TRAVELER INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR NATIONAL PARKS. IN: COMPENDIUM: PAPERS ON ADVANCED SURFACE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, 2001

Increased congestion, parking issues and the frustrations they cause visitors in national parks have added to the need for the National Park Service to determine a method to enhance visitors' experience with the park. One way of accomplishing this task is by using Traveler Information Systems. The objectives of this paper were to: (1) inventory current traveler information systems in five to ten pre-selected national parks; (2) determine the similarities and differences in the traveler information systems; (3) identify tourists' information needs and preferred method of delivery at national parks; (4) recommend state-of-the-art traveler information tools to address the tourists' needs; and (5) apply the recommendations at a specific national park. The paper describes how seven national parks and five organizations representing national park visitors were surveyed. The survey results were used in the development of recommendations to improve the current traveler information systems and the recommendations are presented in the paper.