Nature Conservation 2010 — 2. 8. 2010 — Special Issue
Monitoring Visitor Attendance in the Podyjí/Thaya River Basin National Park
In 2006, the Podyjí/Thaya River Basin National Park Administration (South Moravia), in co-operation with the Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science of Charles University Prague monitored visitor attendance at the most frequently used crossroads within the National Park all the year round.
The study revealed some remarkable patterns: on the National Park’s territory, 52 % of the visitors move by biking, 45 % by hiking and 3 % in other ways (mostly by a car), the most frequently used visitor route being a road between the village of Čížov and the Austrian town of Hardegg. The most attractive observation point is that towards the above town of Hardegg. Among the very attractive sites for visitors, the Devět mlýnů/Nine Mills area in the National Park’s eastern part. For visitors, the Podyjí/Thaya River Basin is most attractive in summer and in autumn. While visitors fully appreciate the National Park’s existence, the local inhabitants do not share their opinion in such an extent. Despite the study, it is difficult to correctly estimate the National Park’s annual attendance by visitors.