Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
consolidation occurs. Then as people depart, dispersion occurs, with a more irregular
pattern of distribution arising, although it may be affected by new arrivals in the
afternoon who intensify the pattern. What Glyptis (1991:119) recognised was that even
though 'sites clearly experience an increase in visitor density, visitor dispersion in a
spatial sense remains fairly constant, even with space to spare and no restrictions on
public access'. Using nearest neighbour analysis, Glyptis (1981c) was able to measure the
distances between groups of visitors, and that comfortable levels of tolerance exist for
visitors in terms of proximity to other people, although the amount of personal space
which recreationalists require may vary between different cultures. In fact, Glyptis
(1991:119) remarked that 'as levels of use increase on a given day, the percentage
occupancy of space actually decreases: visitors only ever use about a fifth of the space
available to them, and at times of heaviest use they choose to occupy even less. In other
words, site carrying capacity changes continually'. This study also highlighted the
significance of recreation sites with multiple uses, where a variety of recreational needs
are capable of being met and, as Burton's (1974) survey of Cannock Chase, Staffordshire
(UK) found, individual sites cannot be viewed in isolation: there are relationships
between them and understanding them is vital to site management. Glyptis (1981c)
highlighted a certain degree of consistency in visitor use of a site, explaining the patterns
as a function of the resource base, visitor use and behavioural factors. It may be possible
to accommodate or reduce capacity through simple modifications as 'the geographer is
well placed to examine fundamental aspects of…recreation, to diagnose issues in site
management, and to propose solutions' (Glyptis 1981b:285). In fact one study by
Brainaird et al. (2003) identified the value of a Geographical Information Systems
approach to understanding forestry sites and the demand for open access sites to construct
site based models of arrivals, incorporating travel time data, being a function of
surrounding population (i.e. catchment), accessibility and two measures of site facilities
(car parking facilities and length of woodland walks provided). Therefore, having
outlined many of the factors and dimensions of recreational demand at a variety of spatial
scales from the national, regional and local level, the discussion now turns to tourism
demand.
TOURISM DEMAND
One of the fundamental questions that tourism researchers consistently seek to answer is:
why do tourists travel? This seemingly simple proposition remains one of the principal
challenges for tourism research. D.G.Pearce (1995a:18) expands this proposition by
asking 'What induces them to leave their home area to visit other areas? What factors
condition their travel behaviour, influencing their choice of destination, itineraries
followed and activities undertaken?' Such questions not only underpin issues of spatial
interaction, but also lead the geographer to question:
• why tourists seek to travel
• where they go
• when they go and how they get there.
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