Contribution to an anthology
Volume1
Year of publication: 2025
Authors:Eilzer, Christian, Harms, Tim, Weis, Rebekka
05.2024 - 12.2025
As hiking has grown in popularity since the late 1990s, many hiking regions have seen investments in infrastructure, the development of offerings for various target groups, and increased implementation of quality standards. Hiking is also being viewed as a development opportunity by regions that were previously less associated with the activity. In addition to low mountain ranges—Germany’s “classic” hiking regions—other regions, landscapes, and terrains are increasingly coming to the fore in terms of hiking. Interest in different types of terrain appears to be diverse among the German population: people hike along coastlines, in lowland areas, in low mountain ranges, and in high mountain ranges.
But where do hikers go most often? Is that also where they prefer to hike—or would they rather hike somewhere else? Do the frequency of hiking or the reasons for hiking influence the choice of terrain? The DI Tourismusforschung addressed these and other questions in 2024 through a Germany-wide representative survey (n = 1,882 respondents).
Existing studies and research on the most frequently and most preferred hiking terrains show a wide range of results, which may be due in part to differences in methodology, but also to changes over time. However, all studies indicate that active hikers are open to hiking in a wide variety of terrains. The objective of this project is to use a representative online survey to determine the terrains in which hikers most frequently and most preferentially hike during their vacations and leisure time. One focus of the study is on the motivations that influence the choice of hiking terrain. The population of interest consists of German-speaking residents aged 16 to 75 living in private households. Quota sampling was applied based on gender and age (cross-quota), place of residence (federal state), and educational attainment.