Standardization of Services as Key Components of Cycling Tourism Destination Development

Abstract

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to suggest a development scenario for cycling tourism destinations in the form of a model with identified stages, stakeholders, and activities, contingent upon regional commitment and supported by EU funding. Its purpose is to evaluate the role of service standardization in cycling tourism destination development from the stakeholder perspective. Methodology – This paper uses the case study approach in capturing practical implications of reallife regional tourism development. The conceptual model is a result of the conducted study and analysis that included qualitative data from strategic documents, implemented actions, and onsite observations, as well as the opinions, attitudes, and suggestions of tourism development stakeholders. Proposed is a more general and widely applicable cycling tourism development model, built around service standardization as the key component. Findings – Not all regional stakeholders (primarily service providers) demonstrate willingness to adapt to cycling tourism standardization, regardless of the simplicity of criteria for a basic (entrance) level of standardization. Interestingly, service providers that already cater to cycling tourists (or have attempted to) and have adopted some kind of service customization are more responsive to regional standardization initiative. Research results confirm the standpoint of the conceptual model that service standardization plays a key role in cycling tourism development. Contribution – This research provides more insight into the stakeholder perspective of cycling tourism development. Capturing stakeholder behaviour and attitudes towards service standardization as part of the strategic regional tourism development model offers practical and managerial implications for destination management and other (potential) actors in cycling tourism development. Research results indicate that service standardization is the key component of the destination’s cycling tourism development model, influenced by top-down development planning, stakeholder-involvement, and collaborative efforts at each stage.

Cycling Tourism Destination Development From Local Stakeholders’ Perspective

“…The stakeholders' perception on the cycling tourism development in Krapina-Zagorje County (statement 10) is rather neutral (AM = 3,18) and is in line with a relatively low level of satisfaction with the current offering in the county (Slavić and Ivek, 2021) and obviously higher expectations. However, all stakeholder groups agree that cycling tourism is an appropriate choice for this tourist area's development (statement 8), and the perceived positive impacts seem to outweigh the navodima da cikloturizam pruža turistima mogućnost jedinstvenog iskustva u županiji (tvrdnja 9), kao i da pozitivno utječe na promicanje zdravog načina života u županiji (tvrdnja 1), te da stvara koristi za lokalnu zajednicu (tvrdnja 5) i generira pozitivan utjecaj na lokalno gospodarstvo (tvrdnja 2).…”

“…Regional cycling tourism development is based on the appropriate resource base of the region, authority commitment to cycling tourism development (having and implementing strategic documents), and stakeholder coordination, and is inevitably managed by the destination tourism authority (Slavić and Ivek, 2021), i.e., through the existence of clear guidelines and monitoring (Institute for Transport Studies, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 2019). A large number of available studies demonstrate the outside-in perspective, focusing on cycling tourism impacts, and cycling tourists' profile and behaviour (Marcussen, 2009;Lamont and Buultjens, 2011;Mrnjavac and Kovačić, i Erdoğan, 2020;Lin et al, 2020;Lőrincz, Banász i Csapó, 2020;Volker i Handy, 2021), a izostavlja perspektivu iznutra prema van, prespektivu dionika (za razliku od npr.…”

“…The reasons lie in the fact that the key campaigns to drive more intensive cycling tourism development (the construction, networking, signage and maintenance of cycling infrastructure); enhance traffic safety; improve accommodation, catering and other service facilities; and undertake intensive promotion of the entire national territory as a cycling destination (Institut za turizam, 2015:38), failed to realise their full potential. The previous research on cycling tourism in Croatia also focused on profiling cycling tourists (Kovačić, 2015), cycling tourism development planning (Brščić and Lovrečić, 2019), logistics of bicycle tourism destinations in Croatia (Slavić, 2017) and cycling tourism hotels (Slavić, 2018), as well as on cycling tourism service standardization (Slavić and Ivek, 2021).…”

“…The diversification of the Zagorje-Krapina tourism portfolio with the Zagorje Bike initiative is the outcome of systematic efforts and a vision at the regional level, but local level tourism bodies seem reluctant to cooperate with each other, and the stakeholders demonstrate low levels of satisfaction with the elements of the cycling tourism offering (Slavić and Ivek, 2021). Yet, this cycling tourism destination continues its development by supplying new amenities and infrastructure (e.g., the 'pump track' in Donja Stubica) and planning to implement promotional and quality assurance tools (e.g., branding the open-air activity offering).…”

“…The systematization of stakeholder attitudes takes into account the following categories of a cycling tourism destination offering in the county: resource base and strategic approach/documents; cycling tourism infrastructure (network); bicycle-friendly services, as well as cycling-specific (standardized) services; cycling-specific multimedia information; cycling (tourism) promotion and popularization activities; and the destination area management's (i.e., the regional tourism authority's) functions, campaigns and activities (Slavić and Ivek, 2021).…”