Innovation in National Forest Park Tourism for Regional Development: Rural Broadband Internet

Innovation is a critical component for regional development. Broadband Internet is a promising technology for rural areas. Rural Broadband is an action of strategic importance because of its ability to accelerate the contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to growth and innovation. The ICT industry remains one of the most vibrant and dynamic global markets; as more and more people are getting connected, new solutions and services are being developed and users' online experiences are expanding throughout the world. Rural Broadband Internet and generally ICTs apply to many issues of modern life, such as National Forest Park Tourism. This paper aims to study the adoption of Rural Broadband Internet in the area of Enos (Ainos) National Forest Park in Greece. Furthermore, the websites that promote and advertise the Enos (Ainos) National Forest Park are analyzed. It is also assessed the adoption of Rural Broadband Internet model using applications from these websites and they are classified in the four stages of Rural Broadband Internet adoption. The websites are analyzed as to their qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Then, they are classified in stages starting from a simple presence of the entity in the Internet to the total Rural Broadband Internet integration through the provided services according to content characteristics accomplished by the websites. Finally, some necessary recommendations for optimizations of the websites are made. The findings can be helpful for managers, policy makers, web designers and environmentalists.