Cross-country skiing by Quebecers and where they practice: towards ‘dwelling’ outdoor recreational tourism

ABSTRACT

The notions of experience and ownership of practice areas have become central to the interpretation of different contemporary recreational events. The relationship to nature, the ‘wild’ character of certain landscapes or the authentic look of different places are now elements used by the tourism industry to promote various outdoor recreational areas. However, few studies have attempted to investigate this tourism issue through environmental psychology and the ‘dwelling’ concept, which logically comes down to a place of consumption, attachment, identity and social recognition. This article will present, through a quantitative methodological structure centred on a survey using questionnaires conducted among cross-country skiers (n = 829), the type and practical arrangements that influence the perceptual relationships the skier has with his environment.

RÉSUMÉ

Les notions d’expérience et d’appropriation des espaces de pratique sont devenues centrales dans l’interprétation de différents phénomènes récréatifs contemporains. La relation à la nature, le caractère « sauvage » de certains paysages ou encore l’aspect authentique de différents lieux sont désormais des éléments utilisés par le domaine touristique pour promouvoir divers espaces de loisir de plein air. Toutefois peu d’études ont cherché à investiguer cette problématique touristique par l’entremise de la psychologie environnementale et du concept « d’habiter » qui renvoient autant à des logiques de consommation d’un lieu qu’à des formes d’attachement et de reconnaissance identitaire et sociale. Ainsi cet article vise à présenter, par le biais d’une structure méthodologique quantitative centrée sur un sondage par questionnaires mené auprès de pratiquants de ski de randonnée au Québec (n = 829), le type et les modalités de pratique qui influencent les relations perceptuelles que le pratiquant tisse avec son environnement.

KEYWORDS:

• Outdoor leisure
• environmental psychology
• dwelling
• cross-country skiing
• Québec

MOTS-CLÉS:

• loisir de plein air
• psychologie environnementale
• habiter
• ski de randonnée
• Québec

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the access to empirical data and the support offered by the Transat Chair in Tourism of the School of Management of the University of Quebec in Montreal (ESG-UQAM) and all the ski resorts and centres that contributed to this study. More specifically, we acknowledge those who funded this study: ‘Sépaq’, the main partner, as well as Tourism Quebec, ATR associates of Quebec, Eastern Townships Tourism, Outaouais Tourism, Central Quebec Tourism, the ‘Créneau d’excellence Tourisme de villégiature quatre saisons des Laurentides’, Quebec ski centers Association, Lanaudière Tourism, Mauricie Tourism, ‘Aventure Écotourisme Québec’, Mont-Sainte-Anne and ‘la Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec’.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. More than 1.38 million Canadians, of which 466,000 are Quebecers, practice cross-country skiing, according to a study by the Print Measurement Bureau (PMB) in 2012. With regard to the American market for this same year, this number is estimated at approximately 3.2 million people.

2. It is important to note that we have intentionally used the term ‘cross-country skiing’ to group together the following practices: cross-country skiing, skate skiing and Nordic skiing (off-trail). There are different names around the world, but this is the most common one used in North America.

3. According to Statistics Canada’s classification of occupations, a professional refers to a person with a university degree, minimum Bachelor’s degree, who performs daily management tasks.

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge those who funded this study : ‘Sépaq’, the main partner, as well as Tourism Quebec, ATR associates of Quebec, Eastern Townships Tourism, Outaouais Tourism, Central Quebec Tourism, the ‘Créneau d’excellence Tourisme de villégiature quatre saisons des Laurentides’, Quebec ski centers Association, Lanaudiére Tourism, Mauricie Tourism, ‘Aventure Écotourisme Québec’, Mont-Sainte-Anne and ‘la Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec’.