Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons^™

Understanding The Perceived Effectiveness Of Applying The Visitor Experience And Resource Protection (Verp) Framework For Recreation Planning: A Multi-Case Study In U.S. National Parks, Jessica Fefer, Sandra M. De Urioste-Stone, John Daigle, Linda Silka

The Qualitative Report

The Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) framework is a planning framework developed by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) to help guide visitor use planning and decision-making in U.S. national parks. The research reported here highlights the perceptions of park practitioners about major successes and challenges associated with visitor management and recreation planning using the VERP framework. We used a qualitative multiple case study design to explore three (3) national parks that have applied the framework. We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with park managers, park planners, and recreation scientists, and used thematic coding to categorize the data to capture …