Geographical Analysis of Cycling Tourism in the Czech Part of the Giant Mountains

Geografická analýza cykloturistiky v českej časti Krkonôš

Artur Boháč, Jan Zamastil

In: Geografické informácie (Geographical Information), Ročník (Volume) 28, Číslo (Issue) 1, 2024, p. 36-51, ISSN 1337-9453

DOI: 10.17846/GI.2024.28.1.36-51

Abstract

The paper researches the topic on the border between tourism geography and transport geography. It focuses on the geographical distribution of cycling tourism in the Giant Mountains, the highest mountain range in Czechia, which is a popular destination for predominantly Czech tourists. In several localities of the mountains, signs of overtourism were found by previous research, but they were mostly related to walking tourists. The authors aim to discover traces of overtourism connected to cycling, which is growing in popularity, in addition to general characteristics of realization factors and trends in the region. They primarily take into account spatial and time criteria. The text is anchored in classic theories of the geography of tourism and also works with the concept of overtourism. The authors use various methods containing work with maps and statistics, observation and quantitative and qualitative research. Observation was conducted during the summer of 2023, and questioning was done in the spring of 2024. The results indicate that cycling tourism in the region is an insignificant source of overtourism in general. However, it can contribute to this phenomenon in specific localities and shared pedestrian and cycle routes. The text has been amended with graphic, map, and photo additions.

Keywords: bicycle touring, cycling routes, Giant Mountains, Czechia, tourist infrastructure, overtourism

FULL TEXT