Horse-based Tourism in Iceland - An analysis of the travel motivation of equestrian tourists

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.