Environmental factors, tourism attributes and satisfaction of tourists in CALABARZON: Basis for a bicycle tourism development plan

1 Introduction

Bicycle tourism is a specialized segment where the bicycle is the primary mode of transport for leisure and recreation, attracting tourists with health, fitness, adventure, culture, gastronomy, and rural experiences. The study targets CALABARZON (Region IV-A) to propose a bicycle tourism development plan, by assessing CALABARZON’s bicycle tourism attributes, environmental factors, and cyclists’ satisfaction, revisit intention, and recommendation intention. Theoretical anchors include the Four A’s of bicycle tourism—attractions, accessibility, amenities, and ancillary services—and the Theory of Planned Behavior to interpret satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The Philippine literature shows limited empirical work on bicycle tourism, especially in CALABARZON, prompting this regional analysis. A quantitative design was adopted, with instruments adapted from Disimulacion (2023) and related works, to derive empirical evidence for destination development. The study used descriptive distributions for demographics and inferential tests (T test for unequal variances, Kruskal–Wallis H, and Spearman-rho) to examine differences and relationships among bicycle tourism attributes, environmental factors, and satisfaction; regression was employed to assess the influence of attributes and environmental factors on satisfaction. The study collected data from N = 415 bicycle tourists, supporting an assessment of CALABARZON’s potential as a bicycle destination and informing a development plan.

2 Methods

The study employed a descriptive correlational method. The sampling plan used the Raosoft calculator with parameters set to a margin of error of 5 ext{ exttt{ extpercent}}, a confidence level of 95 ext{ extpercent}}, and a response distribution of 50 ext{ extpercent}}, yielding a minimum sample size of n = 384. A total of N = 415 responses were gathered across Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (with provincial counts of 43, 23, 146, 100, 73 respectively). The instrument integrated four parts: (1) demographic profile; (2) bicycle tourism attributes (tourist attractions, accessibility, amenities, and complimentary services) adapted from Han et al. (2017) and related work; (3) environmental factors (natural environment, built environment, social environment, and road network characteristics) drawn from Bakogiannis et al. (2020); and (4) bike tourist satisfaction (satisfaction, intention to revisit, and intention to recommend). Face validation, content validation by experts, and a pilot test (n = 36) established reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha values including tourist attractions ext{α} = 0.941, amenities ext{α} = 0.932, complimentary services ext{α} = 0.976; natural environment ext{α} = 0.840, built environment ext{α} = 0.939, social environment ext{α} = 0.913, road network characteristics ext{α} = 0.957; satisfaction ext{α} = 0.962, desire ext{α} = 0.946, and loyalty ext{α} = 0.957. Ethical considerations followed, including voluntary participation, informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, and avoidance of deception, with surveys administered when cyclists were resting and allowed to withdraw.

3 Results and Discussion

Table 1 profile the distribution of respondents: the majority were male 84.3 ext{ extpercent}, single 64.3 ext{ extpercent}, and primarily aged 26-41 ext{ extpercent}; most had less than one year of bicycling experience ( 58.3 ext{ extpercent} ); mountain bikes were the most regularly used ( 49.9 ext{ extpercent} ); health and fitness was the main biking motive ( 43.4 ext{ extpercent} ); the common biking companion was bike group members ( 56.6 ext{ extpercent} ); and 50.4 ext{ extpercent} reported 10 or more biking trips per year.

Table 2 (Bicycle Tourism Attributes) shows aggregate attitudes toward CALABARZON as a bicycle destination: tourist attractions earned the highest mean score of 3.94 (overall), followed by accessibility 3.83, amenities 3.80, and complimentary services 3.74. The top indicator was tourist attractions (mean 4.39); the lowest was complimentary services (mean 3.74), reflecting limited on-ground services despite strong attractions.

Table 3 (Environmental Factors) reports the natural environment as the strongest factor (mean 4.05), followed closely by social environment 4.04, with built environment 3.86 and road network characteristics 3.83 receiving comparatively lower support. The overall environmental factors mean is 3.95. The natural environment and social environment emerge as the principal motivators for biking in CALABARZON, while infrastructure-related elements (built environment and road networks) receive more mixed evaluations due to reported safety and sharing concerns on roads.

Table 4 (Bike Tourists’ Satisfaction) indicates high satisfaction and strong revisit/recommendation intentions: satisfaction 4.23, intention to revisit 4.41, and intention to recommend 4.40; the overall satisfaction-related mean is 4.34. Notably, intention to revisit was the highest single indicator, suggesting willingness to re-explore CALABARZON’s cycling routes and experiences, even as practitioners address factors influencing total satisfaction.

Table 5 summarizes differences in bicycle tourism attributes by respondent profile. Several profiles yield significant differences across attributes: gender affects accessibility (p = 0.002) and complimentary services (p = 0.001); marital status shows singles rating tourist attractions (p = 0.000), accessibility (p = 0.005), and amenities (p = 0.001); age (ages 26-41) shows higher evaluations across all attributes (p-values < 0.001); those with less than one year of biking experience rate attractions, accessibility, and complimentary services higher (p = 0.000); mountain bike users rate attractions, accessibility, and complementary services higher (p = 0.000); health and fitness as main biking reason correlates with higher ratings on attractions, accessibility, amenities, and complimentary services (p-values < 0.01); biking with bike groups yields higher ratings across attributes (p-values < 0.01); and those biking 10+ times yearly rate attractions, accessibility, and complimentary services higher (p-values < 0.01).

Table 6 presents differences in environmental factors by profile. Gender shows a higher evaluation of road network characteristics for males (p = 0.024). Singles rate natural environment higher (p = 0.027). Age group 26-41 reports higher evaluations for natural environment (p = 0.035), built environment (p = 0.003), social environment (p = 0.005), and road network characteristics (p = 0.026). Those with less than one year of biking experience favor natural environment (p = 0.001), built environment (p = 0.000), and road network characteristics (p = 0.005). Mountain bikes correlate with higher road network evaluation (p = 0.000). Main biking motive of health/fitness links to higher assessments across natural, built, social, and road factors (p-values 0.029, 0.000, 0.002, 0.000 respectively). Group biking relates to higher environmental ratings across all factors (p-values < 0.001). Participants biking 10+ times per year show higher evaluation of built environment (p = 0.000) and road network characteristics (p = 0.015).

Table 7 shows the differences in bike tourists’ satisfaction by profile. Males report higher satisfaction (p = 0.011). Single respondents express greater intention to revisit (p = 0.000) and to recommend (p = 0.000). Younger riders exhibit higher satisfaction (p = 0.038) and higher intentions to revisit (p = 0.000) and to recommend (p = 0.000). Bicycling experience does not significantly affect satisfaction or intentions. Mountain bike users show higher satisfaction (p = 0.009), higher revisit intention (p = 0.027), and higher recommendation intention (p = 0.009). Those biking for health and fitness report higher satisfaction (p = 0.016). Biking with a usual group correlates with higher satisfaction (p = 0.007). Finally, individuals biking 10+ times/year report higher satisfaction (p = 0.000) and higher revisit intention (p = 0.018).

Table 8 outlines a Bicycle Tourism Development Plan for CALABARZON with Strategy and Action Plan elements. Two main strands are identified: (i) Bicycle Tourism Attributes including complimentary services to enhance tourist safety and security, and (ii) Environmental Factors including road network characteristics to ensure smooth and safe cycling conditions. Specific activities include assuring readily available assistance in accidents or medical emergencies (leading agencies: Region IV-A tourism office and local offices) and prioritizing road surface maintenance (lead agencies: provincial tourism offices, Region IV-A, DPW, with potential shuttle sponsorships). The plan also addresses improving bicycle tourist satisfaction through active feedback collection (leading agencies: provincial offices, Region IV-A, transport groups). Success indicators include reduced serious incidents, increased cross-profile cycling, improved perceived safety, and higher organic word-of-mouth referrals.

4 Conclusions and Recommendations

The study characterizes CALABARZON’s typical bicycle tourist as male, single, aged between 26 and 41, with less than one year of biking experience, using a mountain bike primarily for health and fitness, often biking in groups and taking 10+ trips per year. Attractions emerge as the most appealing feature, and the natural environment is the strongest environmental motivator. Significant differences in bicycle tourism attributes and environmental factors across profile groups and positive relationships among attributes, environmental factors, and satisfaction support the case for CALABARZON as a bicycle destination. A collaborative development plan is proposed, emphasizing partnerships among government offices, the private sector, and academia to create tailored itineraries and services for diverse segments (e.g., women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, seniors, experienced bikers, commuters, and users of niche bikes such as bamboo or electric models). Improvements suggested include shaded rest areas with water, clean restrooms, bike parking, and showers along routes, along with better signage and safety measures. Standardized facilities and community-led maintenance are recommended to promote sustainability. The plan advocates promoting unique routes that link cultural and historical sites (e.g., Angono-Binanongan Petroglyphs) via social media, and prioritizing infrastructure enhancements, safety, and new events to position CALABARZON as a premier mountain-bike destination. Future research should cover bike rentals, technology integration, safety mechanisms, sustainability practices, driver awareness, satisfaction measurement, event design, grants, tourism statistics, and inter-agency collaboration.

5 References

The article cites a broad literature base on bicycle tourism, including works on sustainable bicycle tourism guidelines, destination image and loyalty, bikeability factors, and regional cyclist behavior across multiple countries. A complete reference list is provided in the source document for readers seeking detailed sources and methodology foundations.