The Recreational Trail of the El Caminito del Rey Natural Tourist Attraction, Spain: Determination of Hikers’ Flow

Gemma María Gea-García, Carmelo Fernández-Vicente, Francisco J. Barón-López and Jesús Miranda-Páez
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Gemma María Gea-García: Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Sport Sciences, San Antonio Catholic University, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Carmelo Fernández-Vicente: Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, University of Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Francisco J. Barón-López: Department of Public Health and Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Jesús Miranda-Páez: Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, University of Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Hiking is a very popular outdoor activity, and has led to an exponential increase in the number of visitors to natural spaces. The objective of this study was to analyze the circulation pattern of visitors to the Caminito del Rey trail, based on the three zones into which the trail can be divided. The sample consisted of 1582 hikers distributed into three different profiles. Of these, 126 utilized an eye-tracking device during the hike, while, for the rest (1456), only their travel speed along the trail was recorded. The use of eye tracking devices identified a greater number of interesting landscapes located in zones 1 and 3 of the trail, and it was observed that the mean travel speed was greater for zone 2 (42.31 m/min) ( p < 0.01). Additionally, when the three different visitor profiles were analyzed, significant differences were found between the mean travel speeds according to sectors ( p < 0.05). This information is crucial for more efficient management of the trail, as it allows for the development of measures to control and regulate the flow of visitors according to zone, and the design of additional strategies to increase the awareness of the hiker about specific areas of the hike.

Keywords: outdoor recreation; recreational trails; spatiotemporal analysis; eye tracking; hikers’ flow; hiking management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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