Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities
Cycle Tourism Research Project
Cycle Tourism Research Project: The Research Tool Kit for the Cycle Tourism Resource Kit for Regional Communities
Chief Investigators:
- Professor John Martin, Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, La Trobe University
- Associate Professor Sue Beeton, La Trobe University
Cycle Toursim Australia (CTA) has been funded by the Australian Government's Tourism Development Program to develop a Cycle Tourism Resource Kit for Regional Communties.
CTA is aiming to provide regional communities involved with the development and maintenance of cycle trails with four Cycle Tourism Resource Kits. The fourth kit is an online research tool kit that will enable these communities 'to measure, get feedback and enhance the future of cycle tourism'. Professor Martin and Associate Professor Beeton are responsible for researching and developing Tool Kit 4: The Research Tool Kit.
This research will focus on cycle trail users who are primarily tourists - people who visit from elsewhere to enjoy the facility of the trail. Such users spend money on, for example, food, accommodation, and transport costs, and it is information on the economic impact of their visitation that this research tool kit will focus.
The aim of the research is to address two questions: What material already exists for evaluating the costs and benefits of cycle routes and trails - with a focus on tourism outcomes? And, what multipliers exist that can be used to understand the flow on benefits to regional communities?
The primary outcome of the research will be a usable research tool for individuals and communities to apply to their cycling event or general area to ascertain the economic benefits of cycle tourism. This will not only help individuals, but will provide the sector with data that is comparable over regions and states.
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