Despite the fact that horse-based tourism is very popular on the high-impact recreational activity, this research field was given only little attention so far. Although, motivation theories have been related to jobs and tourism in general, little is known about the target groups of equestrian tourists. The purpose of this study is to investigate in how far Landsmót becomes responsible for the German Icelandic horse community's motivation to visit Iceland. Thereby, an emphasis is placed on the individual's motivation that decides about the visit to Landsmót, and the resulting impact on their final travel decision. To identify correlations between tourist motivation and destination choice, the study is based on a cross-sectional explanatory research purpose, using a mixed-model research method which consists of a survey and an archival research. In order to answer those research questions, a questionnaire was developed which comprises responses from 222 German Icelandic horse community members. Overall, this study provides a background, and status quo for further specific investigations that concern the travel behaviour of the Icelandic horse community in Germany.

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Tourism - Miscellaneous, grade: 2,6, Heidelberg International Business Academy, language: English, abstract: Despite the fact that horse-based tourism is popular as a high-impact recreational activity, this research field has received little attention. Although motivation theories have been related to jobs and tourism in general, little is known about the target groups of equestrian tourists. The purpose of this study is to investigate, how the Landsmót affect the motivation of the German Icelandic Horse community regarding their decision to travel to Iceland. Special focus was put on their individual motivation to visit the Landsmót and the resulting impact on their final travel decision. To identify correlations between tourist motivation and destination choice, the study is based on a cross-sectional explanatory research purpose, using a mixed-model research method which consists of a survey and an archival research. Responses from 222 German Icelandic Horse community members were used in order to answer the research questions. The results illustrate, regardless of gender, that equestrian tourists of the German Icelandic Horse community were mostly motivated by entertainment and aesthetic needs, rather than escape or self-esteem. However, comparisons based on the colonial cup race study by Daniels and Norman (2005) show significant differences in the motivation need of group affiliation. No direct correlation exists between the travel motivation of the Icelandic Horse community of Germany and the Landsmót. Despite its significant publicity among the German Icelandic Horse community, it is not part of the process of choosing this destination because of this special horse-based event. According to that the Landsmót it is not the determining factor for choosing Iceland as a travel destination. Nevertheless, this study provides a background and status quo for further specific investigations, regarding the travel behaviour of Icelandic Horse Community of Germany.

Horses are perhaps the most common non-human animal to feature in planned events, but although there is considerable research on equestrian sport, there is virtually none on equestrian events. This book begins to address this gap, using the National Championships of the Icelandic Horse as an extended case study to explain in depth the process of managing an event, as well as the larger theoretical implications of events management. Drawing on diverse viewpoints and theoretical perspectives, the book draws wider comparisons to connect events management to larger themes in the social sciences, such as human-animal relations; nationalism; place branding; event impacts; event experience; and inclusion and exclusion. The book is a contribution to two fields. In relation to human-animal studies, it focuses on how the Icelandic horse breed is marketed and celebrated through top-tier competition; whereas from an events management perspective, it considers the role of the event in community building, the practical and theoretical aspects of running a sustainable equestrian event, and the issues that arise in multispecies event contexts.

Despite the fact that horse-based tourism is very popular on the high-impact recreational activity, this research field was given only little attention so far. Although, motivation theories have been related to jobs and tourism in general, little is known about the target groups of equestrian tourists. The purpose of this study is to investigate in how far Landsmot becomes responsible for the German Icelandic horse community's motivation to visit Iceland. Thereby, an emphasis is placed on the individual's motivation that decides about the visit to Landsmot, and the resulting impact on their final travel decision. To identify correlations between tourist motivation and destination choice, the study is based on a cross-sectional explanatory research purpose, using a mixed-model research method which consists of a survey and an archival research. In order to answer those research questions, a questionnaire was developed which comprises responses from 222 German Icelandic horse community members. Overall, this study provides a background, and status quo for further specific investigations that concern the travel behaviour of the Icelandic horse community in Germany.

This book examines both how tourist behavior is being shaped by the new tourism products and segments that are appearing on the European market and how the tourist experience influences post-trip evaluation of destinations and of tourism and hospitality businesses. On this basis, practical implications and recommendations are highlighted that will help destination management organizations to improve the performance of their destinations and particular businesses. The first part of the book explores visitor engagement with a range of new products relating to sports activities and events, city tourism, wine tourism, and youth tourism. In the second part, the focus is primarily on the ways in which tourist experiences influence subsequent trip recommendations, revisiting attitudes, and reviewing behavior on social media. Other topics to be addressed include the factors affecting tourism expenditure on accommodation in World Heritage Cities and the impacts of experience on the motivation of participants in recreational sports tourism events. The book will be of interest for researchers, industry professionals, under- and postgraduate students, and others who wish to learn about new trends in tourist behavior and emerging tourism products.

This edited volume demonstrates the broader socio-cultural context for individual human-horse relations and equestrian practices by documenting the international value of equines; socially, culturally, as subjects of academic study and as drivers of public policy. It broadens our understanding of the importance of horses to humans by providing case studies from an unprecedented diversity of cultures. The volume is grounded in the contention that the changing status of equines reveals - and moves us to reflect on - important material and symbolic societal transformations ushered in by (post)modernity which affect local and global contexts alike. Through a detailed consideration of the social relations and cultural dimensions of equestrian practices across several continents, this volume provides readers with an understanding of the ways in which interactions with horses provide global connectivity with localized identities, and vice versa. It further discusses new frontiers in the research on and practice of equestrianism, framed against global megatrends and local micro-trends.