Visitor Management in Green Areas: experience on Liliental (Germany)

Abstract

This article presents an experience report with a qualitative and descriptive approach, aiming to detail the activities developed during an academic exchange at the Baden-Württemberg Forest Research Institute (FVA), a state research institute located in Germany. The internship took place between July and August 2024, in Liliental, through the Graduate Program in Ecotourism and Nature Interpretation at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), with funding from the Erasmus+ program. In addition to reporting on the activities carried out, the article seeks to highlight the need for qualified management of visitation in natural areas, emphasizing the importance of tourism professionals in the planning, management, and handling of such activities. Liliental has been under the responsibility of the FVA since 1958; it serves both as a site for scientific experiments and as a public visitation area, receiving approximately 100,000 visitors per year. Despite this high visitor flow, the site’s management team does not include a tourism professional, resulting in a lack of specific strategies for managing visitation. To address these gaps, the following activities were conducted over the course of one month: (i) demand research; (ii) visitor profile analysis; (iii) creation of a promotional and informational brochure about the area; and (iv) development of a visitation plan for the site. Furthermore, the activities developed during the exchange provided a deeper understanding of environmental practices in the German context, as well as practical immersion in the themes covered throughout the Ecotourism and Nature Interpretation program.