The Promotion of an Active Lifestyle After Loosening COVID-19 Measures: Recreation Load Distribution in a Tourism Destination

The Promotion of an Active Lifestyle After Loosening COVID-19 Measures: Recreation Load Distribution in a Tourism Destination

Matej Plevnik, Daša Fabjan, Marijana Sikošek, Miha Lesjak
Copyright: © 2021 |Pages: 16
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-6780-7.ch006
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Abstract

This chapter focuses on the association between the proximity of a physical environment suitable for recreation and physical activity, which is a public health priority in communities. After the COVID-19 lockdown, tourism destinations experienced an increased number of visitors who showed the need for physical activity. To ensure the health of visitors and promote physical activity, destinations try to provide safe infrastructure and distribute recreation load in time and space by managing visitor flow. With the newly imposed health standards, it is essential to identify overcrowding for eventual visitor management interventions by spatial planning or other regulation; thus, a pilot measurement of recreation load was carried out to compare the differences between weekday and weekend physical activity on a chosen location in tourism destination. The findings represent a basis for actions of visitor management with the aim to accommodate the recreation needs of locals and other visitors.
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Background

According to World Travel Tourism Council [WTTC] tourism represents one of the largest and globally most important industry, contributing more than 10% to the world's gross domestic product (WTTC, 2019). After the Second World War, tourist trips recorded a constant, almost exponential growth. Since 1950, when 25 million people traveled, this number has grown to 1,5 billion tourists by the end of 2019 (World Tourism Organization [UNWTO], 2020). In year 2001, the UNWTO (2014) announced that tourist trips would increase by 4.3% each year, reaching an enviable number of 1.6 billion tourists by 2020. Statistics on the constant growth of tourist travel means additional concern for those responsible for development of tourism in local environments. Therefore, many of the impacts that tourism brings (both positive and negative) need proper strategic planning.

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