Written by Edmund Suryadharma
People around the world have always preferred recreational activities that relax their physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. Cycling has been one of these activities. It was and still is used for transportation and sporting purposes. Bicycle tourism in many cities and regions have been developing overtime into a tourist attraction in themselves. Despite this increase of interest, there has never been a study on the motivating factors that attract tourists to bicycle tourism.
The 2018 research paper on bicycle tourism in Çanakkale, Turkey, by Duran, Sevinc, and Hartman aim to explore this topic. Çanakkale possesses great bicycle tourism potential due to its geography, natural beauty, history, and culture. As a college town, Çanakkale houses significant numbers of educators, professionals, and retirees. The study was done using qualitative analysis, via recorded interview. Content analysis was then done to analyse the interview results.
The study finds that most cyclists interviewed in Çanakkale place high importance in cycling. Some see cycling as a means of social interaction with fellow citizens. They see cycling as having a great potential in the future of tourism in Çanakkale. They see the inadequate cycling infrastructure in the city as a barrier to better cycling tourism in the city.
Reference:
Duran, E., Sevinc, F., & Harman, S. (2018, October). CYCLE TOURISM AS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN CANAKKALE, TURKEY. JOURNAL OF AWARENESS, 3(4).
