Tourism management in national parks: ?umava and Bayerischer Wald(Bavarian Forest) in the Czech-German borderland

Along the Czech-German border there are four national parks, two Czech and two German, arranged in cross-border ‘pairs'. This article focuses on the southern ‘pair' formed by the parks of ?umava and Bayerischer Wald(Bavarian Forest). The aim is to evaluate and compare tourism organization in their areas, taking into account selected aspects of management: the network of hiking trails with its related infrastructure, transport accessibility, a typology of tourist centers, as well as directions and destinations of tourist movements. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the availability of geographical space for tourists is much greater in the German than in the Czech national park, and the tourism infrastructure is clearly more extensive there, including the network of tourist trails. This is mainly due to the longer and fairly uninterrupted development of tourism in this area. ?umava National Park can be identified as a model in terms of how to adjust the directions of tourist movements and the layout of the tourist trail network to the needs of natural environment. On the basis of observations in both national parks, it is possible to indicate various solutions that, after appropriate adaptation, may bring benefits to other protected areas.     

Green Tourism in Mountain Regions - Reducing Vulnerability and Promoting People and Place Centric Development in the Himalayas

In recent years, mountain regions are attracting great attention to Indian tourists in general and foreign tourists in particular. The potential mountain resources for promoting green tourism are enormous in the form of natural and cultural heritage such as biosphere reserves, flora and fauna, lakes and rivers and traditional rural resources. In order to utilise tourism industry market, uncontrolled numbers of tourists and related haphazard infrastructural facilities in the vulnerable mountain regions pose serious environmental implications. The ecological pressures are threatening land, water and wild life resources through direct and indirect environmental impacts together with generation of solid and liquid wastes, so green tourism is emerging as an important task in order to develop new relationship between communities, government agencies and private sectors. The strategy focuses on ecological understanding, environmental protection and ecodevelopment. The major attributes of the green tourism include environmental conservation and education and distribution of income to local people based on strong partnership. Various knowledge systems go a long way for achieving the goals of the green tourism, which creates awareness about the value of environmental resources. Mountains have ecological, recreational, educational and scientific values, which need to be utilised in sustainable way. Various tourist activities andfacilities need to be diversified in order to achieve multiple benefits including scientific field excursion, recreation in natural and cultural areas, community festivals and sport tourisms. Green tourism considers tourism development as an integral part of a national and regional development. The paper discusses the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the green tourism with particular reference to village tourism development programme taking empirical evidences from the Himalaya. Such programme also minimises biophysical and human vulnerability and risks in mountain regions. The environmental consciousness campaign and introduction of code through multi- purpose Tourist Resource Centres are gaining currency in above context.     

Community responses to mountain tourism: A case in Bhyundar Valley, Indian Himalaya

Tourism industry has become an important part of Indian economy, and tourism development has been, however, concentrated to a few areas. Accumulation of tourism activities has reached the critical stage in most of the tourism centers, which pose serious threats to the natural environment. The Bhyundar Valley of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve （NDBR） in Uttarakhand State of the Indian Himalaya is a burning example of such problems. Land use/cover changes, deforestation and accumulation of garbage are some of the negative impacts of unregulated tourism in the valley. Unsustainable activities of tourists and villagers in the valley make such problems very severe. To deal with the ongoing problems and ensure community involvement in tourism management and environmental conservation, the Biosphere Reserve Authority introduced ecotourism in the form of Eco Development Committees （EDCs） in the Bhyundar Valley. Study reveals that many problems associated with tourism have been minimized to some extent with the help of EDCs but few are still prevailing in valley. However, the existing attempts to conserve the valley from the negative effects of tourism are inadequate and modifications are needed in the current initiatives.     

RESIDENTS＇ ATTITUDES TO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN ANCIENT VILLAGE RESORTS——Case Study of World Cultural Heritage of Xidi and Hong Villages

Tourism development surely has social, economic and environmental impacts on tourist destinations.The study on resorts residents‘ attitudes can help understand the nature of tourism development and the extent to which it may influence on tourist destinations. By now, researches on residents‘ perception and attitudes are plenteous in the international circle and achievements are great, yet few are found in developing countries. As a most representative cultural tourist destination, World Cultural Heritage-Xidi and Hong villages in Yi County of Anhui Province, are drawing the attention of both tourists and academic circles. This article, taking Xidi and Hong villages as examples, seeks to analyze ancient village residents‘ attitudes towards tourism impacts and then tries further to explore the connection between tourism development and residents‘ attitudes. Both qualitative and quantitative surveys are applied in the exploratory investigation into local residents‘ attitudes of tourism impacts. Based on abundant face-to-face interviews with the local households, tourism enterprises concerned, local government and tourists from July to August of 2002, we are able to have a better understanding of local residents‘ attitudes to community life, and perception of tourism impacts on society, economy and environment. By this we can promote domestic study on resorts residents‘ attitudes, and provide some theoretical grounds for establishing tourism development planning and perfect community participation system at tourist destinations.     

Using fuzzy theory and variable weights for water quality evaluation in Poyang Lake,China

Achieving water purity in Poyang Lake has become a major concern in recent years, thus appropriate evaluation of spatial and temporal water quality variations has become essential. Variations in 11 water quality parameters from 15 sampling sites in Poyang Lake were investigated from 2009 to 2012. An integrative fuzzy variable evaluation(IFVE) model based on fuzzy theory and variable weights was developed to measure variations in water quality. Results showed that: 1) only chlorophyll-a concentration and Secchi depth differed significantly among the 15 sampling sites(P 0.01), whereas the 11 water quality parameters under investigation differed significantly throughout the seasons(P 0.01). The annual variations of all water quality variables except for temperature, electrical conductivity, suspended solids and total phosphorus were considerable(P 0.05). 2) The IFVE model was reasonable and flexible in evaluating water quality status and any possible ′bucket effect′. The model fully considered the influences of extremely poor indices on overall water quality. 3) A spatial analysis indicated that anthropogenic activities(particularly industrial sewage and dredging) and lake bed topography might directly affect water quality in Poyang Lake. Meanwhile, hydrological status and sewage discharged into the lake might be responsible for seasonal water quality variations.     

Nature Conservation versus Scenic Quality：A GIS Approach towards Optimized Tourist Tracks in a Protected Area of Northwest Yunnan,China

Development of appropriate tourism infrastructure is important for protected areas that allow public access for tourism use.This is meant to avoid or minimize unfavourable impacts on natural resources through guiding tourists for proper use.In this paper,a GIS-based method,the least-cost path（LCP） modelling,is explored for planning tourist tracks in a World Heritage site in Northwest Yunnan（China）,where tourism is increasing rapidly while appropriate infrastructure is almost absent.The modelling process contains three steps：1） selection of evaluation criteria（physical,biological and landscape scenic） that are relevant to track decision; 2） translation of evluation criteria into spatially explicit cost surfaces with GIS,and 3） use of Dijkstra＇s algorithm to determine the least-cost tracks.Four tracks that link main entrances and scenic spots of the study area are proposed after optimizing all evaluation criteria.These tracks feature lowenvironmental impacts and high landscape qualities,which represent a reasonable solution to balance tourist use and nature conservation in the study area.In addtion,the study proves that the LCP modelling can not only offer a structured framwork for track planning but also allow for different stakeholders to participate in the planning process.It therefore enhances the effectivenss of tourism planning and managemnt in protected areas.     

Community tourism as practiced in the mountainous Qiang region of Sichuan Province, China — a case study in Zhenghe Village

In China, community tourism is still a relatively new phenomenon, but the villagers of a small Qiang village in the Qiang Autonomous County of Beichuan in Southwestern Sichuan have initiated tourism in a way which conforms to the basic theory of community tourism development. This demonstrates that community tourism possesses a strength and vitality that can promote the development of tourism in the rural and mountainous areas. In the district of Zhenghe Village, the tourism industry, based on the community tourism model, is the mainstay of its economy. The practice of community tourism in the village not only promotes the economic development of the village community, but also leads to the protection of the mountainous natural environment and of the culture of the Qiang people. This paper investigates the development process of community tourism in Zhenghe and shows how the local residents participate in this process. It also looks at how profits have been distributed within the community. It demonstrates that community tourism is a correct choice by the Zhenghe people as they have dearly been moving from poverty to prosperity, while the local ecology and environment have been simultaneously protected. The authors hope that other minority villages with similar local conditions and natural resources will be able to use this example to develop their own community tourism.     

An assessment of the climatic suitability of Afriski Mountain Resort for outdoor tourism using the Tourism Climate Index(TCI)

Tourism Climatic Indices(TCIs) are widely used in the global North to quantify the climatic suitability of a destination for tourism. Only one such study has been conducted in southern Africa to date. It is in a chronic shortage of research on tourism and climate change in the southern hemisphere. This study presents the application of the TCI in Lesotho, calculated for the eastern Lesotho Highlands. The region has an emerging tourism sector, which primarily comprises outdoor activities.These include hiking, horse-riding, music festivals,mountain biking, cultural visits, sightseeing, and at the Afriski lodge, skiing and snowboarding. These activities are reliant on climatic conditions that are conducive to the activity taking place, prolonged periods outdoors, and tourist satisfaction of the activity. Climate is a major determinant of both the length of season for these activities and the timing of peak tourist arrivals. Rising temperatures and changes in relative humidity and precipitation pose real threats to hiking, sightseeing and snow tourism at Afriski. The reliance of tourism in the region on specific climatic conditions for successful tourism prompted the use of the TCI. TCI results classify the eastern Lesotho Highlands as having.good‘ climatic conditions with an overall TCI score of 64 for the period 2012-2017. Monthly TCI scores for the easternLesotho reveal a bimodal-shoulder, meaning the peak climatic conditions are in the regional summer months(December to February). This conflicts with the peak tourist seasons of summer and winter, which align with South African school holidays, and the timing of the most profitable tourism activity(skiing)which occurs during the winter months of June, July and August. Lesotho is landlocked by South Africa.TCI analysis for South Africa reveals more suitable climatic conditions for tourism than Lesotho, with significantly higher scores of 80-89.     

Assessing tourism sustainability in hill towns: Case study of Shimla,India

Hill towns form a popular niche in tourism destinations. They are renowned for their natural beauty and distinctive cultural traditions. Unplanned development can lead to a loss in opportunity to access the potential of these resources or cause their damage. Development decisions need to adopt a sustainable approach that balances tourism growth with the preservation of the natural and cultural assets. The present research details a comprehensive assessment tool to study the sustainability of tourism in hill towns with a focus on Shimla, a popular hill destination in India. The tool specifies seven dimensions of sustainable tourism; 1) Tourism Assets;2) Tourism Activity; 3) Tourism Related Linkages; 4)Tourism Related Leakages; 5) Environmental and Social Sustainability; 6) Infrastructure; and 7)Attractiveness. Primary data were collected through questionnaire surveys of local households and arriving tourists. Visual survey is conducted to map built-environment and land-use. Secondary data were gathered from government reports and scholarly articles. A framework of indicators and sub-indicators was developed to analyze the data at two levels – city and ward. While the appraisal of the city provides an overall view of the performance of the tourism industry, at the ward level a comparative analysis was carried out to reveal sector related potentials and issues. The study reveals the imbalanced tourismconcentration in the core of the city as compared to other wards and the gap between tourist potential and infrastructure development. These are addressed through planning recommendations for more balanced development with a focus on eco-tourism.The research helps develop a framework which paves way to sustainable tourism development in Indian hill towns.     

Sustainable tourism development in mountain areas in Sumadija and Western Serbia

Sustainable tourism,as an integral part of sustainable development,emerged as a logical outcome of preventing the uncontrolled and excessive use of tourism resources and attractions.This study analyzes whether mountain tourism development in Serbia can be sustainable and feasible in the long term.Given the heterogeneity of mountains in Serbia in terms of tourism development,the subject of this research is the achieved level of sustainable tourism development in mountains in the most developed and most visited region in Serbia-sumadija and Western Serbia:Zlatibor,Kopaonik,Tara,Zlatar,Mokra Gora and Go?.The sustainable tourism development level was analyzed by using five groups of the EU’s comparative indicators:economic,social,cultural,environmental and tourist satisfaction indicators.The results showed that the development of tourism in the examined mountains is not fully aligned with sustainable development.The tourist satisfaction indicator has the most acceptable values,which is a good basis for further harmonization of tourism development on the principles of sustainability.Economic indicators,especially the ratio of overnight stays and accommodation capacities,show the most unacceptable values,which indicate the need for implementing changes in the process of tourism development in the coming period.The analysis of sustainable tourism in mountain areas in sumadija and the Western Serbia undoubtfully points out that it is necessary to significantly change the current tourism product portfolio,which implies harmonizing mountain tourism development with global trends.Certainly,a comparative analysis that looks at the degree of sustainability of mountain tourism in some countries of the Alpine region,such as Switzerland,Austria and Slovenia,contributes to this.The more intensive development of tourism throughout the year would significantly improve indicators of sustainable tourism in all analyzed mountain areas of Sumadija and Western Serbia.This would improve the value of economic indicators,which are marked as the most unsustainable.The development of tourism in the summer season,especially recreational and adventure tourism,would improve the social and cultural component of sustainable tourism.Environmental dimension of sustainable tourism would be enhanced by the development of ecotourism.By connecting spatially close mountains(Zlatibor,Zlatar,Tara and Mokra Gora)into a unique and integrated tourism destination,synergistic effects would be achieved resulting in international recognition and making the region of?umadija and Western Serbia competitive on the European market.     

Measuring Tourist’s Water Footprint in a Mountain Destination of Northwest Yunnan, China

Monitoring and minimizing tourist’s water consumption is essential for the sustainable development of mountain destinations in the world. However, available data and a generally accepted protocol on such measurement are still limited. This study uses water footprint accounting to quantify tourist’s water demand in the Liming valley, a World Heritage site and a rapidly growing tourism destination in Northwest Yunnan, China. Both the water for direct and indirect use is taken into account based on the consump...     

Industrial and agricultural effects on water environment and its optimization in heavily polluted area in Taihu Lake Basin, China

The deteriorating water quality in the Taihu Lake Basin has attracted widespread attention for many years, and is correlated with a sharp increase in the quantity of pollutant discharge such as agricultural fertilizers and industrial wastewater. In this study, several factors were selected for evaluating and regionalizing the water environmental capacity by ArcGIS spatial analysis, including geomorphologic characteristics, water quality goals, water body accessibility, water-dilution channels, and current water quality. Then, the spatial optimization of agriculture and industry was adjusted through overlay analysis, based on the balance between industrial space and water environmental capacity. The results show that the water environmental capacity gradually decreases from the west to the east, in contrast, the pollution caused by industrial and agricultural clustering is distributes along Taihu Lake, Gehu Lake and urban districts. The analysis of the agricultural space focuses on optimizing key protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and the shores of Gehu Lake, optimally adjusting the second protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and generally adjusting the urban areas of Changzhou and Wuxi cities. The analysis of industrial space focuses on optimizing the downtowns of Changzhou and Wuxi cities, optimally adjusting key protected areas and second protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and generally adjusting the south and southwest of Gehu Lake. Lastly, some schemes of industrial and agricultural layouts and policies for the direction of industrial and agricultural development were proposed, reflecting a correlation between industry and agriculture and the water environment.     

Managing Soil Erosion Potential by Integrating Digital Elevation Models with the Southern China＇s Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation——A Case Study for the West Lake Scenic Spots Area of Hangzhou, China

In China, many scenic and tourism areas are suffering from the urbanization that results from physical development of tourism projects, leading to the removal of the vegetative cover, the creation of areas impermeable to water, in-stream modifications, and other problems. In this paper, the risk of soil erosion and its ecological risks in the West Lake Scenic Spots （WLSS） area were quantitatively evaluated by integrating the revised universal soil loss equation （RUSLE） with a digital elevation model （DEM） and geographical information system （GIS） software. The standard RUSLE factors were modified to account for local climatic and topographic characteristics reflected in the DEM maps, and for the soil types and vegetation cover types. An interface was created between the Areinfo software and RUSLE so that the level of soil erosion and its ecological risk in the WLSS area could be mapped immediately once the model factors were defined for the area. The results from an analysis using the Areinfo-RUSLE interface showed that the risk value in 93 % of the expanding western part of the WLSS area was moderate or more severe and the soil erosion risk in this area was thus large compared with that in the rest of the area. This paper mainly aimed to increase the awareness of the soil erosion risk in urbanizing areas and suggest that the local governments should consider the probable ecological risk resulting from soil erosion when enlarging and developing tourism areas.     

Impact of the Wenchuan Earthquake on tourism in Sichuan, China

An intensive earthquake, the Wenchuan Earthquake of 8.0 on the Richter scale, struck western Sichuan, China on May 12, 2008. The earthquake has tremendously affected all industries in the quake-hit areas, with no exception ：of the local tourism. The study of the effect of the earthquake on tourism enriches the theory of tourism, and more importantly, it well serves as the foundation for policy making. The objective of this study is to outline for readers the empirical findings on the various ways that the earthquake affected the operations and viability of tourism in the quake-hit areas. This paper is mainly divided into 3 parts. The first part is to discuss the importance of tourism in the quake-hit areas. The second is to analyze the influencing factors of tourism. The third is to assess the impact of the earthquake on tourism in Sichuan in different seasons.     

Probabilistic seismic landslide hazard assessment: a case study in Tianshui,Northwest China

Probabilistic analysis in the field of seismic landslide hazard assessment is often based on an estimate of uncertainties of geological, geotechnical,geomorphological and seismological parameters.However, real situations are very complex and thus uncertainties of some parameters such as water content conditions and critical displacement are difficult to describe with accurate mathematical models. In this study, we present a probabilistic methodology based on the probabilistic seismic hazard analysis method and the Newmark's displacement model. The Tianshui seismic zone(105°00′-106°00′ E, 34°20′-34°40′ N) in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau were used as an example. Arias intensity with three standard probabilities of exceedance(63%, 10%, and 2% in 50 years) in accordance with building design provisions were used to compute Newmark displacements by incorporating the effects of topographic amplification.Probable scenarios of water content condition were considered and three water content conditions(dry,wet and saturated) were adopted to simulate the effect of pore-water on slope. The influence of 5 cm and 10 cm critical displacements were investigated in order to analyze the sensitivity of critical displacement to the probabilities of earthquake-induced landslide occurrence. The results show that water content in particular, have a great influence on the distribution of high seismic landslide hazard areas. Generally, the dry coverage analysis represents a lower bound for susceptibility and hazard assessment, and the saturated coverage analysis represents an upper bound to some extent. Moreover, high seismic landslide hazard areas are also influenced by the critical displacements. The slope failure probabilities during future earthquakes with critical displacements of 5 cm can increase by a factor of 1.2 to 2.3 as compared to that of 10 cm. It suggests that more efforts are required in order to obtain reasonable threshold values for slope failure. Considering the probable scenarios of water content condition which is varied with seasons, seismic landslide hazard assessments are carried out for frequent, occasional and rare earthquake occurrences in the Tianshui region, which can provide a valuable reference for landslide hazard management and infrastructure design in mountainous seismic zones.     

Spatial distribution of land cover and vegetation activity along topographic gradient in an arid river valley, SW China

Anthropogenic activities have become more and more important in characterizing the landscape, but their impacts are still restricted by natural environments. This paper discusses the interactions of anthropogenic activity, vegetation activity and topography through describing the spatial distribution of land cover and vegetation activity （represented by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI） along topographic gradient in a mountainous area of southwestern China. Our results indicate that the existing landscape pattern is controlled by anthropogenic activities as well as topographic factors. Intensive anthropogenic activities mainly occur in areas with relatively low elevation, gentle and concave slopes, as these areas are easy and convenient to attain for human. Because of the destruction by human, some land cover types （mainly grassland and shrub） are only found in relatively harsher environments. This study also finds that topographic wetness index （W） used in other places only reflects runoff generation capacity, but not indicate the real spatial pattern of soil water content in this area. The relationships between NDVI and W, and NDVI and length slope factor （LSF） show that runoff and erosion have complex effects on vegetation activity. Greater values of W and LSF will lead to stronger capacity to produce runoff and transport sediment, and thereby increase soil water content and soil deposition, whereas beyond a certain threshold runoff and erosion are so strong that they would destruct vegetation growth. This study provides information needed to successfully restore native vegetation, improve land management, and promote sustainable development in mountainous areas, especially for developing regions.     

Spring recharge and groundwater flow patterns in flysch aquifer in the Po?onina Wetlińska Massif in the Carpathian Mountains

Flysch-type aquifers in the Eastern Carpathians usually feed periodic and low-discharge springs. However, in some areas, such as in the upper part of the Po?onina Wetlińska Massif, perennial springs with a relatively high discharge were identified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify recharge and groundwater flow patterns of three high-discharge springs based on the response of spring discharge to rainfall and on the relationship between specific electrical conductivity of water and spring discharge. The relation between spring discharge and rainfall was investigated by crosscorrelation analyses. Generally, cumulative rainfall over a period from 10 days to 3 months is most strongly correlated with discharge; however, the response time of spring discharge varies throughout the year. Faster response to rainfall occurs in the spring after snowmelt, while in the summer and autumn months the response time increases. Two flow systems were identified: 1) a relatively deep, fissure-pore flow system with a long response time to precipitation and 2) a shallow, fissure-dominated system with a short response time, which is superimposed on the longer response. A small range of specific electrical conductivity combined with the varying discharge of two springs suggests that dilution of groundwater by rainwater does not play a significant role. The differences in the studied springs' response to rainfall can be attributed to the recharge area, regolith features and local bedrock structures, i.e. occurrence of joints and faults, monoclinal dip of rock layers and gravitational slope deformations including ridge-top trenches, which, thus far, have been underestimated in determining groundwater storage capacity in the flysch part of the Carpathians.     

Relationship between soil and water conservation practices and soil conditions in low mountain and hilly region of Northeast China

The soil and water conservation practices of ecological restoration（ER）,fish scale pit（FP）,furrow and ridge tillage across the slope（FR）,shrub strips（SS）,and vegetation-covered ridge（VR） are characteristic of the Jixing small watershed of the low mountain and hilly region of Jilin Province,Northeast China. This study aims to elucidate the effects of soil and water conservation practices on soil conditions after the short-term implementation of practices. Soil samples were collected from five soil and water conservation sites（ER,FP,FR,SS,and VR） and two controls（BL and CT） to investigate their properties. To evaluate the influence of soil and water conservation practices on soil quality,an integrated quantitative index,soil quality index（QI）,was developed to compare the soil quality under the different soil and water conservation practices. The results show that not all soil and water conservation practices can improve the soil conditions and not all soil properties,especially soil organic carbon（SOC）,can be recovered under soil and water conservation practice in short-term. Moreover,the QI in the five soil and water conservation practices and two controls was in the following order： ER VR BL FR CT SS FP. ER exhibited a higher soil quality value on a slope scale. In the low mountain and hilly region of Northeast China,ER is a better choice than the conversion of farmlands to planted grasslands and woodlands early in the soil and water conservation program.     

SPATIAL STRUCTURE EVOLUTION OF SYSTEM OF RECREATION BUSINESS DISTRICT ——A Case of Suzhou City

The growing attention on urban tourism was very widespread. There are two angles to study urban tourism: supply-side and demand-side. And the supply-side of the tourism remains very important. The RBD (Recreation Business District) is a useful framework to understand the components of urban tourism and how they fit together. The paper begins with a review on the RBD and the spatial structure of tourism in urban areas and then attempts to develop a more general understanding of the spatial structure evolution of RBDs in a tourist-historic city—Suzhou. The spatial structures and functions of the RBDs in Suzhou are examined, based on field observations, interviews with city officials and industry leaders, and a review of available documents. The urban tourism of Suzhou has developed in a range of contexts, that various types of RBDs have emerged as a result of different urban development strategies. The spatial structure has evolved from the past “Single-cored Structure“ to “Double-cored Structure“ at present, and then to “Chain Structure“ in the future. The spatial form and evolution of RBD in Suzhou are closely relative with its urban spatial expansion. Urban area dispersal is the prerequisite of the emergence of the RBD. Planning and constructing the RBD becomes a new impetus to urban growth or renewal. Finally, a number of strategies for planning and developing the RBD in Suzhou are suggested. The different RBDs should adopt different strategies.Intensification can be the possible strategy for the RBDs in the ancient city. Accreting with the urban theme park or engrafting on the Jinji Lake is suggested respectively for the RBD in the Suzhou New District and the Suzhou Indus-trial Park.