A case study of the US mountain bike tourism market

Communities and regions throughout the United States are investing in the development and enhancement of requisite resources to leverage the growth of mountain bike tourism. However, an understanding of mountain bike tourists' demographics, travel patterns, trip behaviors, and expenditures is lacking, thereby hampering product and market development efforts. The purpose of this study was to explore the demographics, travel preferences, and travel behaviors of US mountain bike tourists. Through an online survey hosted on a popular mountain bike website, a sample of US mountain bike tourists (N = 810) was gathered. Data revealed that mountain bike tourists are predominately middle-aged affluent males who take an average of five short-break trips annually of about 400 miles per trip during the spring and summer months, and in the process spend approximately US$400 per trip. Stemming from the results, implications for mountain bike tourism development are discussed.