Visitor Adjustment and Coping Behavior for Use Level in a Recreational Setting - A Case Study of Bukhansan National park -

Perceived crowding is known as a necessary method to evaluate social carrying capacity in recreational settings. But according to the results of previous research, perceived crowding, use density, and satisfaction have shown weak and indirect correlations. The theory of visitors’ adjustment is one of several possible explanations for this poor relation. But the validity of the visitors’ adjustment theory has not been not inspected clearly. Therefore, the purposes of this study are to understand visitors’ adjustment theory and to examine visitors’ adjustment to the overuse of recreational settings. Study hypotheses were formulated through literature review and related to visitors’ adjustment in recreation density. Pour hypotheses were established and inspected with the case study, i.e., Rationalization : Visitors’ satisfaction isn't related to use density in recreation setting, 2) Product-shift : Preference norm is related to current use density, 3) Self-selection : Visitors’ satisfaction for the use level is generally high, and 4) Displacement : Norm interference is related to willingness to revisit. The case study was conducted during May and June,2001. According to the results of this survey, visitors adjust to overuse of recreation setting through rationalization and product shift (hypotheses l/2 acceptance). Current use density isn't related to visitors’ satisfaction and willingness to revisit (see table 3). And visitors’ preference norm is modified by situation (see table 4). Visitors’ satisfaction and willingness to revisit don't show a high correlation but moderately high (see table 5, hypothesis 3 acceptance). Differences between visitors’ preference norm and current use density is norm interference. Norm interference isn't related to willingness to revisit (see table 7). Therefore, the norm interference concept is not a useful method to explain visitors’ adjustment to the degree of overuse in a recreational setting (hypothesis 4 rejection). As for future directions, the following are proposed: 1) correctly understanding and reestablishing the visitor norm and norm interference concept, 2) introducing a composite research method to monitor visitors’ behavior and survey visitors’ attitudes and coping responses. These efforts would be helpful in the Planning and management of recreational settings to improve the quality of visitors’ experiences.

휴양환경 이용수준에 대한 방문객의 적응 및 대응행동 - 북한산 국립공원 소귀천 탐방로를 대상으로 -