*3.3. Identification of the Most Common Experiences in Opinions—Quantity Analysis*

In order to identify opinions in which words related to experiences appeared, a procedure of coding opinions was carried out. Packer and Ballantyne [44] and Packer, Ballantyne and Bond [56] distinguished 15 dimensions of experiments which they then characterized using different words. The authors of the article used these words to identify the experiences described by the authors of the opinions. Then, the coding procedure was started. The KH Coder software searched for the appropriate words (content of visitor experiences) and then assigned them to individual dimensions of visitor experiences (Table 3).


**Table 3.** Frequency of codes (N = 625).

Source: Packer and Ballantyne

 (2016), Packer, Ballantyne

 and Bond (2018) and own research.

Most opinions (82.45%) contained words related to the experiences of physical activity. These are both descriptions of trips around the valleys "easy road, you are just walking, looking around" (Nastya\_Lampy, St. Petersburg, Russia, 5 \*), as well as mountain climbing on the demanding trails "some parts were very steep. Climbing up took 30 min" (specas, Lithuania, 5 \*).

Another group of experiences is tension, which appears in 16.48% of opinions. Both approach roads ("road asphalted road and very crowded", Maikel 1989, Ghent, Belgium, 3 \*), shelters ("Tee-house it was really crowded", erzs\_betp, Szeged, Hungary, 5 \*) and surroundings of ponds ("Lake is nice, but too crowded ", Maikel 1989, Ghent, Belgium, 5 \*," The number of people hiking in this area is phenomenal! We have never seen so many people (of all ages) walking in nature before! ", Carl\_and\_janelle, Queensland, Australia, 4 \*).

The third group is connection to nature experiences (13.44%). ("Once you love nature, make this journey!", Tatimtch 8, Minsk, Belarus, 5 \*, "Lovely fish to watch under the clear aqua water.", Jim H, Bath, UK, 4 \*, "water is so clear! We loved it, a really stunning area", RoboMc, Colchester, UK, 5 \*).

Aesthetic appreciation experiences were identified only in 44 reviews (7.04%) ("large stones completely around the beautiful lake surrounded by mountain peaks", Michael S, Boston, Massachusetts, 5 \*, "Still some magnificent views along the way", CM 9493, Scotland, 5 \*, "wow you with their natural grandeur", mekydro, Chertsey, United Kingdom, 5 \*).

Other experiences were identified in less than 5% of opinions except for compassion, which was not found in any of the opinions.

#### **4. Discussion**

The analysis made it possible to identify the main topics of opinions about Tatra National Park in TripAdvisor reviews and experiences associated with communing with nature. The words related to the experiences of physical activity have a special advantage. This result confirms the role of the Tatra Mountains as the mountains in which active recreation is undertaken. This result is in line with the conclusions of Norma Polowitz Nickerson who noted that "activities engaged in" are frequently reported as the highlights of a travel experience. Importantly, the activities were intricately connected to the environment in which the activity took place [26] (229). This is due to the mountainous nature of the analysed area, where there are no other options than walking to reach the most interesting places (except for two routes that can be overcome by horse-drawn carriage). This area is quite different from the Danube Delta, for example, where physical activity in visitors' opinions was almost absent [45]. However, this was an exception because experiences of physical activity often accompany tourists in natural areas [36,57,58]. This result is also different from Kathleen Andereck's, Kelly S. Bricker, Deborah Kerstetter and Norma Polovitz Nickerson conclusions that tourists articulate three dimensions of meaning: the social aspects of the experience, the environmental aspects of the experience, and the aspect of activities within those environments as the experience [22] (p. 93).

However, there is doubt whether tourists who want to engage in physical activity must necessarily visit the area with the highest degree of nature protection. Those preferences do not indicate ecological awareness and it should be remembered that the purpose of creating National Parks is not only to make them available to the public, but also to educate, care for nature diversity and restore natural habitats [59]. The key to solving this problem may be analyzing the motivation of tourists and experience preferences. If preferences are more about active recreation and are not associated with the desire to explore the most valuable areas, tourists could spend time in less-endangered places than National Parks [60,61].

Confirmation of these problems is another result of this analysis: the experience of tension is the second most frequently described group of experiences gained. This is the tension resulting from the crowd on access roads to shelters (to a lesser extent on mountain trails), as well as in Zakopane itself, which is described by tourists as a tourist trap. This phenomenon occurs especially often in natural areas near urbanized areas as well as near well known holiday resorts [62–64].

Despite the crowds, tension and overload, many tourists feel the connection with nature—this is the third largest group of identified experiences. Jan Packer and Roy Ballantyne [44] put them in a group of spiritual experiences as well as introspective experiences. Indeed, wildlife tourism has great potential to reawaken human connection with the natural world and can instill greater environmental awareness and a deep sense of wonderment [36,39].

It can therefore be concluded that tourists notice crowding and relationships with nature, but the share of these associations in responses is six times less frequent than in the case of physical activity. It is amazing that experiences with aesthetic recognition make up only 7.04% of all associations. Aesthetic experiences are mentioned as dominant in nature tourism by many researchers [65–67]. Thus, the observation confirms that tourists who visit TNP for reasons of physical activity do not always attach importance to the beauty and uniqueness of the natural environment. This uniqueness was, after all, a source of tourism development in the studied area as early as the 19th century and constituted the basis for creating a protected area in Tatra. Based on the prevailing opinions, it cannot be concluded that tourists were interested in experiences resulting from a high level of ecological awareness.

Recommendations of tourists after the visit to the destination can also be treated as part of the assessment of their own experience. TNP visitors most recommended going on early trips to the mountains, checking the weather, and breaking away from the crowds besieging the most popular places. Some of them even recommended giving up attempts to visit TNP and go to the Slovak side of the Tatra Mountains. These recommendations, and especially the last of them, can be of great importance for the image of TNP, Polish Tatra Mountains and Zakopane and can significantly affect the decision of choosing a destination by other tourists [68,69].

The analysed opinions lack experiences related to heritage interpretation, which, according to Gregory Benton [70] plays a key role in educating visitors, improving heritage protection, cultural respect and site promotion. These results contradict the findings of other authors [71–73]. This may be due to the nature of hiking in the Tatra: individual and not guided tours predominate there. Tourist trails in the TNP are very well marked and reaching almost all peaks does not require a tourist guide company. Nevertheless, TNP, together with the National Park on the Slovak side of the Tatra Mountains, are protected in form of UNESCO biosphere reserve (Man and Biosphere Program). The purpose of the UNESCO biosphere is to reserve is education, training and building regional identity [74]. According to the regulations of the National Park, highlanders who carry tourists on horse-drawn carriages are obliged to provide tourists with information on nature protection, history, ethnography, etc. However, this range of experiences is hardly visible in the opinions of visitors. This is because of the poor knowledge of foreign languages among highlanders, and the authors of the analysed opinions being mainly foreign-speaking tourists.

In this context (especially the building of regional identity by TNP), the lack of tourist experiences related to local culture, which is so strong in the Podhale region (highlander 'góral' folklore), is also striking. This is even more strange because highlanders transporting tourists with horse-drawn carriages must wear a regional outfit and use the highlander dialect [75]. It follows that the contact of tourists with highlanders is very superficial. Is it because the carriage ride, although implemented in traditional folk costumes, seems to them not very authentic? As indicated by studies by David Weaver [76] and Jennifer Chan and Tom Baum [57], local culture is an important motivational factor for ecotourists. Perhaps these encounters are realized while eating local dishes or listening to folk music in restaurants in Zakopane. However, the lack of these experiences, in the opinions of visitors, requires a deeper look at the quality of the interpretation of natural and especially cultural heritage in TNP. The authors assumed that reviews in TripAdvisor reflect the most important elements of the experience, but readers should be aware that the lack of references to ecological awareness in the descriptions is not proof that the person (who generates the content) does not have such an awareness.
