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The attractiveness of hiking destinations depends on landscape, infrastructure and sustainability.
The landscape of a region contributes significantly to the choice of a region.
Positive emotions are central to the development of an emotional bond between hikers.
Hikers pay particular attention to environmental pollution and overcrowding at destinations.
Summary of the study
Nature-based sports activities and hiking as a current trend are already at the center of sports destination development management. However, there is a lack of research on what makes sports destinations attractive to hikers and how these aspects influence their loyalty to the destination. This study therefore contributes to previous research by examining hikers' perceptions of the factors relevant to hiking destination attraction and retention and by considering hikers' emotions towards the destination as an underlying mechanism. Two qualitative studies, following an exploratory perspective, show that landscape, amenities and sustainability are most relevant for attraction and retention to a hiking destination. The quantitative study confirms that these factors are important for the attractiveness and development of destinations and furthermore shows that attractiveness influences hikers' emotions towards the destination and the resulting loyalty to the destination. Overall, this study contributes to the literature by considering landscape sustainability as relevant for the development of attractive destinations. The resulting findings encourage hiking destinations to develop specific products for hikers and to consider their needs in terms of nature-based and sustainable hiking products.
Key findings of this study
Landscape, facilities and sustainability are the three decisive factors that determine both the attractiveness of a hiking destination and the loyalty of hikers to the place.
The landscape, in particular the quality of the trails, mountains and panoramas, is by far the most important driver for the choice of a destination and emotional attachment.
Positive emotionsact as a central link that transforms the perceived attractiveness of the destination into an actual emotional connection to a destination.
Sustainabilityhas gained massively in importance, as hikers are particularly sensitive to pollution and overcrowding, which reduces the attractiveness of a place.