National parks are sought for peace of mind as well as physical challenges. Although some hikers long for solitude, according to a recent study, meeting other people is especially important for many.
– We both love nature!
Hikers want mental rest, and often also the company of others
According to the dissertation completed at the University of Eastern Finland, hikers seek a wide variety of experiences from national parks.
Some people want solitude from nature tourism and as far away from other people as possible – they don’t want to see a glimpse of other hikers. However, for a surprising number of people, nature is a strongly social environment, where the company of other people is very important.
– The prevalence of social interaction surprised me the most in my material. I would have thought that Finns are a pretty stiff people and go on their own with a backpack. Instead, let’s go out into nature and specifically enjoy meeting other people.
Visitors to national parks value being together with their own friends or family, but on the other hand, they also value being part of a large, community group.
– Even though I don’t know the people who meet me, I can feel that we are still the same group, like-minded people and spontaneous conversations arise, describes Esko Sorakunnas.
What is fascinating about nature tourism is that you cannot control nature experiences
According to Esko Sorakunnas, the attraction of nature tourism is based on nature itself. The core issue is that in nature tourism the experiences are dependent on an unpredictable and uncontrollable environment.
It can help people to free themselves from mundane tasks.
– I can think that maybe today I’ll pick cranberries, if there happen to be any or if I’m lucky and see a certain bird, but I can’t determine that.
Some nature tourists still want to keep a wonderful sunset or a stunning landscape from the top of a cliff in their own minds. However, according to Sorakunnas, among younger nature tourists, especially those under thirty, the fact that they want to actively share nature experiences with others on social media stands out.
Hikers are looking for similar experiences as in the 70s
One of the materials used in the research were the guest books of deserted cabins in national parks from the 1970s to the present day.
The top moments of the excursion days written by nature hikers in their guest books have remained very similar from decade to decade.
– Society has changed, so has well-being, travel and time use, but we still seek the same type of experiences as in the 70s, says Esko Sorakunnas.
In addition to guest books, the material for the dissertation was interviews with Finnish nature tourists in national parks and a survey to which about a thousand people answered in nine national parks.
The results of the doctoral research in the field of tourism marketing and management are intended to be used in the development of services related to nature tourism so that the many values \u200b\u200bof nature tourism can be better taken into account.
National parks were visited more than two million times in the beginning of the year
The rush of Finns to national parks has leveled off since the peak of the corona era, but national parks still attract more hikers than before the pandemic. In the beginning of the year, between January and July, Finland’s national parks were visited 2.2 million times.
