‘You shall not pass!’—frequent hikers' acceptance of access restrictions in overcrowded Italian Mountains

Abstract Outdoor recreation is reported to have many positive effects on individuals and communities. However, when recreationists' presence becomes overcrowding, it can cause ecological damage to natural sites while also reducing the benefits of outdoor recreation for recreationists and local communities. Restriction measures are an option to reduce overcrowding. First, we evaluated the acceptance and preference of restriction measures to protect the environment from overcrowding to access sites in Italian mountains by frequent Italian recreationists. Second, we examined how sociodemographic characteristics, frequency of mountain visits and frequency of performed activities influenced their choices. We surveyed members of the largest Italian hiking association, the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), with an online questionnaire. We used a qualitative analysis approach, combined with Multinomial and Binomial Logistic Regression models to assess reasons to accept, refuse or be uncertain about restrictions and identify associations between acceptance of restriction measures with activities performed and sociodemographic characteristics. Our findings indicate that the majority of the respondents would accept restriction measures for environmental conservation. Fee‐based access options were not totally rejected. We found significant associations for all sociodemographic characteristics, such as gender, age, education, educational background, occupation, belonging to an environmental association, region of residence and acceptance of restrictions. In addition, the frequency of mountain visits and the frequency of the practice of various activities were associated with the acceptance of restrictions. We conclude that free‐of‐charge restriction measures should be preferred, while fee‐based restrictions should be considered only in the most extreme cases of overcrowding. Based on our results, any implementation of restriction measures should be accompanied by effective communication about the rationale of such measures, such as environmental conservation. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Italian translation: Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.