The Real and Actual Tourism Accessibility in Protected Areas

Abstract

Mass tourism in conservation areas creates a problem because of tourists’ environmental negligence. Accessibility factor is known as one of the essential factors that cause mass tourism. The accessibility factor emerges due to a difference between the perceived accessibility (actual accessibility) by tourists and the accessibility of the actual conservation area (real accessibility). Conservation areas that have limited accessibility are perceived to have open and free accessibility similar to other general tourism areas accessibility. This paper was written to explain the concept of tourism accessibility to conservation areas as one of the causes of the entry of mass tourists whose behaviours are not in accordance with conservation goals. The complexity of accessibility is explained through influential components as well as stimulus variables that cause bias on the perception of accessibility. The literature review approach was carried out by analysing 11 related articles. Accessibility of tourist areas is divided into real accessibility which describes the real conditions of geographical elements, tourists, and tourist destinations; and perceived/actual accessibility, namely accessibility perceived by tourists and influenced by stimulus factors. Both types of accessibility consist of geographical, individual/personal, and destination components. The elaboration of accessibility elements and interaction models between accessibility components will contribute to the accessibility theory of geographical and psycho-social approaches.