Outdoor recreation participants’ motivations, experiences and vacation activity preferences

Abstract

This study investigates the behavioural relationship between outdoor recreation and vacation tourism in order to facilitate the marketing of nature activities as tourism products. In determining the outdoor recreation behaviour, motivations were explored on the basis of the recreation experience preference theory, and experiences were explored on the basis of the experience economy theory. In order to determine the vacation behaviour, which is an important market segmentation variable, vacation activity preferences were investigated. The implementation was accomplished within the scope of the outdoor recreationists in Eskişehir, Turkey. The data were collected through face-to-face and web surveys and analysed with the support of structural equation modelling. As the result of the analyses suggests, significant relationships were found among outdoor recreation motivations, nature experiences and vacation activity preference structures.