Caracterização do Turista de Levadas, Veredas e Btt no Parque Natural da Madeira

Abstract

This study characterizes the tourist who performs Mountain Bike (BTT) activities and walks in Levadas (G1) and Veredas (G2) in Madeira Natural Park. Through a survey, we collected 449 surveys from participants from 21 different nationalities. The sample was characterized (mean, standard deviation and percentage), the association between variables was tested (Chi-Square) and the differences between groups (Anova to one factor) according to the practiced activity (Post Hoc, Bonferrioni). G1 (41.5 ± 16.1 years) and G2 (42.9 ± 16.1 years) present a higher average age than BTT (36.73 ± 9.0 years); more women participated in G2 (58%) and G1 (56.8%) activities and more men in BTT (92.2%); the sample is mostly composed by foreign tourists (G1-73.4%; G2-82.3% and BTT-96.1%). In general, the sample is mostly active (between 67.5% to 89.5%), with higher education (54.1%) and performs regular physical activity (86.4%). 80.6% performs at least thirty minutes of daily physical activity. BTT practitioners are more involved in organized physical activity (98%), presenting a lower risk factor (3.9%) (USDHHS, 2018) and higher values of weekly physical activity (8.6 ± 4.9 hours), compared to G1 and G2. These data will allow address the offer to specific groups of tourists and to develop safety standards. It is necessary to deepen the study, expanding the sample and the number of routes in Levadas, paths and BTT.