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Forests
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Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development
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Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Forestry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 20184

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jinyang Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Natural Resources, West Virginia University, PO BOX 6125, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Interests: ecotourism; tourism planning; rural tourism; urban forests
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Chad Pierskalla

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Natural Resources, West Virginia University, PO BOX 6125, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Interests: recreation; urban parks; tourism resources; urban forests

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban tourism is often perceived as “gray tourism” because of its urban settings featured by built environments. However, such “gray tourism” usually involves urban forests as green elements/ingredients. While urban forests are developed and managed to promote environmental, sociocultural, economic, and aesthetic benefits, they are always under pressure from commercial development as land uses in urban areas are highly competitive. Thus, more studies need to be conducted to justify the maintenance and conservation of urban forests not only from the perspective of local residents, but also visitors. This is particularly true in a time when urban forests are seen as critical for mental and physical health due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, studies on urban forests are limited to locals, while visitors are largely ignored. Values of trees, flowers, and green space from tourism, both in economic and social–psychological terms, together with other environmental values of urban forests, can help decision makers and urban planners to better understand the trade-offs between different choices. Knowledge about urban forests’ role in shaping visitors’ images of a city is lacking, and so is knowledge about the extent to which urban forests contribute to the total experiences of visitors and economic development in a city. Thus, this Special Issue seeks to examine the benefits, roles, and functions associated with urban forests from the perspective of tourism. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  • Social–psychological dimension of urban forests and urban tourism:
    • Urban forest aesthetics, city beautification, and visitor experience;
    • Urban forests, wayfinding, driving behaviors, and spatial movement;
    • Urban forests, city images, satisfaction, and destination loyalty;
  • Economic dimension of urban forests and urban tourism:
    • Economic benefits attributable to urban forests as tourism attractions;
    • Visitor spending and economic impacts associated with trees/flowers-related festivals;
    • Visitor experience and associated non-market values;
  • Environmental dimension of urban forests and urban tourism:
    • Environmental attitudes/awareness and recreation/tourism behaviors;
    • Conservation of urban forests and urban ecotourism;
    • Coupling relationship between urban forests and sustainable tourism development.

Prof. Dr. Jinyang Deng
Prof. Dr. Chad Pierskalla
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aesthetics
  • images
  • benefits
  • visitors
  • values
  • attitudes
  • festivals
  • impact
  • ecotourism sustainability

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 10946 KiB  
Article
Assessing Tourism Carrying Capacity Based on Visitors’ Experience Utility: A Case Study of Xian-Ren-Tai National Forest Park, China
by Nannan Kang
Forests 2023, 14(9), 1694; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14091694 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1997
Abstract
Considering the majority of previous assessment perspectives on tourism carrying capacity are limited by “the number of visitors”, this paper develops an innovative approach from the “visitors’ experience utility” perspective. Using the choice experiment method, tourism carrying capacity is assessed by exploring the [...] Read more.
Considering the majority of previous assessment perspectives on tourism carrying capacity are limited by “the number of visitors”, this paper develops an innovative approach from the “visitors’ experience utility” perspective. Using the choice experiment method, tourism carrying capacity is assessed by exploring the marginal utility and sensitivity of visitors to changes in recreational attributes. Xian-Ren-Tai National Forest Park in China is employed as the case park to demonstrate the application of this assessment method. The conclusions are as follows: the carrying capacity threshold of the crowding level in this urban forest park ranges from 20–35 people/100 m2, the threshold of “vegetation coverage” ranges from 70% to 80%, and the “number of garbage” is 3–10 pieces/200 m. The acceptable traffic accessibility level for visitors is within 3 h. At present, Xian-Ren-Tai National Forest Park as a whole is in a state of “low carrying capacity”, there are potential risks of underutilization in this park. In addition, this paper provides the carrying capacity state of 27 potential recreational attribute sets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development)
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18 pages, 41045 KiB  
Article
Effects of Urban Park Environmental Factors on Landscape Preference Based on Spatiotemporal Distribution Characteristics of Visitors
by Mengwei Yang, Renwu Wu, Zhiyi Bao, Hai Yan, Xinge Nan, Yixin Luo and Tingfang Dai
Forests 2023, 14(8), 1559; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14081559 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2238
Abstract
Urban parks are public green spaces which have a direct impact on the daily outdoor activities of residents and visitors due to their landscape and functionality. To enhance the spatial vitality and services of urban parks to meet the needs of urban residents [...] Read more.
Urban parks are public green spaces which have a direct impact on the daily outdoor activities of residents and visitors due to their landscape and functionality. To enhance the spatial vitality and services of urban parks to meet the needs of urban residents and visitors, managers and planners should focus on people’s perceptions and preferences of park landscape characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between visitors’ landscape preferences and environmental factors in urban parks. Fixed-point photography and mobile measurements were used to quantify the environmental factors of urban parks. Unmanned aerial vehicle observations and ground observations were used to examine physical activities and spatial behaviors of visitors to quantify their landscape preferences. Second, the differences in visitors’ landscape preferences in various types of landscape spaces were analyzed based on descriptive statistics and significance tests. Finally, a correlation analysis and principal component analysis were introduced to explore the relationship between urban park environmental factors and visitors’ landscape preferences. The results showed that visitors’ physical activities and spatial behaviors were affected by many environmental factors, especially accessibility and visible green index. Our findings also shed new light on the significant differences in visitors’ physical activities and spatial behaviors of different genders and age groups. It was observed that most male visitors were sitting, whereas female visitors preferred to take photographs. Exploring the relationship between urban parks and visitors’ landscape preferences is of great significance for improving park satisfaction, people’s happiness, and urban sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development)
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19 pages, 2954 KiB  
Article
The Role of the Mechanisms of Adjustment in Moderating the Relationship between Perceived Crowding and Satisfaction in Urban Forest Parks
by Minhui Lin, Xinyue Feng, Shaoqi Yu and Yajun Wang
Forests 2023, 14(8), 1538; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14081538 - 28 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1340
Abstract
Forest parks are important for ecological conservation, recreation, and the health and well-being of the people who use them. However, forest parks located in urban areas often face the problem of crowding. To better understand perceived crowding in urban forest parks and to [...] Read more.
Forest parks are important for ecological conservation, recreation, and the health and well-being of the people who use them. However, forest parks located in urban areas often face the problem of crowding. To better understand perceived crowding in urban forest parks and to improve tourists’ recreation experiences and satisfaction, we constructed a conceptual model of the relationships between perceived crowding, emotion, and satisfaction with mechanisms of adjustment based on survey data from Dafu Mountain Forest Park in China. The results indicate that, in urban forest parks, perceived crowding significantly and negatively affects tourists’ satisfaction, but there is no significant difference in satisfaction between different activity types. Both positive and negative emotions have partially mediating effects on the relationship between perceived crowding and satisfaction. Crucially, our modeled mechanisms of adjustment play a moderating role in the effect of crowding on tourist satisfaction, and the choice of adjustment behaviors varies according to the activity type. This work enriches the research related to perceived crowding, mechanisms of adjustment, and satisfaction in tourist destinations and provides a theoretical basis for the future management of urban forest parks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development)
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25 pages, 10590 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Impact of Psychological Accessibility on the Restorative Perception in Urban Forests: A Case Study of Yuelu Mountain, Central China
by Yangyi Wang, Fen Luo, Kathryn Arano Gazal, Ying Wen, Haiqian Lei and Zhijun Xiao
Forests 2023, 14(4), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14040721 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2196
Abstract
The recreational and restorative functions of urban forests are gaining increasing attention as people focus more on having a higher quality of life. While the rationale behind the spatial layout of urban forest parks is important, the real psychological perceptions of users cannot [...] Read more.
The recreational and restorative functions of urban forests are gaining increasing attention as people focus more on having a higher quality of life. While the rationale behind the spatial layout of urban forest parks is important, the real psychological perceptions of users cannot be ignored. This study has developed a structural equation model to examine the relationship between environmental restoration and psychological accessibility. Specifically, an empirical study was conducted on a random sample of visitors of the Yuelu Mountain, Central China, to investigate the effect of visitors’ psychological accessibility on their environmental restorative perception. The results show that psychological accessibility and the quality of experience have a significant positive effect on the perceived effectiveness of environmental restoration. Environmental attitudes indirectly influence the effect of environmental restorative perceptions through psychological accessibility and the quality of experience. Finally, comments on the development of green space planning in urban forest parks are also presented in this paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development)
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17 pages, 3896 KiB  
Article
Scenic Beauty Evaluation of Forests with Autumn-Colored Leaves from Aerial and Ground Perspectives: A Case Study in Qixia Mountain in Nanjing, China
by Ce Yang, Ming-Yang Li, Tao Li, Fang Ren, Deng-Pan Li and Liu-An Chen
Forests 2023, 14(3), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030542 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2262
Abstract
In recent years, on-site visitation has been strictly restricted in many scenic areas due to the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Cloud tourism”, also called online travel, uses high-resolution photographs taken by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as the dominant data source and [...] Read more.
In recent years, on-site visitation has been strictly restricted in many scenic areas due to the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Cloud tourism”, also called online travel, uses high-resolution photographs taken by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as the dominant data source and has attracted much attention. Due to the differences between ground and aerial observation perspectives, the landscape elements that affect the beauty of colored-leaved forests are quite different. In this paper, Qixia National Forest Park in Nanjing, China, was chosen as the case study area, and the best viewpoints were selected by combining tourists’ preferred viewing routes with a field survey, followed by a scenic beauty evaluation (SBE) of the forests with autumn-colored leaves in 2021 from the aerial and ground perspectives. The results show that (1) the best viewpoints can be obtained through the spatial overlay of five landscape factors: elevation, surface runoff, slope, aspect, and distance from the road; (2) the dominant factors influencing the beauty of colored-leaved forests from the aerial perspective are terrain changes, forest coverage, landscape composition, landscape contrast, the condition of the human landscape, and recreation frequency; and (3) the beauty of the ground perspective of the colored-leaved forests is strongly influenced by the average diameter at breast height (DBH), the dominant color of the leaves, the ratio of the colored-leaved tree species, the canopy width, and the fallen leaf coverage. The research results can provide scientific reference for the creation of management measures for forests with autumn-colored leaves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development)
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17 pages, 1708 KiB  
Article
Influence of First-Time Visitors’ Perceptions of Destination Image on Perceived Value and Destination Loyalty: A Case Study of Grand Canal Forest Park, Beijing
by Lu Lu, Min Jiao and Lisheng Weng
Forests 2023, 14(3), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030504 - 3 Mar 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2804
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, urban forest parks are becoming increasingly significant for recreation and relaxation, not just for urban residents but also for tourists. This study empirically examined the structural relationships among first-time visitors’ perceptions of destination image, perceived value and destination loyalty [...] Read more.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, urban forest parks are becoming increasingly significant for recreation and relaxation, not just for urban residents but also for tourists. This study empirically examined the structural relationships among first-time visitors’ perceptions of destination image, perceived value and destination loyalty through structural equation modeling. Additionally, the mediating influence of perceived value and the moderating effect of gender were investigated as well. The Grand Canal Forest Park in Beijing was selected as the case study. In total, 486 questionnaires that were considered to be legitimate were gathered and afterwards analyzed. The results revealed that first-time visitors’ perceptions of destination image can positively and significantly affect their perceived value and destination loyalty. In addition, perceived value partially mediates the relationship between first-time visitors’ perceptions of destination image and destination loyalty. Moreover, the findings of the examination of the moderating effects showed that gender has substantial moderating effects on the relationships described above. The theoretical and practical implications, limitations and future research of the current study are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development)
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15 pages, 5773 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Spatial Characteristics of Stay Areas in Walking Tours through the Lens of Volunteered GPS Trajectories: A Case Study of the Zhuhai–Macao Metropolitan Area
by Miaoxi Zhao, Qiaojia Zhang, Haochen Shi, Mingxin Liu and Jingyu Liang
Forests 2022, 13(11), 1800; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111800 - 29 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2051
Abstract
The stay areas in walking tours are the service and management unit of recreational walking in metropolitan areas. The rational characterization of stay areas in walking tours is of great significance for developing local tourism, constructing appropriate public facilities, optimizing the configuration of [...] Read more.
The stay areas in walking tours are the service and management unit of recreational walking in metropolitan areas. The rational characterization of stay areas in walking tours is of great significance for developing local tourism, constructing appropriate public facilities, optimizing the configuration of tourist elements, and improving facility efficiency. The existing research focuses mainly on functional, top-down classifications of tourism, tourist behavior patterns, and route designs, but it has left tourists’ stay areas largely unaddressed. To fill this gap, we propose a new framework for the interpretation of stay areas in walking tours based on GPS trajectory data and accompanying photos uploaded by users. Taking the Zhuhai–Macao metropolitan area as an example, we first captured the stay points and clustered them to the walking tour stay areas using DBSCAN. The characteristics of the stay areas were then collected, and a hierarchical analysis was conducted in terms of spatial features and geotagged photos. The results show that the stay areas can be grouped into six categories displaying obvious differences in spatial distribution, landscape features, and tourist activities. We also found the connections between Zhuhai City and the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to be relatively weak. In conclusion, our results can contribute to tourism planning as well as the further management and allocation of recreational service facilities in the area researched. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development)
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19 pages, 4326 KiB  
Article
Past Experience, Motivation, Attitude, and Satisfaction: A Comparison between Locals and Tourists for Taihu Lake International Cherry Blossom Festival
by Jian Li, Yizhou Zhong, Yanni Li, Wu Hu, Jinyang Deng, Chad Pierskalla and Fu’an Zhang
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1608; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101608 - 1 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3327
Abstract
Although urban forests are important components of the urban tourism system, research on urban forests from the perspective of tourism is limited. This is particularly true for research on cherry blossom festivals held in urban areas in the context of China. This paper, [...] Read more.
Although urban forests are important components of the urban tourism system, research on urban forests from the perspective of tourism is limited. This is particularly true for research on cherry blossom festivals held in urban areas in the context of China. This paper, for the first time, examined the similarities and differences between locals and tourists in their past experience, motivation, attitude, satisfaction, and loyalty as well as the interrelationships among these variables as they relate to the Taihu Lake International Cherry Blossom Festival (TLICBF) in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China, based on data collected onsite in 2019 from 412 usable questionnaires. Results show that responses from locals and tourists were quite similar. Moreover, TLICBF attendees’ motivation of attending the festival significantly influenced their attitudes toward the festival, which significantly predicted their overall satisfaction with the festival. It is worth noting that it is the positive comparison, not the frequency of visits, that significantly influenced TLICBF attendees’ attitudes toward and overall satisfaction with the festival. In addition, motivations and benefits were also qualitatively examined, with a measure of 21 items for the former and 25 items for the latter being developed. Research implications, research limitations, and future research needs are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Construction and Sustainable Tourism Development)
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