Article

Bicycle tourism as an opportunity for re-creation and restoration?

Investigating the motivations of bike ride participants

Bicycle tourism is a growing and important niche tourism market, however there has been a lack of research in Australasia. Furthermore, research on the motivations of cycle tourists participating in events using leisure theory has not been examined to date, and is a major omission in existing sport tourism research. This paper outlines part of a PhD study which examines the motivations of cycle tourism event
participants using Beard and Ragheb’s (1983) Leisure Motivation Scale, to investigate if participants’ motivations include opportunities for re-creation and restoration. A total of 749 Great Victorian Bike Ride participants were surveyed after the event to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The analysis using the Leisure Motivation Scale found 4 factors labelled competence mastery, stimulus avoidance, intellectual and social, confirming Beard and Ragheb’s (1983) initial dimensions. Qualitative data
highlighted the importance of social interaction, personal challenge and health/fitness, important motives for re-creation and restoration. Differences in motives were found to exist by respondent socio- demographics, ride history, skill level and likelihood to recommend the ride to others. Implications are made concerning future cycle tourism and sport tourism motivational research, as well as practical recommendations for managers based on the research results.

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