Abstract
While nature and rural areas always played an important role in German domestic tourism, recent years have seen three trends that further strengthened this position. First, increase in travel abroad has on the other hand led to a stronger interest in traditional German or European cultural landscapes. Second, outdoor activities like hiking and cycling have spread. Third, to experience nature is an ever stronger motive for travelling.
Large-scale nature protection areas provide the ideal space for tourism based on these trends. In Germany, national parks include strictly protected natural areas, whereas biosphere reserves and nature parks aim to conserve the cultural landscape created through the interaction of humans and nature. The 101 nature parks especially are comprised of attractive landscapes and tourist destinations. This paper will examine recent trends in the Southern Black Forest Nature Park and the Usedom Island Nature Park, with the aim to discover problems and solutions in mountain and coastal settings.
