In the Smart nature project, we are exploring how to create balanced tourism that both preserves nature and benefits local communities, both now and in the future. The focus of the project is to investigate whether we can influence visitor behavior and decision-making regarding the timing and location of their nature visits.

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Nature is overcrowded – but not always and not everywhere. In the most popular places, which often consist of protected natural areas, visitor pressure sometimes becomes too intense. This not only leads to issues such as wear and tear, littering, and disruption of plant and animal life, but also creates challenges for the local community in the form of traffic disturbances, congestion, emissions, and illegal parking. Conflicts often arise between visitors or between visitors and local residents when designated parking spaces are full.

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The Smart Nature project focuses on visitor flows and aims to create a sustainable balance between tourism and the preservation of our natural and cultural resources. As demand from Southern Europe to travel to cooler destinations increases, and the trend of experiencing nature continues, we are seeing greater pressure on both nature and local communities. By building on the concept of smart cities, Smart Nature explores how we can even out visitor flows, minimize negative impacts, and maximize the positive effects of tourism. Building on the concept of smart cities, Smart Nature explores how we can even out visitor flows, minimize negative impacts, and maximize the positive effects of tourism.

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The main question the project aimes to answer is: Can we influence visitor behavior to choose a different location and time for their visit by displaying the current status and forecast for a location’s parking availability?

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At present, there are no reliable, effective methods for avoiding excessive visitor pressure on natural areas and local communities. However, there is significant interest both nationally and internationally in finding solutions for balanced visitor flows.

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Uncrowded is a website and service that provides live data and forecasts on available parking spaces at popular natural areas. In this project, we are working to better reach visitors early on, before their departure, so that they can proactively choose to visit less crowded locations or plan their visits during times of lower visitor pressure. This helps prevent excessive strain on both nature, local communities, and infrastructure.

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Parking and illegally parked cars are well-known problem areas and common bottlenecks at our popular tourist destinations in Skåne. Previous studies and user interviews have shown that the majority of visitors arrive at natural areas by car, as it is considered the most practical option—especially for those who want to make multiple stops along the way and prefer not to be tied to public transport schedules. Therefore, we have identified cars, and specifically parking availability, as a potential solution to balancing visitor pressure since it has a defined and measurable capacity. While more bus stops and frequent departures could be part of the solution, our studies show that the threshold for visitors to choose public transport over driving is still too high.

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In parallel with the development of Uncrowded, we are exploring how to encourage visitors to use the service through communication tests, as well as what an organizational model would need to look like. In the summer of 2024, Uncrowded.se was launched and went live for the first time to visitors. To spread awareness of the service, campaigns were conducted on social media, and signs with QR codes were placed at the designated test sites. The test was carried out throughout the summer, with the focus on encouraging as many visitors as possible to try the service during their visit to Skåne.

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The forecasting system is based on:

• Historical visitor data from vehicle counters
• Weather forecasts
• Real-time updates every 15 minutes

We will continue collecting data throughout 2025 to gather a larger dataset on whether Uncrowded can lead to different choices and behavioral changes among visitors.