Seasonal spatial activity patterns of visitors with a mobile exercise application at Seoraksan National Park, South Korea

Kim, Jinwon, Thapa, Brijesh, Jang, Seongsoo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5948-0876 and Yang, Eunjung 2018. Seasonal spatial activity patterns of visitors with a mobile exercise application at Seoraksan National Park, South Korea. Sustainability 10 (7) , 2263. 10.3390/su10072263

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Abstract

Visitors’ behavior in national parks can be influenced by seasonal variations in climate and preferred activities. Seasonality can produce different space consumption patterns, and impact visitor experience and natural resource use. The purpose of this study was to explore the seasonal spatial patterns of visitors’ activities using a mobile exercise application within the context of Seoraksan National Park in South Korea. A dataset composed of 5142 starting and ending points of 2639 activities (hiking and walking) created by 1206 mobile exercise application users (January–December 2015) were collected from a leading mobile exercise application operator. GIS-based spatial analytical techniques were used to analyze the spatial patterns of activity points across seasons and days (weekdays/weekends). Results indicated considerable seasonal and daily variations in activity distribution and hot spots (i.e., locations of potential congestion or crowding). The findings enable park managers to mitigate negative impacts to natural resources as well as enhance visitors’ experiences. Also, it allows potential visitors to decide when to visit certain sites via mobile application to ensure optimal conditions. Furthermore, the GPS-based exercise mobile application can be used as a new methodological approach to understand spatio-temporal patterns of visitors’ behavior within national parks and other natural protected areas.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	2071-1050
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 July 2018
Date of Acceptance:	27 June 2018
Last Modified:	03 May 2023 22:01
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/113064

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