Research Gets Pedal Power

New research into the economic impact of Cycle Tourism in the Southern Flinders Ranges has begun. An application was made to the Federal Government’s Regional and Rural Research and Development Grant Program to fund the research.

New research into the economic impact of Cycle Tourism in the Southern Flinders Ranges has begun.

The Southern Flinders Ranges has for almost a decade encouraged Cycle Tourists to come to the region, with fantastic trails for all types of cyclists. From research in other areas, Cycle Tourists have been found to stay longer and spend more than general tourists, and the Southern Flinders Ranges has the right topography for cyclists to enjoy.

Recently the University of South Australia’s Centre for Regional Engagement conducted a Preliminary Report into the Economic Impact of Cycle Tourism in the Southern Flinders Ranges. This report used data gathered from the Southern Flinders Ranges Visitor Survey to get a snapshot of the economic impact Cycle Tourism is having in the region. Some report findings were consistent with other areas; for example it was found that Cycle Tourists stay longer in the region than other tourists (7 nights compared with 5 nights).

To better understand how much cycle tourists are spending in the region, a full report was proposed. A full research report will give more precise figures of economic impact, as well as identify product gaps and opportunities for development in the region.

An application was made to the Federal Government’s Regional and Rural Research and Development Grant Program to fund the research. This week Tourism Development Officer for the Southern Flinders Regional Tourism Authority Stephen Schwer was told the application was successful.

‘The $8,700 we have been granted will go towards gathering the information needed to produce a full economic impact report’ Mr. Schwer said. ‘We are really excited about getting the grant – we want to know what we can do to increase our return from Cycle Tourism in the region, and what opportunities we need to develop to keep Cycle Tourists coming back. We have some amazing trails, and we keep getting comments about how good the cycling is in the region. This grant will help us stay ahead of other Cycle Tourism destinations’.

The Southern Flinders Ranges hosts many cycling events. With the Outback Odyssey, Inside Line Downhill Competition, 18 Hours of Melrose and Welly’s BMX Comp already having taken place this year, there is still the Fat Tyre Festival, Tour Up Over and Kona Mawson MTB Marathon to come, plus many others. The report will help tourism planners in the region understand the economic impact of these and other Cycle Tourism strategies.

Dr. Doris Schmalleger (author of the preliminary report and researcher for the full report), from the University of South Australia’s Centre for Regional Engagement, is happy to research can go ahead.

‘Our preliminary study on cycle tourism in the Southern Flinders Ranges has shown that cycle tourists have considerable potential to be a high-yield niche market. They have higher than average household incomes, they stay longer in the region than non-cycle tourists, and have higher total trip expenditures. We still need to collect more data from cycle tourists to get a better understanding of the economic impact that cycle tourism has on the region and to be able to make better estimates about the size of the market, visitor expenditure and regional dispersal.’

Surveys will be conducted at cycling events over the next few months to gather the information needed to produce the report.

Media Contact:

Stephen Schwer
Southern Flinders Regional Tourism Authority
Ph. 0428 890 340
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Released by:

Stephen Schwer
Southern Flinders Regional Tourism Authority

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