Perceptions of Mountain National Parks by Tourists, Guides, and Park Employees: A Preliminary Study

The growing volume of tourism in European mountain national parks has resulted in numerous conflicts between nature conservation and the expectations of various stakeholder groups. Exceeding ecological and social carrying capacities has led to an ongoing debate on implementing visitor limits and further restrictions, the effectiveness of which strongly depends on public understanding and acceptance. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge regarding the general system of nature conservation, attitudes toward potential regulations, and their impact on conservation and tourism development across three stakeholder groups. A non-probability, purposive-convenience sampling strategy was utilized due to the specific characteristics of the surveyed stakeholder groups. The research was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to tourists, mountain guides, and employees of the Babia Góra, Gorce, Pieniny, and Tatra National Parks, resulting in a total sample of 106 respondents. Statistical differences among the national parks employees (n = 24), mountain guides (n = 42) and tourists (n = 40) were analyzed using the Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact test due to violated Chi-square assumptions, supplemented by Cramér’s V for effect size. The study demonstrated that national park employees and mountain guides possessed significantly higher factual knowledge regarding biodiversity threats and zoning regulations compared to tourists. Significant differences among stakeholder groups were confirmed across multiple dimensions (p = 0.005 to 0.05), with Cramér’s V values indicating moderate relationships (V = 0.21 to 0.26). Conversely, national park employees and tourists expressed stronger support for expanding protected areas, whereas mountain guides more frequently associated new national parks with tourism restrictions. Moreover, the majority of respondents across all stakeholder groups agreed that: (i) nature protection is the main goal of national park establishment; (ii) educational activities are the most effective methods of protecting nature from tourism-related threats; (iii) leaving trails should be banned in all national parks, and (iv) seasonal limits on tourist entry should be obligatory in the most frequently visited parks. The lack of significant differences was confirmed by statistical test (p = 0.08–0.93). Considering the findings of this preliminary investigation, it is suggested that future research directions should include additional stakeholder groups and encompass a wider geographical area.