Off-road cycling as a vehicle for developing active countryside tourism Neil Ormerod Active Countryside Tourism Conference, 23-25 January 2013, Leeds Understanding specific sub groups of active countryside tourists

Project Background Collaboration between the University of Exeter and 1 South West Cycle Adventure to research the economic value of off-road cycling 1SW is a multi agency partnership originating from a 2006 feasibility study: ‘Developing Off-Road Cycling In Woodlands Across the South West’. Through this partnership a number of off-road cycling facilities are being developed across the South West, with the aim of creating an off-road cycling region Project background slide, introducing CASE Studentship and project partner 1SW.

1 South West Off-road Cycling Region Overview slide of the 1SW Off-road cycling region. Simple map graphic highlighting the regional scale of development.

Project Aims and Objectives To develop a dedicated method for better capturing the economic benefit to regional tourism of adventurous off-road cycling facilities To establish the strength of case of this activity as a regional tourism ‘attractor’ Identify and Assess the relative merits of the current range of economic assessment ‘technologies’ used in tourism analysis Examine variations among visitors; and develop guidance notes to inform future policy-related research Develop, implement and appraise survey instruments to capture the economic value of off-road cycling in the South West Produce an estimate of the current economic impact of off-road cycling Slide outlining the project aims and objectives. Moving on from the previous slide looking at the wider context, this slide focuses on my CASE studentship and it’s purpose. Each aim and objective will be covered, but it will be explained that this presentation will mainly focus on the fourth objective – Examining variations among visitors.

Contextual slide which shows examples of other off-road cycling developments which are taking place in the UK. This demonstrates that the 1SW trails are not an isolated development. It also puts into context the growth of off-road cycling trails as an active countryside recreation facility. I will also use this slide to highlight why research into off-road cycling is important.

Research Context In the last decade significant public investment in new off-road cycling facilities has taken place The impact of these developments on the tourism and leisure economy has received relatively little attention within the academic literature, notable exceptions include: (Siderelis and Moore, 1995; Fix and Loomis, 1998; Morey, Buchanan and Waldman, 2002) This study will provide a detailed evaluation of the extent to which these new facilities impact on the tourism and leisure economy Addresses knowledge gap between the value tourists place on these destinations and their economic impact

Methodology Large-scale questionnaire survey of off-road cyclists Qualitative Interviews In-depth interviews with respondents recruited through questionnaire survey Cluster Analysis Identify variations among visitors Travel Cost Analysis Uncover the hidden participation costs Economic Analysis Quantify economic impact and value Framework Analysis Insight through interviews Methodology slide, showing the methods used to meet each of my objectives. An overview of each method will be provided, highlighting how each will be used to answer the research question. It will be explained that this presentation will focus on the first method – cluster analysis which was used to identify specific sub-groups of off-road cyclists.

Sample size Calculation Seasonal Stratification Weekly Stratification Sampling Strategy Site Choice Evaluation Sample size Calculation Seasonal Stratification Weekly Stratification Daily Usage Analysis Stratified sampling using LineTop automatic trail count data Piloted at the Forest of Dean, November 2011 Haldon Forest Park selected for main survey Comprehensive survey instrument containing 51 questions Total Survey days = 25 Response Rate = 97% (486 final sample) Sampling strategy slide. This slide provides an overview of my large-scale questionnaire survey used to collect my quantitative data. An explanation of my sample stratification using LineTop data will be provided together with a description of my method for choosing my survey site. Other aspects of my survey such as incentives will be briefly covered.

On-site Questionnaire Survey Photo slide showing the questionnaire survey in action. This is designed to give the audience an idea of what the survey looked like on the ground. I will briefly describe my experience of surveying off-road cyclists, and highlight interesting points within the photos.

Exploratory Cluster Analysis Cluster analysis used to identify variations among visitors (Objective 4) Multivariate technique used to group articles based on their individual characteristics (Hair et al, 1998) Aim - for the cases within the cluster to be as similar to each other as possible and as dissimilar to the cases in the other clusters as possible Cluster analysis piloted on 50% of the data and then repeated on whole dataset to test result Question Number Cluster Variate 25 Where do you prefer to cycle? 16 Did you bring your own bike? 27 How long have you been cycling off-road? 34 Last year did you ride at any other UK trail centre sites?

Cluster Wheel Cluster wheel. This slide provides a graphical representation of my 6 cluster solution. I will provide an overview of my solution and each of the clusters. I will also explain why the cluster sample size is less than the total sample size due to the difference in valid responses for the cluster variate, this will be described in terms of a research limitation. Due to the limited time available I will only provide an overview of this data, but I will explain that this technique has proved to be a useful tool for segmenting a group which is characterised by its homogeneity, and that each cluster has been examined in greater detail and combined with my economic analysis. The wheel provides a clear visual representation of my solution and complements the research theme.

6 Cluster Solution Active Trail Centre Explorers Non Bike Owners 1 2 3 4 5 6 Active Trail Centre Explorers Non Bike Owners Active Off-road Explorers Cycle Path Adventurers New Trail Centre Riders Active Trail Centred Where do you prefer to cycle? Trail Centres 100% Bridleways 63% Cycle Paths 90% Did you bring your own bike? Yes No How long have been cycling off-road? More than a year 79% Less than a year 96% Last year did you ride at any other UK trail centre sites? 66% 52% 69%

Summary This study investigates a relatively new form of recreation facility, and provides a detailed insight into the impacts of purpose-built off-road cycling facilities on the tourism and leisure economy Working in partnership with 1SW provides a rare opportunity to establish detailed baseline data for a new off-road cycling development The study also has a number of practical management and policy implications, and could help inform the development of future off-road cycling facilities and countryside recreation policy Summary slide. This is the final slide in the presentation, and it summarises my experience of researching off-road cyclists as a sub-group of active countryside tourists. I will highlight things that I have learnt from my study and how my approach has proved effective at addressing the research problem.

Thank you – any questions? Research presented here was conducted during an ESRC Studentship under its Capacity Building Clusters Award (RES-187-24-0002) in partnership with 1 South West Cycle Adventure. For more information about this project and the work of the Centre for Sport, Leisure and Tourism research, see www.ex.ac.uk/slt/ourresearch/economicimpactofoff-roadbiking/ Neil S. Ormerod, n.s.ormerod@exeter.ac.uk