Outdoor recreation: the reasons and carried benefits for attending outdoor sports of the participants of cycling and/or trekking activities

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the reasons and carried benefits for attending outdoor sports of the participants of cycling and/or trekking activities.

Sampling group is formed by stratified sampling and is 140 participants of cycling activities (_age= 41.21±12.44) from the 200 participants who attendance to Bike Festival in Gökova/Muğla and Kapadokya/Nevşehir in 2010 and 201 participants of (_age= 43,82±14.01) trekking activities who were totally 600 participants attendance to trekking activities in Antalya in June and July.

Research purpose is due diligence and a questionnaire form which have 34 questions are used to collect necessary data. To find out the demographics information, the reasons and the benefits for attending outdoor activities, there were three groups of question in questionnaire form. Descriptive statistic methods are used for evaluations and representation of data.  

As a result of this study we found that majority of the participant of the cycling and trekking activities are retired, usually prefer to joint the activities with friends or alone, have middle income, graduated from university, started to outdoor activities with the advice of their friends, have been attending for 1-5 years, share the information about activities through friends by internet.

They join outdoor activities; to defragment to nature, to have healthy, to relax, to unwind, to escape from sameness and boredom. By joining outdoor activities they felt; well pleased, healthier, powerfully, relaxed and refreshed