CHAPTER II. SITUATION ANALYSIS

This section is to describe relevant information on macro-environmental trends that might affect your park.  The environmental trends (or attributes) that may be of importance to your park can be divided into multiple groups. 

These include demographic, socio-cultural, economic, technological, and political/legal factors.  These can affect your park in terms of management and marketing. 

Activities and benefits sought within your park may vary among your constituents with different demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, race, and education).

Therefore, it is recommended that you, as a park manager, keep track of any notable demographic changes in terms of the national population.

·        What are the national demographic changes that may affect your park?  What are the potential ramifications for your park?

Some national socio-cultural changes may affect your park.  It is recommended that you understand any significant social and cultural trends that could affect your markets. 

Try to think of any shifts that you see in society regarding values and culture.

• What are the Socio-cultural changes that may affect your park? 

• What are the potential ramifications of this change for your park?

The current economic conditions of the country and your community may also affect the way people use your park because the availability of disposable income is closely associated with the use of parks. 

Also, different market segments may emerge as a major market depending on the conditions of the market economy.  One advantage of this is that many national parks offer more competitive prices than other commercial attractions.  This may provide a chance for the national parks to attract more visitors even during down economic times. 

Therefore, it is important for park managers to be aware of any economic changes.

·        What are the national economic trends affecting your park?  If there are any, what are the effects on your park?

Technological advancement in recent years has affected most organizations in the world.  National parks are also likely to be influenced by current advances in technology.

Hence, you should keep track of recent technological developments that might impact your park. 

·        What are the technological trends that may affect your park?  What are the potential ramifications of these changes for your park?

In addition to environmental attributes, it is recommended that you assess the governmental policies and regulations that may affect your park.  For example, health care and disability legislation can greatly affect your park in many ways (i.e., the way you design your park facilities, the way you operate your park, employment of your staff, etc.). 

List all governmental policies and regulations that you perceive may affect the way your park runs.  Once this is done, you can examine the potential consequences of these policies/regulations on your park. 

·        What are the governmental policies and regulations that may affect your park?  If there are such policies/regulations, what are the effects of them on your park?

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