A Preliminary Study of Visitor Motivations and Experiential Needs at National Parks, Nature Reserves, and Conservation Areas in Adelaide and the Surrounding Region

This preliminary research study was jointly conducted by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) and Flinders University between April and May, 2017. The study sought to observe and identify the motivations and emerging experiential needs of visitors to national parks (NPs), nature reserves (NRs), and conservation areas (CAs) in Adelaide and the surrounding region. A summary of visitor profiles was developed, as was an overview of existing levels of participation amongst current visitors. The report additionally identified the intangible benefits visitors associated with parks, including those associated with physical and mental health. Lastly, impediments experienced by existing visitors parks were recorded in an attempt to identify what factors act as primary barriers to engagement with nature-based tourism spaces.

It is desired that the findings will help ensure that key demands (both in terms of experiential needs and infrastructural needs) are fully catered for or can be improved upon in the near-future, and that the information acquired will help DEWNR foster increased participation and accessibility amongst both local residents and the wider community. Participation in this study was voluntary and all information disclosed by participants permitted complete anonymity.