Analyses of determinants of hiking tourism demands on the Jeju Olle hiking trail using zero-truncated negative binomial regression analysis

Abstract

This study identified the determinants of hiking tourism demands to bridge the gap resulting from the absence of evidence in the tourism literature. The main survey was administered through personal interviews with hikers on the Jeju Olle hiking trail in South Korea. The study adopted zero-truncated negative binomial regression analysis to estimate accurately the demands of hikers who have visited the trail at least once. The results indicated that the frequency of visits to the trail decreases by 49% when hikers set a premium on their tour experience of one unit. The visit frequency of tourists who value recreation on the trail was 1.8 times higher than that of tourists who do not. The results will assist trail authorities in allocating budgets, prioritizing the improvement and maintenance of facilities and services, and providing tailored services and facilities to hikers.