Marketing national parks: oxymoron or opportunity?

Abstract

Although the "national park" concept is universally acknowledged, marketing of the 4,000+ areas so designated worldwide varies dramatically. Some park systems - such as those of Canada and Australia ? are extensively marketed, in the sense that considerable resources are devoted to traditional strategic and tactical approaches to the potential user. Other systems pay relatively little attention to these concerns, because of entrenched avoidance of the marketing process (U.S.) and/or perception that the total visitor count is either so high that marketing is unwarranted (U.S.) or so low that marketing is unaffordable (many developing nations). This paper reviews selected issues of "national park" marketing from the viewpoints of the varied interests: managerial (park unit, region, and system); commercial (concessions, external enterprises, and visitor/tourism bureaus); and target audience (actual and potential visitors). Its primary objective is to raise awareness of the possibilities for (and limitations ot) greater marketing effort and mutual benefit, in terms of effectively influencing consumer attitudes, beliefs, and purchase decision making.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the 2001 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Citation

Hogenauer, Alan K. 2002. Marketing national parks: oxymoron or opportunity?. In: Todd, Sharon, comp., ed. 2002. Proceedings of the 2001 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-289. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 53-59.