Perceptions of visitors on sustainable tourism practices in an urban nature reserve: The case of Groenkloof Nature Reserve, South Africa

Abstract

One of the major objectives of visitor management in tourism, is to manage visitors in a way that they achieve a quality experience in an environmentally sustainable manner. It is often argued that this process mainly includes the development and implementation of rules and regulations meant specifically for monitoring visitor activity. The purpose of the paper was to analyse the perceptions of visitors at Groenkloof Nature Reserve (GNR) with the intention to stimulate and encourage sustainable tourism practices, particularly in achieving greater visitor management results at the reserve. A total of 360 participants took part in the study, by means of a survey. The findings revealed that the major concern for visitors at this reserve is to protect the physical environment, as well as the preservation of both plant and animal species.

Keywords: Groenkloof Nature Reserve, sustainable tourism, sustainable development, protected areas, visitor management, urban nature reserve