Abstract
The popularity of off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation has increased substantially in recent decades in the USA. The purpose of this study is to address the question of whether it might be a viable tourism strategy to position European destinations for such OHV recreationists. This study conducted a national survey of OHV recreationists in the U.S. The key finding is that 68.3 percent of those who have not previously ridden in Europe either strongly agree or somewhat agree that they would like to experience OHV riding in Europe if they had the time and money. Of those who had previously ridden in Europe, 100 percent either strongly agree or somewhat agree that they would like to return to Europe for more riding. Furthermore, this study finds that those with an interest in riding in Europe record an increased importance in the quantity of trail miles / large size of the OHV attraction in comparison to those with little or no interest in riding in Europe. These preliminary findings suggest that future research is warranted to further explore whether it could be worthwhile for European destinations to actively attract this large and growing segment of recreationists.
Highlights
In the past several decades, off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation has experienced tremendous growth in popularity in the USA (Hughes and Paveglio, 2019; Jakus, Keith, Liu, and Blahna, 2010; Kil, Holland, and Stein, 2012). This sector is characterized by the use of a variety of motorized vehicles [all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), jeeps, motorbikes, quads, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), snowmobiles, trucks] to ride off public roads and often on unpaved surfaces
A total of 313 responses were collected by placing a nationwide call for those who participate in recreational OHV tourism outings
In terms of previous experience, 5.6 percent of OHV recreationists in the U.S who responded to this survey reported experience riding in Europe
Summary
In the past several decades, off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation has experienced tremendous growth in popularity in the USA (Hughes and Paveglio, 2019; Jakus, Keith, Liu, and Blahna, 2010; Kil, Holland, and Stein, 2012). This sector is characterized by the use of a variety of motorized vehicles [all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), jeeps, motorbikes, quads, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), snowmobiles, trucks] to ride off public roads and often on unpaved surfaces. The large demographic cohort of baby boomers in the U.S with both discretionary time and income is aging and is, increasingly limited in exploring natural areas through other recreational modes [hiking/bicycling/paddling/skiing] (Kil, Holland, and Stein, 2012) leaving OHV riding as a viable option
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