Profiling bicycle tourists: a case of Croatia

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of the primary research is to gather information about the behaviour of bicycle tourism demand. Primarily by studying domestic bicycle tourists, the research results were expected to provide valuable market parameters, comparable with the determinants of previous relevant studies. Design and Methodology -Research was carried out by surveying different segments of bicyclists, recognized in earlier conceptual contributions. Electronic data collection techniques were applied. The online questionnaire was distributed to chosen respondents in the form of the link included in a personal message on a certain social network. A personal approach ensured a high response rate. The nature of research design resulted in a descriptive research, although some of its characteristics could be considered as exploratory. Findings -This paper is the first attempt to study the Croatian segment of the bicycle tourism demand. As far as the attributes common to both national and international research are concerned, it is possible to argue the similarities and differences of demand profiles. Value -Until there is a uniform approach to monitoring the phenomenon at the European level, the profiling of demand in bicycle tourism makes it possible to compare the specific findings with current trends. This research applies a somewhat different perspective than the existing ones -enabling more insight into the cycling-related behaviour in the home area and on vacation. As part of the international demand for bicycle tourism, knowledge about the behaviour of one particular national market contributes to the general state of the research.

Development of a Cycle-Tourism Strategy in Greece Based on the Preferences of Potential Cycle-Tourists

“…For the conventional touristic business of the tourism sector, and the business offering accommodation and catering services, a detailed list of the services that would be useful for the development of cycle-tourism was compiled. Besides the above-mentioned activities and services, they do not differ significantly from what is known in the cycle-tourism literature [13,15,24,[32][33][34][35]. Cyclists want to safeguard their bicycles, to be able to repair it, to find information about cycling routes and places of interest, to find food, water and energy drinks along their route, to rest in a place offering cyclist-specific services.…”

“…The aim of the interviews was to confirm that the findings of the case studies' review are also valid in Greece, since the generalization of results in every geographical location does not necessarily consist of a good practice, risk of wrong hypotheses lurks, because of the different socio-economic, cultural, and natural characteristics of various countries [36]. Contrary to most of the case studies examined above, where the questionnaire method was exploited [13,[33][34][35], in this project, the conduction of interviews was selected. The same procedure was used in the research that took place in Denmark [32], where the researcher helped the participants in filling the questionnaires.…”

“…Finally, a more recent study conducted in 2014 in Croatia [35] underlined the main elements with which a cycle-tourist selects accommodation during an excursion. These criteria are the following according to importance: Possibility of parking or guarding a bicycle in the hotel (86% agreed with this), professional help with the repair or maintenance of the bicycle (81%), possibility of clothes washing (70%), tour services based on cycling (66%), possibility for renting a bicycle (65%), possibility for transferring the bicycle (54%), meals adapted to cyclists' needs (49%), and possibility of safekeeping the bicycle outside of the hotel they stay (39%) (some consider that the possibility of parking the bicycle must exist not only inside but also outside the hotel) [35]. Table 1 summarizes the basic conclusions of the above studies, which in total underline the importance of local entrepreneurship in the development of cycle-tourism.…”

“…Even if cycle-tourists are interested in limiting expenses for stay [13], a fact proven by the selection of cheap accommodation, however, many are those who spend a great part of their budget for accommodation [31], focusing on the existence of infrastructure, friendly to the cyclists [34,35].…”

“…The services in which cycle-tourists are more interested refer to the following [32,34,35]: Existence of hydration, bike-friendly overnight stay (with the possibility of selection from a wide range of accommodation types), travel information in their own language, meals friendly to cyclists, possibility of involvement in various outdoor or cultural activities, clean sanitary spaces, possibility of bicycle repair, maintenance, transportation, renting, and parking.…”