The economic impact of tourism on protected natural areas: Examining the influence of physical activity intensity on visitors' spending levels

Abstract

In addition to being important tourism attractions that boost local economic development, protected areas also promote healthy habits through engagement in a variety of physical activities (PA). However, little is known about the extent to which PA intensity influences visitors' spending. Drawing on results from 500 questionnaires collected from visitors in the Alt Pirineu Natural Park, Spain, this study assesses the influence of PA intensity on spending after controlling for sociodemographic, visit, motivational and opinion descriptors to assess the connection between these two factors. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that PA intensity had a marginal but potentially significant effect on respondents' expenditure during their visits. When looked at separately, the results indicated that trip and motivational descriptors explained the highest degree of variation in visitor spending. More research is necessary to confirm whether these findings are applicable broadly.