치유의 숲에서 조우수가 방문객의 혼잡 및 건강유익성 지각에 미치는 영향

Effects of Encounter Number on Perceived Crowding and Healthfulness in a Healing Forest

Increasing concerns about human health and the awareness of the forest’s therapeutic benefits have led many people to visit the “healing forests.” The increase in users, however, may affect the therapeutic effectiveness of the forests. We explored the effects of encounter number on perceived crowding (PC) and user’s perceived healthfulness (PH) in a healing forest. Data were collected from 186 visitors to the Chonnam Pyonback Healing Forest and 315 college students using survey questionnaire in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The results showed that encounter number was strongly related with PC and PH. As encounter number decreased, PH increased and PC decreased. PC was also negatively related with PH. Generally, PH was not different between two studied locations. The findings suggest that too many visitors or tourists to the healing forest may reduce the therapeutic effects of the forest. Management implications are discussed.