Demand for Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 124

of priorities. While access to most trails is complimentary, there may be costs
associated with using them, including fuel costs or bus fares to arrive at
trailheads or equipment expenditures if one's interest is roller-blading or
cycling. Despite some of these potential expenses, trails provide one of the
cheapest avenues for recreation and tourism. Most people's perceptions of
cost refer to entrance fees into museums, parks or historic sites rather than
the trails themselves (Hood, 1983; Thapa, 2012).

Conclusion

Besides demand for actual pathways and routes, there is significant
demand for other services that help create the trail experience. For example,
in 1996, three-fifths of all nights on the Coast to Coast Cycle Route were
spent in bed and breakfast establishments. Some 21% were spent in camping
grounds, while 12% were spend in youth hostels (Cope et al. , 1998). As may
be expected, for long-distance hiking and wilderness tracks, camping is the
most used lodging type (Daigle et al. , 1994; Spencer et al. , 1999). Other types
of lodging tend to be more closely associated with urban trails, scenic byways
or heritage railways. This chapter has not examined these ancillary services
in detail. Rather, they will be highlighted in more depth in the economic
impacts discussion in the next chapter.
This chapter set out to address the demand for trails and routes. Figure
4.5 models the influences on demand, including general trends in demand for

Characteriscs
of trail users

Elements of
locaon

Demand
for trails &
routes

Experience,
enjoyment,
sasfacon

Trail uses

General trends
in demand

Barriers to
use

Figure 4.5 Factors shaping demand for trails and routes