Current Status, Issues and Attitudes of Managers Regarding with Visitor Monitoring in National Parks, Japan

Abstract

Visitor monitoring is the essential management effort to make planning and management reasonable in national parks. Exact visitor statistics make managers possible to evaluate effectiveness of current management practices and facilities, and to predict future trends and demands to the park. In this study, we asked park managers to answer the current status and problems regarding with visitor monitoring which includes counting number of visitors and visitor survey. As the results, visitor counting and visitor survey have been conducted in most parks. Park managers recognized the importance and necessity of visitor monitoring. Nevertheless, they are concerned about the lack of budget and staff, and the reliability of monitoring methods. It is considered that standardized monitoring method and devices should be distributed, and sufficient budget and personnel training are necessary.