In 2019, 1.5 billion people traveled internationally, creating $1.75 trillion USD in total international tourism exports: 7% of all exports worldwide (World Tourism Organization, n.d.a). Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, claims that developing countries need a strong tourism sector to advance their economy, plus effective tourism practices that preserve their natural and cultural heritage (World Tourism Organization, n.d.c). According to an Adventure Travel Trade Association study, hiking is the single most popular outdoor activity for tourists (Martin, 2017). However, tourists prefer hikes with accessible information (e.g. maps, suggested routes), nearby tourism facilities (e.g. hotels), and well-maintained trails. These features are critical for the hiking tourism industry to grow to its full potential (Scuttari, 2016).

Romania attracts tourists eager to explore its association with vampiric legends and its communist history. However, this so-called “Dracula Tourism” and “Dark Tourism” often overshadow the nation’s other merits (Light, 2007; Light & Dumbrăveanu, 1999). Encompassing over half the Carpathian Mountain Range and with forests covering 30% of the country (World Bank, 2019), Romania has a natural environment well-suited for hiking. Sibiu County, located in Romania’s Transylvania region, is no exception. The county possesses several hundred kilometers of marked trails, which enable a wide variety of activities including hiking, mountain biking, climbing, horseback riding, and caving (Asociatia Mioritics, 2015; Turnock, 1999). Despite these natural assets, Sibiu County’s biggest draw is the capital city of Sibiu, which suggests that tourists do not recognize the county for its outdoor attractions (M. Dragomir, Personal Communication, February 18, 2021).

​

To enhance Sibiu County’s tourism industry, organizations in the region expanded the hiking infrastructure. Since 2015, the Mioritics Association has marked over 500 km of trails with signage in southern Transylvania and is currently working to mark the nearby Carpathian trails (M. Dragomir, Personal Communication, February 18, 2021; Cononovici, 2015). In September of 2021, the Sibiu region is set to host Eurorando, one of the largest pan-European walking events. The host entity expects Eurorando 2021 to draw over 3,000 hikers from 30 different countries, making Eurorando a prime opportunity to spotlight Sibiu as a tourist destination (Romania Insider, 2019).

​

 Despite considerable progress, neither of the project collaborators—the Sibiu County Tourism Association and the Mioritics Association—have any systems in place to profile trail users and their needs, determine the frequency of trail use, or monitor trail conditions. Currently, local businesses could better cater to tourists if they better understood who their patrons are and what they desire. Plus, trail managers currently struggle to maintain the region’s vast trail network because they lack the staff to manually locate issues and track the number of users (M. Dragomir, Personal Communication, February 18, 2021). Addressing these issues will help the collaborators make the region more attractive to tourists.

The goal of this project was to investigate how to promote trails and enhance the trail user experience in order to assist the Sibiu County Tourism Association and Mioritics Association in improving relationships and communication between visitors, trail managers, and local businesses. The team accomplished the goal through the following four objectives:

​

1. To understand the trail user experience

2. To identify how local businesses can address the needs of trail users

3. To develop a reporting system for trail users

4. To propose a system to track the quantity and movement of trail users.

​

Interviews, surveys, and research revealed several key findings, including business best practices and technological solutions that altogether can improve tourists’ experiences on the Sibiu County trails and promote the region. Findings showed that successful lodging businesses encourage their visitors to use the nearby trails and provide services (such as boot repair) to help prepare them. Common issues on the trails included damaged signage, erosion, and encounters with shepherd dogs. AllTrails, Komoot, ViewRanger/OutdoorActive, and Wikiloc, are all popular hiking apps used to plan a hiking trip. Eco-Counter and SensMax are both well-known European companies that sell people counting technology designed for outdoor environments. From these findings, the team recommends that the collaborators inform lodging businesses of ways they can attract trail users, develop a centralized trail issue reporting system, partner with a hiking app, and incorporate a counting system on the trails.