (3) analyzing the possible follow up effects including long term effects, discussing resilient solutions and proposing new strategies.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and continues to impact, the viability of many industries worldwide. In Australia, the outdoor recreation industry, already severely affected by the summer 2019-2020 bushfires, was further affected by COVID-19 restrictions including internal border closures, stay at home orders, social distancing requirements and travel restrictions. We surveyed outdoor recreation industry representatives in Australia to assess the impact of COVID-19 on professionals in the industry, views on career choices, and perspectives on the future of the industry in a post-COVID world. We found that COVID-19 affected outdoor recreation businesses in multiple ways, with a pessimistic outlook for the industry until travel restrictions and social distancing requirements are eased and economic confidence returns. This is unlikely to happen until vaccinations are rolled out nationally and herd immunity has been achieved. Even after this, however, the industry is likely to continue to suffer through loss of qualified staff and the flow-on effects of the imposed pause in guided outdoor recreation and tourism activities. We identify an urgent need for the industry to adapt and futureproof itself against future disruptors, including the very real possibility of future novel virus epidemics or pandemics.
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Although the popularity of protected areas for recreation has been increasing, short term changes in visitation occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. To examine how volunteer geographic information data can be used to monitor such often rapid changes in visitation across multiple locations, data from online fitness platforms for mountain biking (Trailforks) and remote area hiking (Wikiloc) were analysed before (2019) and during (2020-2021) the COVID-19 pandemic for 40 protected areas in Queensland, Australia. Mountain biking was popular with a total of 93,311 routes on Trailforks, with 26,936 routes in 2019, increasing to 37,406 in 2020, and then decreasing to 28,969 in 2021. Approximately 66% of all the routes were from just three urban protected areas out of the 12 with route data. There were 4367 routes for remote area hiking on Wikiloc across 36 protected areas, which increased slightly from 1081 in 2019, to 1421 in 2020 and to 1865 in 2021. Across 18 factors, distance from urban areas and networks of mountain biking trails best predicted popularity for mountain biking based on Generalised Linear Models. In contrast, average slope and large networks of hiking trails best predicted hiking, with similar results for each year. The two sources of online data were correlated with trail counter data, although not consistently. The results highlight how external factors affect visitation, but also how the same types of protected areas remained popular, and that the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on visitation in South-East Queensland protected areas was less dramatic than for other regions. This study further highlights how volunteered geographic information can be used to assess the popularity of protected areas, including in rapidly changing conditions. Management implications Rapid changes in visitation can be challenging to monitor and manage, as occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mountain biking and hiking and factors predicting protected area popularity were examined across different parks. Visitation increased at different stages of the pandemic, with mountain bikers' preferring urban parks with networks of mountain bike trails while some hikers preferred more remote large parks. Managers can expand on traditional methods of visitor monitoring by using volunteered geographic information to monitor rapid and longer-term trends of visitation to protected areas.
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The emergence of Coronavirus 19 led to societal and behavioral changes, including intensified use of many public parks and trails for mental respite and leisure time physical activity. As visitors sought stress-relief in the great outdoors, they also encountered stressful situations as they navigated risk exposure. Recommendations to physically distance between parties was a key component to reduce risk, but compliance is unknown in the outdoor arena. This observational study of more than 10 000 trail user encounters documented distancing and enabled predictive analysis that revealed wider trails, smaller groups and signage led to greater distancing compliance. Managers and planners can integrate these findings immediately and in consideration of future trail designs to minimize risk exposure.
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U.S. state parks are a considerable part of the nation's recreation landscape. Understanding their management concerns, including impacts from pandemics, is imperative for sustainably achieving park objectives. Our study aimed to (1) examine park managers' responses to a novel stressor (COVID-19);(2) aid managers in communicating these strategies to visitors in their pre-visit phase;and (3) test a park management framework's ability to adapt to this novel stressor in this pre-visit phase. Manning and colleagues' outdoor recreation strategies and practices framework provides parks with up to 24 response options to an issue: four strategies intersecting with six practices. This framework has been limited to common in-park concerns and visitors. We examined how park systems communicate with potential visitors about COVID-19, to advance the framework toward broader concerns and scales. We analyzed the 50 U.S. state park systems' official COVID-19 communications at the traditional start of the peak use season (summer 2020). We qualitatively coded these for reference to the framework's components and mentions of scale. This highlighted that while "limit use" and "reduce impact of use" were the only strategies used, different practices and recognitions of beyond-park and beyond-visit scales were acknowledged (e.g., "please recreate close to home"). We suggest the data reveal a seventh practice in use and for framework inclusion: "influence pre-visit decisions". The pandemic provided an opportunity for parks to communicate their managerial responses with consistency and creativity, as well as an opportunity for researchers and managers to advance the strategies and practices framework.
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Recreational Vehicles (RVs) with rooftop tent for camping have become popular in Thailand from about 2016 on, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no proper outdoor hospitality parks (OHPs) were available for these campers. This study aimed to investigate RV (rooftop tent) camping focusing on private properties in the context of southern Thailand, because there has been less such camping in this area than in other areas of Thailand. The representatives of 11 private OHPs from 11 provinces, of the totally 14 provinces in southern Thailand, were initially selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected by survey, observation, digital photography, pilot study, and interviews with 11 representatives of the OHP operators. The data were subjected to descriptive analysis and triangulated with other outcomes. It was found that suitable RV (rooftop tent) camping parks varied from small to large in the following order: Songkhla, Phanggna, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun, Chumporn, Suratthani, Ranong, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Phuket provinces. Likewise, the suitable time for camping in the shade (not in direct sunlight) was from 04.00 p.m. to 10.00 a.m.
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Faced with the need for isolation of most people to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, a great concern for the well-being of the population has resurfaced. Considering the numerous benefits of outdoor activities to human health and well-being, we assessed whether the quality of the experience of recreational divers in a marine protected area (MPA) was impacted during the pandemic. We applied a semi-structured questionnaire to divers, collected their socioeconomic profile, preferences, motivations, experiences, and compared the results with those obtained in the previous season. We found that the quality of the recreational diver's experience remained high even during one of the world's biggest health crises. This suggests that the combination of contact with a preserved environment and the adaptation of regulations in favor of visitor safety was enough to stimulate positive experiences. Therefore, we highlight the importance of investing in adaptive management so that MPAs continue to promote ecosystem services such as human health and subjective well-being.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has considerable mental health impacts. Immersive nature-based interventions, such as swimming or snorkeling, may help mitigate the global mental health crisis caused by the pandemic. To investigate this, we collected cross-sectional data from residents of coastal villages (n = 308) in Kepulauan Selayar, Indonesia. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used with mental well-being as the outcome variable, operationalized as the Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores from the SF-12 (12-item Short Form Health Survey). After adjusting for covariates, the activity of sea swimming or snorkeling was found to be significantly associated with better mental well-being (2 = 0.036;p < 0.01). Predictive margins analysis revealed that those who engaged in sea swimming or snorkeling for one to three days a week gained a 2.7 increase in their MCS scores, compared to those who did not. A non-linear dose-response relationship was detected: for those swimming or snorkeling more than three days per week, there was only an increase of 1.7 MCS score compared to the 0-day. Overall this study contributes to the expanding of evidence base, showing that interactions with blue spaces can be beneficial for mental health, especially in a potentially stressful time such as the current pandemic.
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The current COVID-19 outbreak has duly influenced tourists' psychology and subsequently their behavior and decision making to participate in outdoor activities. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate tourists' motivations, perceived constraints, and negotiation strategies to participate in outdoor recreation trips, within the current COVID-19 context. To explore and categorize motivating factors, constraints, and negotiation strategies, we employed a qualitative approach via semi-structured online focus group discussion with 16 tourists (mostly residents of Utah, United States) during late summer 2020. First, COVID-19 related restrictions and fewer opportunities to go outdoors were found to encourage outdoor recreation, for novelty-seeking and experiencing normalcy. Through content analysis, we found that tourists experience a blend of personal, social, practical, and ethical constraints. Additionally, we identified how tourists negotiate their constraints through different ways: by extensive planning and information searching, avoiding crowds, and changing leisure aspirations. Finally, we discuss theoretical and managerial implications of the study, followed by recommendations for future research.
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This paper reports results from three studies concerning outdoor recreation participation and trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. The studies, undertaken at national, regional and local levels, used surveys, interviews and PPGIS approaches, to build a solid knowledge base. Results are analyzed with particular attention given to management and policy implications based on the following observations: increased outdoor recreation participation, changes in lifestyle and routines, new visitor profiles and activity trends, spatial changes, visitor displacement, spatial redistribution, and indications of post-pandemic outdoor recreation behavior. The Swedish case is of special interest because of high accessibility to nature areas and few restrictions to recreate in nature due to the pandemic. Hence, this study could serve as a reference for other countries with more COVID-19 related restrictions and less accessible nature for recreation. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Environmental Planning & Management is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
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This paper explores the impacts that the New Zealand government's lockdown measures to contain the COVID-19 virus during 2020 had on the activity and experiences of outdoor recreationists in New Zealand. Concepts related to coping strategies such as rationalisation, displacement and substitution, have been used frequently to explain the behavioural changes and processes involved in outdoor recreation when disruptions arise such as crowding and recreational conflict. However, such concepts have rarely been applied to rapid on-set disruptors such as pandemics. This paper adopts coping strategy theory to help document the strategies adopted by outdoor recreationists in response to the national lockdown in 2020. Based on a qualitative analysis of twenty interviews with outdoor recreationists in New Zealand, various coping mechanisms such as temporal, activity, and spatial displacement are identified. These include increased appreciation for outdoor settings, discovery of local activities and microadventures, and increased walking activity across the restricted, reaction and reset periods. Outdoor recreation coping strategies may contribute to increased resilience to disruptive and rapid on-set events and enhance understanding of how recreationists respond and adapt to disruption. This research presents a unique insight of coping strategies adopted in response to the national lockdown that may have implications for participation and management of outdoor recreation in New Zealand in the coming years. This paper also offers a new perspective on the behaviourist tradition in the field of outdoor recreation which may be fruitful for future research examining rapid on-set disruptions and crises.
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The coronavirus pandemic, for all of its damage to human health and well-being, has brought to light the wisdom underlying the idea of One Health, whose advocates reason that health is a reciprocal relationship between our species and the environment that sustains us. What is good for people should also be good for the environment, and what is good for the environment should also be good for people. Their preferred future is one in the same. As the recent days, weeks, and months have also shown, leisure is not necessarily a cure for what ails us. Indeed, leisure pursuits may have contributed to the pandemic's spread. What, then, are we to make of leisure in the time of the coronavirus? We believe it is a fundamental lesson in ecology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was associated with an "anthropause" in many industries, initially reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other negative anthropogenic influences. However, outdoor recreation has exploded in popularity in response to closures of indoor recreation options, increased free time, and/or increased levels of stress. We tested for the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sale of fishing licenses in Wisconsin and on vehicle counts that were observed at public lake access points in Vilas County, Wisconsin, in 2020. In the summer of 2020, fishing license sales in Wisconsin, USA, increased, particularly among first-time license purchasers for whom cumulative sales in 2020 increased by 71% and 35% compared with the previous 5-year average for Wisconsin residents and nonresidents, respectively. Changes in the vehicle counts at lake access points in the summer of 2020 varied considerably by lake. However, lakes with greater proportions of public shoreline experienced pandemic-associated increases in lake visitors. Our results suggest that the distribution of recreational fishing effort in Wisconsin changed during the pandemic, potentially placing additional harvest pressures on hot spot inland lakes.
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Nature based tourism (NBT) is becoming increasingly popular, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic as people began to sought outdoor activities. Accompanying the projected rise in NBT demand in a post COVID-19 era are increasing challenges associated with climate change, particularly in mountain regions. However, there is limited local knowledge documented to date from those who are intricately involved in mountain NBT activities and have experienced the impacts of climate change first hand. Using an online survey (n = 169), this research is the first to present the intimate knowledge of mountain guides in Canada, offering novel insight into climate change risks and opportunities for NBT in mountain regions, including strategies to contend with risk and adaptation. From this survey, 99% of guides indicated that they have experienced change in the mountain environment throughout the course of their career and due to the adaptive nature of guides, many have already implemented strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change. While findings presented in this paper offer practical knowledge to plan for a future threatened with rapid climatic change, further research is required to explore effectiveness of adaptation strategies, scope of adaptive capacity, changes in natural infrastructure, and guides' roles as educators. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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Accurately quantifying industry resilience is essential to devising effective recovery strategies. Previous research into industry resilience has either quantified the concept with single metrics aggregated across large geographies (e.g., visitation) or used metrics comparing the relative concentration of an industry within a region to the national average (e.g., location quotients). The former set of metrics prohibits spatially targeted recovery efforts while the latter fails during national crises. We propose the measurement of tourism and outdoor recreation industry resilience to COVID-19 based on growth rates in employment, wages, and establishments using publicly accessible time-series data on all counties in the United States. We use these indicators to characterize the spatio-temporal patterns of industry resilience across the country. The indicators can serve as a useful reference for diagnosing and monitoring industry resilience as well as developing targeted policies, programs, and promotion efforts that facilitate more localized response efforts. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
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The lockdown measures instituted during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a moment of restricted human activity and mobility that researchers have called the 'anthropause'. Along with accounts of the widespread suspension or disruption of various industries, including sport, recreation, and tourism, media reported on the anthropause's positive impact on wildlife and environments, evidenced by accounts of animals returning to their previously displaced habitats and thriving in spaces typically marked by human activity. However, the period following these lockdown measures witnessed the re-opening of disrupted industries, and also a marked increase in outdoor human activity, particularly via engagement with forms of outdoor recreation at national and state parks and other protected areas. This analysis asserts that during this post-anthropause, the renewal and increase in outdoor recreation practices within protected areas re-demonstrated the ecological impacts of human activity within those spaces. Utilising media reports regarding outdoor recreation and US national and state parks during the pandemic, this essay explores the implications of leisure after lockdown, arguing that the post-anthropause represents an important conceptual tool for better understanding the complex relations between physical cultures, environments, and the anthropocentric dictates of contemporary 'burnout society'. [ FROM AUTHOR]