Demand for Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 112

case in crowded cities where parking is difficult to find and where backed-up
rush-hour traffic increases travel time significantly. Finally, with the more
pervasive social adoption of sustainability principles in recent years, increas-
ing numbers of commuters are accepting responsibility for environmental
stewardship. In many cases, this translates into increased use of trails and
greenways for transportation because of its potential to reduce individual
carbon footprints and offset the times when commuters have to use their
cars or public transport (Shafer et al. , 2000).

Experience, Enjoyment and Satisfaction

The seminal work of Pine and Gilmore (1999), which suggested that ser-
vices can be re-packaged and presented as experiences, has much to offer
tourism today, and in the context of this topic, people's engagement with
making use of trails and routes. Today's travelers desire experiences that
extend beyond the idea of just services, to that which is memorable and per-
sonal to them, leaving them with lasting sensations. Table 4.10 illustrates the
distinctions between offering services versus experiences.
According to Pine and Gilmore (1999), experiences may fall into four
distinct realms: entertainment, educational, esthetic and escapist, and these
realms are dependent on where these experiences are located along two
dimensions: (1) whether the experience requires passive or active participa-
tion; and (2) whether the experience results in the absorption or immersion
of the participant (Figure 4.4). Applying their thinking to trail use, it could
be argued that participation in trails involves some degree of escapism but
also a willingness to learn, especially if the route is marked with interpre-
tive panels and offers stops along the way to other places of interest.
Collectively, the trail user is both absorbed and immersed in a form of active

Table 4.10 Economic distinction between goods, services and experiences

Economic offering Goods/products Services Experiences

Economy Industrial Service Experience

Economic function Make Deliver Stage

Nature of offering Tangible Intangible Memorable

Key attribute Standardized Customized Personal

Method of supply Inventoried after

production

Delivered on
demand

Revealed over
duration

Seller Manufacturer Provider Stager

Buyer User Client Guest

Factors of demand Features Benefi ts Sensations

Source: Based on Pine and Gilmore (1998: 98).