Cycling tourism research : analyzing the bicycle touring segment
Salokangas, Nenna (2020)
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020120426195
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020120426195
Tiivistelmä
Due to the lack of information about cycling tourists, the commissioner of the thesis, Ellare Oy, conducted an extensive survey-based study of the cycling tourism demand in Finland. The ultimate purpose of the study was to identify different cycling tourism segments, their needs and desires, and common behavioral patterns. Though the thesis has been written on the side of more comprehensive research, it has been decided to focus on bicycle touring only. The thesis aims to analyze and describe the geographical, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics of the current bicycle touring demand.
In addition to the secondary data research, primary data was collected through a quantitative online survey. The thematic content of the survey is based on the theoretical background of the study. The total primary data collected in autumn 2020 contains 1766 responses, wherefrom a sample size of 235 answers were separated for the thesis analysis.
Despite the large deviation among individual respondents, geographic, demographic, and psychographic similarities were found. The data analysis results indicate that, based on Cohen's tourist typology, the most likely tourist type among Finnish touring cyclists is ‘explorer’. Furthermore, the research results show that the differences between each individual are notable. However, they do not align with Plog’s theory, in which there is a symmetrical alteration between two extremes, ‘psychocentric’ and ‘allocentric’. The data suggest the bicycle touring demand in Finland to be focused more on the ‘allocentric’ side.
The research generates new information about the bicycle touring demand in Finland and enables tourism players to develop customer-oriented cycling tourism products based on the study. The research results can be utilized in both cycling tourism productization and marketing.
In addition to the secondary data research, primary data was collected through a quantitative online survey. The thematic content of the survey is based on the theoretical background of the study. The total primary data collected in autumn 2020 contains 1766 responses, wherefrom a sample size of 235 answers were separated for the thesis analysis.
Despite the large deviation among individual respondents, geographic, demographic, and psychographic similarities were found. The data analysis results indicate that, based on Cohen's tourist typology, the most likely tourist type among Finnish touring cyclists is ‘explorer’. Furthermore, the research results show that the differences between each individual are notable. However, they do not align with Plog’s theory, in which there is a symmetrical alteration between two extremes, ‘psychocentric’ and ‘allocentric’. The data suggest the bicycle touring demand in Finland to be focused more on the ‘allocentric’ side.
The research generates new information about the bicycle touring demand in Finland and enables tourism players to develop customer-oriented cycling tourism products based on the study. The research results can be utilized in both cycling tourism productization and marketing.