Assessing ecotourism potential of hiking trails: A framework to incorporate ecological and cultural features and seasonality

Abstract Recreation and wildlife observations occur often in hiking trails. In terms of recreation planning, few studies have combined ecological and cultural features to assess ecotourism potential of hiking trails. Seasonality has been also neglected in tourism research. In order to disperse tourists over the year and alleviate the negative impacts of mass tourism events, we propose an integrated framework to assess the ecotourism potential of hiking trails that encompasses species, habitats, landscape and local heritage values, and takes into consideration their seasonal differences. By doing so, this methodology aims to contribute to local sustainable development. Our findings showed that, though some attractions may not be available during certain seasons, there are others which can bring tourists to the region all year long. We discuss some of the limitations, as well as future improvements to the use of this framework in trail development.