COMPARING NATIONALLY MANAGED AND LOCALLY MANAGED RECREATIONAL FORESTS FOR BALANCED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This study aimed to explore the characteristics, visiting purposes and satisfactions of people that visited recreational forests, and to compare the characteristics of nationally and locally managed recreational forests for balanced regional development in Gyeongbuk province Korea. Visitors at six Korean recreational forests, including nationally and locally managed forests, were visited and surveyed using a structured questionnaire that addressed visitor characteristics and satisfaction levels. The questionnaire was distributed to visitors and collected face to face. Visitors were most interested in healing, relaxing and trekking activities in both forest types. Healing/relaxing, mountaineering, and leisure sports were significantly different for visitors at nationally managed recreational and locally managed forests. Visitors at both forest types were satisfied with facility associated factors. Visitors at nationally managed forests were more satisfied with service quality rather than visitors at locally managed forests. This study delivers an importance message regarding visitor purposes and satisfaction levels at nationally and locally managed recreational forests for balanced regional development.