Visitors' perception of crowding in Mount Makiling Forest Reserve ASEAN Heritage Park

Abstract

Ecotourism has been gaining popularity today due to people being more environmentally aware and along with the growth of social media, people easily find more destinations to explore. Along with its growth, the number of people starts to crowd one specific destination and that’s when a particular visitor experiences the feeling of “overcrowding”. Online survey was done where each respondent was asked to evaluate the acceptability of several use levels as shown in four computer edited photographs of the Mariang Makiling Trail (MMT). Respondents between 20 and 60 years old participated in the study. Majority have attained college level education, and male were the more frequent visitors than women. The respondents come mostly in groups and sightseeing, or nature experience was the main motivation for visiting the site. Most of the respondents said they saw about 5 to 15 other people during their visit. In terms of preferred number of visitors while engaging in recreational activities, most of them said it is acceptable for them to have at least 5-15 other people. Furthermore, they also expressed 15 other people as the maximum number of visitors they feel is acceptable for them and a higher number of visitors will make them stop visiting the area. In terms of attitude towards crowding and satisfaction, majority of the respondents enjoyed their trip in Mt. Makiling, while at the same time; most of them only feel crowded when the maximum number of fellow users based on the photographs. Other findings based on the results of this study can provide insights to decision makers to manage more effectively the arrival and flow of visitors to avoid the feeling of overcrowding for each visitor and ensure the quality of their experiences during their visit.

Keywords: Sustainable forest management, Adaptive and integrated management, Recreation overcrowding

ID: 3623575