Revista de Educación,

Motricidad e Investigación

Analysis of the economic impact and perception of

canyoning users in Extremadura. A gender approach

Análisis del impacto económico y percepción de los usuarios de

barranquismo en Extremadura. Un enfoque de género

Jorge Rojo Ramos

Physical Activity for Education, Performance and Health (PAEPH),

Facultad de Ciencias del Deporte, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003, Cáceres, España

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6542-7828

Juan Carlos Guevara Pérez

Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zaragoza, 50005 Zaragoza, Spain

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1215-7916

Santiago Gómez Paniagua

Universidad de Extremadura

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1623-0316

Carmen Galán Arroyo

Promoting a Healthy Society [PHeSo], Research Group,

Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 1003 Cáceres, Spain

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8750-0267

VOL. 20 (2023)

ISSN 2341-1473 pp. 27-42

https://doi.org/10.33776/remo.vi20.7737

Abstract:

Adventure tourism has experienced signiﬁcant growth

in recent years and offers beneﬁts to both rural commu-

nities and environmental conservation. Therefore, this

study aims to characterize the proﬁle, estimated expen-

diture, perception of economic impact, and satisfaction

of adventure tourists visiting Valle del Jerte in Extrema-

dura, Spain, for canyoning activities. Possible differences

generated by the gender of tourists on these issues were

analyzed. The sample included 673 tourists who prac-

ticed canyoning in Valle del Jerte. Statistical tests were

used to analyze gender differences in variables such as

means of transport used, intention to spend, type of ex-

penditure, and need for public investment. Signiﬁcant

differences were found in the gender of the participants,

with men having the highest expenditures. These ﬁn-

dings are relevant for public and private organizations

as well as for the local community, as they allow them to

offer more adequate services to tourists who carry out

these activities and attract more visitors.

Keywords:

Adventure sport, canyoning, economic impact, gender,

nature

Fecha de recepción: 11 de mayo de 2023

Resumen:

El turismo de aventura ha experimentado un gran creci-

miento en los últimos años y ofrece beneﬁcios tanto para

las comunidades rurales como para la conservación del

entorno, por lo que este trabajo tiene como objetivo ca-

racterizar el perﬁl, el gasto estimado, la percepción del

impacto económico y la satisfacción de los turistas de

aventura que visitan el Valle del Jerte en Extremadura,

España, para realizar actividades de barranquismo. Se

analizan las posibles diferencias generadas por el gé-

nero del turista en estas cuestiones. La muestra incluyó

a 673 turistas que practicaron barranquismo en el Valle

del Jerte. Se utilizaron pruebas estadísticas para analizar

las diferencias de género en variables como el medio de

transporte utilizado, la intención de gasto, el tipo de gas-

to y la necesidad de inversión pública. Se encontraron

diferencias signiﬁcativas referidas al género de los parti-

cipantes, siendo los hombres los que más gastos tienen.

Estos hallazgos son relevantes para organizaciones pú-

blicas y privadas, así como para la comunidad local, ya

que les permite ofrecer servicios más adecuados a los

turistas que realizan estas actividades y atraer a más vi-

sitantes.

Palabras claves:

Deporte de aventura, barranquismo, impacto económi-

co, género, naturaleza

Fecha de aceptación: 15 de junio de 2023

Analysis of the economic impact and

perception of canyoning users in

Extremadura. A gender approach

Análisis del impacto económico y percepción

de los usuarios de barranquismo en

Extremadura. Un enfoque de género

Jorge Rojo Ramos

Physical Activity for Education, Performance and Health (PAEPH),

Facultad de Ciencias del Deporte, Universidad de Extremadura,

10003, Cáceres, España

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6542-7828

Juan Carlos Guevara Pérez

Faculty of Economics and Business,

University of Zaragoza, 50005 Zaragoza, Spain

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1215-7916

Santiago Gómez Paniagua

Universidad de Extremadura

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1623-0316

Carmen Galán Arroyo

Promoting a Healthy Society [PHeSo], Research Group,

Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura,

1003 Cáceres, Spain

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8750-0267

https://doi.org/10.33776/remo.vi20.7737

[ 29 ]

1. Introduction Within framework of the current social and economic evolution, in which the experience economy is

already a reality, new types of tourism are emerging under the current experiential demand. Tourists

are looking for sensations and emotions, which is why the tourism sector is diversifying its offer to

adapt to this desire. This is how active tourism appears, a modality belonging to a larger ﬁeld, nature

tourism, which is booming today due to the increase in tourists interested in the activities that make

it up. Among these activities, canyoning stands out as a unique multi-sensory experience that incor-

porates the sounds of water and sensations of freedom, freshness and revitalization.

However, this boom requires a look at the proﬁle of the sportsperson, their perceptions of the ser-

vices received and the repercussions of the activity on the environment in which it takes place. In

this respect, most studies try to approach active tourism experiences in a general way, considering a

heterogeneous offer that integrates different types of activities.

In this sense, the present study focuses on one activity in particular, canyoning, considering that it

involves a combination of hiking, abseiling, swimming and rock scrambling, which makes it unique

within adventure tourism.

Originally, physical ﬁtness activities (especially those requiring high physical ﬁtness and involving

some kind of physical risk) were largely performed by males, relegating women to the background

for a long period of time. Fortunately, these trends have been changing, increasing the rate of wo-

men who are physically active in all types of physical activity. This evolution makes it interesting to

study physical activity trends from a gender-based perspective. In view of the above, this study ai-

med to explore the estimated expenditure, perceptions towards the impact of their activity and satis-

faction with the contracted service among sports tourists who visited Valle del Jerte (Spain) to carry

out kayaking activities. Similarly, is intended to examine any variations these variables may exhibit

depending on the visitors’ gender.

Canyoning and gender approach

Canyoning was highlighted as a unique experience, to be repeated and remembered. Very positive

points included the multisensory relationship with the water sounds and the sensations of freedom,

freshness, and revitalization.

Canyoning involves a combination of hiking, abseiling, swimming and rock scrambling by which par-

ticipants follow the course of streams, over waterfalls and other natural obstacles through deep, nar-

row, water-ﬁlled slots between sheer rock walls, canyons (Hardiman & Burgin, 2011a). Such landforms

offer a unique experience of natural beauty and excitement to visitors, who traverse the canyons using

a combination of bushwalking, abseiling, swimming, and rock scrambling (Hardiman & Burgin, 2011b).

Looking at socio-demographic proﬁles, an Australian study notes that canyoners are typically male,

in their 30s, educated, and their preference is to canyoner in small groups with friends and family

(Hardiman & Burgin, 2011a; Ramos etal., 2022). On the island of Madeira, the proﬁle of canyoners is

that of young tourists, more men than women, less active, travelling by cruise ship, and with an em-

2. Literature review

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[ 30 ]

phasis on the challenges and natural barriers provided by the abrupt and unpredictable characteris-

tics of the canyons (hedonism) (Soares & Nunes, 2020). In the Spanish context and more speciﬁcally

in Extremadura, adventure tourists tend to be Spanish, single, with university studies, with a perma-

nent employment contract, with children at home and with an average age of 40 years (Rojo-Ramos

etal., 2021).

If we focus on the gender variable, for 2022, the Spanish Mountaineering and Climbing Federation

presents a census of 289,605 licenses, of which 65% (185,961) are men and 36% (103,914) are wom-

en (Consejo Superior de Deportes, 2023). On the other hand, the survey on Sports Habits in Spain

conducted in 2022 (Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte, 2022) found that of the people who practiced

mountain sports, 32% were women and 29% were men, with the majority being female. The contrast

of these data shows that more men practice mountain sports in a federated way, but it is women who

practice it freely, so it is a more feminized sport than the others. compared to the data from the sur-

vey conducted in 2015, the number of women practicing this sport increases by 0.4 points, denoting

a rise in the sport practice of this modality.

On the other hand, the gender criterion is a determining factor when analyzing a speciﬁc market,

as the purchase decision will differ from the moment they are attracted by different products and

services (Wantono & McKercher, 2020). In this regard, some studies indicate that men spend more

money on adventure tourism activities than women (Fredman, 2008; Sato etal., 2014), other studies

claim the opposite (Wicker etal., 2012), as there are studies in which the level of spending is gender

neutral (Barquet etal., 2011).

In this respect, few studies consider a gendered approach to sector-speciﬁc segmentation, such as

canyoning within the adventure tourism industry.

Socio-economic impact of adventure sports

The growth of rural tourism has the potential to improve community well-being due to its favorable

impact on income production, developing strong synergies with local industries leading to long-term

sustainable development (Giannakis, 2014). In inland Spain, the population of a considerable num-

ber of rural areas is in decline. Faced with this problem, various institutions have launched initiatives

to enhance the territorial heritage (natural and cultural) of these areas and, based on a minimum

economic diversiﬁcation, to help reverse these depopulation processes and promote local develop-

ment as a whole (Morenas & Luis del Campo, 2019; Moscoso-Sánchez & Moyano-Estrada, 2006; Na-

sarre-Sarmiento etal., 2012; Ruiz-Pulpón & Cañizares Ruiz, 2020). Adventure sports, and canyoning in

particular, have played an important role in this development process in Spain and abroad, directly im-

pacting the fulﬁlment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (González-Morcillo etal., 2022).

On the other hand, many studies analyses the economic impact of this type of activity, as can be

seen in a recent systematic literature review (Lukoseviciute etal., 2022). In this regard, some studies

highlight the positive socio-economic impact of adventure sports on the regions where they are de-

veloped (Bento etal., 2016; Duglio & Beltramo, 2017), and others highlight the contributions of ad-

venture activities in the generation of employment (Drakakis etal., 2021; Niebles-Nuñez etal., 2023).

https://doi.org/10.33776/remo.vi20.7737

[ 31 ]

However, at the environmental level, the results do not appear to be as satisfactory, with negative

impacts being observed in some regions (FEDME, 2011; Rice etal., 2020). This situation is because

the impact of adventure activities is correlated to the volume of activities offered in a given location,

as these activities take place in places that are not suitable for mass tourism due to their isolation

and their peculiar natural or cultural heritage (Steynberg & Grundling, 2005). Therefore, considering

the importance of the tourism industry in the Spanish environment, an assessment of the economic

impact of adventure activities is a matter of timing for its stakeholders.

User perception of canyoning services

The search for a high degree of visitor satisfaction, especially in the case of outdoor recreational

activities, has been considered a crucial objective for managers offering this type of leisure services

(Herrick & McDonald, 1992; Madruga-Vicente etal., 2019), as this satisfaction has been highly cor-

related with the tourist’s intention to revisit the place (Ismail etal., 2016; Mur Sangrá etal., 2020).

In this sense, the satisfaction of the adventure sportsperson has been observed in different con-

texts. In Europe, there are studies that reﬂect positive values in the satisfaction of tourists visiting the

Azores, with 71% considering the intention to return to the destination (Ponte etal., 2019). This fact

has been analyzed in the same environment by speciﬁc studies on the perceptions of tourists who

experienced canyoning (Soares & Nunes, 2020), and on the quality of the canyoning offer in the re-

gion (Correia etal., 2022). The opposite is the case in Germany, where users of mountain activities

experienced a very low level of satisfaction mainly due to fear (Faullant etal., 2011).

In the Americas, users of activities offered by a nature park in the United States perceive that they do

not negatively impact the environment and are compatible with other activities (Kyle etal., 2004), while

in a recent study, users give low ratings to adventure activities in Peru (Cordova-Buiza etal., 2022).

In Asia, a study describes users’ perceptions of Thai outdoor activities offered by the local commu-

nity, which educates on how to reduce environmental impact (Sangpikul, 2020). On the other hand,

gender is a mediator of satisfaction levels expressed by rural tourists in India (Kumar, 2019), while

the satisfaction levels perceived by adventure tourists do not differ when analyzing the gender of

participants in Malaysia (Yap etal., 2018) and Indonesia (Rohman, 2020).

In this sense, an assessment of the perceptions of the users of adventure activities in a Spanish re-

gion is of paramount importance when segmenting the tourism offer to ensure its sustainability.

Desing

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out (Montero & León, 2007), focusing on different

groups that traveled to the Valle del Jerte for canyoning activities.

Participants

The sample consisted of 673 participants who practiced the sport of canyoning in the Valle del Jerte

accompanied by professional guides through services offered by local active tourism companies.

3. Methods

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Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Of the total sample, 348 (51.7%) were

men and 325 (48.3%) were women.

Instruments

Socio-demographic questionnaire and proﬁle of the sportsperson: A questionnaire was drawn up

with 10 socio-demographic questions (sex, age, height, weight, nationality, autonomous community

of residence, marital status, professional situation, level of studies and type of home of residence)

and 6 questions relating to the proﬁle of the sportsperson practicing canyoning in the Valle del Jerte

(type of accommodation chosen for the trip, accompanying sportspersons, means of transport used

to the Valle del Jerte, planning of the trip according to advertising, number of accompanying per-

sons and number of overnight stays) (Jiménez-Naranjo etal., 2017).

Expenditure estimation questionnaire: This questionnaire consisted of two scales. The ﬁrst scale

consisted of ﬁve questions relating to the estimated amount they would spend or had spent on the

trip, accommodation, transport, canyoning and breakfast, lunch and dinner. The second scale was

composed of an initial question “Could you specify approximately how much you have spent in the

Valle del Jerte on the following items? “The user had to report on a scale with the following ranges:

“from 0 to 14 euros”, “from 15 to 29 euros”, “from 30 to 44 euros”, “from 45 to 59 euros”, “from 60 to

74 euros”, “from 75 to 89 euros”, “from 90 to 104 euros”, the money spent on press, active tourism

sports activities, bars and restaurants, souvenirs and souvenirs, museums/visits, sports equipment

and others (Jiménez-Naranjo etal., 2017).

Questionnaire on the perception of the impact of canyoning in the Valle del Jerte. The questionnaire

consisted of a Likert-type scale (1-5) with 1 totally disagree, 2 disagree, 3 indifferent, 4 agree, 5 tota-

lly agree. The scale evaluated the opinion of the athletes on the impact of canyoning in the Valle del

Jerte and consisted of 9 items (Jiménez-Naranjo etal., 2017).

Questionnaire of satisfaction with the activity and the service received. This questionnaire consisted of

two questions relating to the user’s satisfaction with the service provided by the adventure sports and

active tourism company with which they had practiced canyoning and whether they would return to

the Valle del Jerte to do the same or another adventure sports activity (Jiménez Naranjo etal., 2017).

Procedure

To access the sample, active tourism companies in the Valle del Jerte (Extremadura, Spain) were

asked to collaborate. Those that agreed to participate in the study were visited by a member of the

research team to inform them of the procedure and the method of sample selection. The procedure

to be followed was as follows: From each group of participants who had done the canyoning activity

with the collaborating companies and who decided to collaborate in the study, a draw was carried

out employing which the users had to draw a paper from a drum. The user on whose paper the X

symbol was drawn had to complete the survey once he/she had accepted the informed consent. To

access the survey, they were given a QR code that they had to scan with their mobile device, and

they would go directly to the form created with the Google Forms tool. As a reward, all group mem-

bers were given a reusable metal bottle donated by the SOPRODEVAJE Rural Development Group

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[ 33 ]

as a collaboration in the study. The average time to complete the form was 12 minutes. All data were

collected and processed anonymously.

It was decided to use an e-questionnaire for all the advantages it offers (Anderson & Kanuka, 2003)

since all responses were collected in the same database automatically regardless of the company

with which the survey was conducted and it also facilitated a higher response rate since it was con-

sidered easy for participants to access the URL via a QR code.

As inclusion criteria, participants had to be of legal age, have done the canyoning activity through a

partner active tourism company and have a mobile phone to access the questionnaire.

Statistical Analysis

First, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to explore the distribution of the data and to observe

whether the assumption of normality was met. This assumption was not met, so it was decided to use

non-parametric statistical tests. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to analyze the differences between

the item “Would you return to the Valle del Jerte to do the same or other sporting activities in nature?”

and the variables included in the sociodemographic questionnaire and the proﬁle of the sportsper-

son according to sex. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the differences between the item

“Was satisfaction with the service provided (canyoning)?” and the variables in the questionnaire on

estimation of expenditure and perception of the impact of canyoning in the Valle del Jerte according

to sex. Continuous variables are presented as median and interquartile range and categorical varia-

bles are presented as number and percentages. The signiﬁcance level was set at p<.05.

Table 1 shows the socio-demographic characterization of the sample according to sex. There see-

med to be differences between sexes in the variables “marital status”, “professional situation”, “level

of studies” and “BMI”. The proﬁle of the canyoning athlete is Spanish, from an autonomous commu-

nity other than Extremadura, single, employed with a permanent contract, with a university educa-

tion, living with his partner but without children, with a mean age of 33.86 years and a mean body

mass index of 26.93.

TABLE 1

Characterization of the sample (N = 673)

Variable Categories N %

Gender Male 348 51.7

Female 325 48.3

Frequencies

Variable Total Men Women

Nationality N (%) N (%) N (%)

Spanish 657 (97.6) 336 (96.6) 321 (98.8) .059

Foreigner 16 (2.4) 12 (3.4) 4 (1.2)

4. Results

.../...

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[ 34 ]

Autonomous Community N (%) N (%) N (%)

Extremadura 113 (16.8) 59 (17) 54 (16.6) .907

Other Autonomous Community or foreigner 560 (83.2) 289 (83) 271 (83.4)

Marital Status N (%) N (%) N (%)

Single 438 (65.1) 226 (64.9) 212 (65.2)

.005*

Married 205 (30.5) 108 (31) 97 (29.8)

Widowed 2 (0.3) 2 (0.6) -

Separated 7 (1) 7 (2) -

Divorced 21 (3.1) 5 (1.4) 16 (4.9)

Occupational Status N (%) N (%) N (%)

Employer, professional or self-employed who employs others 56 (8.3) 50 (14.4) 6 (1.8)

<.001*

Employer, professional or self-employed not employing others 52 (7.7) 34 (9.8) 18 (5.5)

Employed with permanent contract 310 (46.1) 162 (46.6) 148 (45.5)

Employed with temporary contract 122 (18.1) 57 (16.4) 65 (20)

Unemployed 133 (19.8) 45 (12.9) 88 (27.1)

Level of education N (%) N (%) N (%)

Primary education or less - - -

.035*

Secondary education 121 (18) 73 (21) 48 (14.8)

High school 112 (16.6) 63 (18.1) 49 (15.1)

University education 440 (65.4) 212 (60.9) 228 (70.2)

Type of household N (%) N (%) N (%)

Single-parent household with one child 28 (4.2) 17 (4.9) 11 (3.4)

.584

Single-parent household with more than one child 49 (7.3) 26 (7.5) 23 (7.1)

Couple without children living together at home 217 (32.2) 111 (31.9) 106 (32.6)

Couple with children living at home 177 (26.3) 84 (24.1) 93 (28.6)

Live alone without children 110 (16.3) 63 (18.1) 47 (14.5)

Live with a relative 91 (13.5) 47 (13.5) 44 (13.5)

Share a ﬂat 1 (0.1) - 1 (0.3)

Variable M (SD) M (SD) M (SD)

Age 33.86 (8.51) 34.11 (8.83) 33.59 (8.15) .806

IMC 26.93 (3.42) 26.54 (3.6) 27.36 (3.16) <.001*

Nota: Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney U test p-values *p is signiﬁcant <.05. M = Mean value; SD = Standard Deviation; N = Number;

% = Percentage.

Table 2 presents the descriptions of the variables used to evaluate the type of accommodation cho-

sen for the trip, the type and number of companions, the means of transport used to travel to the Va-

lle del Jerte, the advertising that inﬂuenced the choice of destination, and the number of overnight

stays. The proﬁle of the canyoning sportsperson does not spend the night in the Valle del Jerte or

if they do, they stay predominantly in hotels or aparthotels for an average of 2.35 nights. The prac-

tice of canyoning is usually accompanied by family members (accompanied by an average of 3.35

people) and the means of transport chosen to travel to the destination is their own or rented car.

.../...

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[ 35 ]

Canyoning athletes do not usually plan their trip through any advertising, however, the main means

of advertising is the channel that comes through family or friends. Statistically signiﬁcant differences

were only found according to sex in the variable “means of transport used to reach the Valle del Jer-

te”, it seems that women tend to choose car-sharing with driver’s payment more than men.

TABLE 2

Proﬁle of the athlete (canyoner)

Frequencies

Variable Total Men Women

Type of accommodation chosen during the trip N (%) N (%) N (%)

Not staying overnight 279 (41.5) 131 (37.6) 148 (45.5)

.052

Hotel or aparthotel 145 (21.5) 84 (24.1) 61 (18.8)

Caravan or camper parked on public roads 20 (5.7) 16 (4.9) 36 (5.3)

Shelter 7 (2) 3 (0.9) 10 (1.5)

Full rented accommodation 12 (1.8) 6 (1.7) 6 (1.8)

Room in a private house 4 (0.6) 0 (0) 4 (1.2)

Rural house 97 (14.4) 55 (15.8) 42 (12.9)

Camping 52 (7.7) 30 (8.6) 22 (6.8)

Owned home 8 (1.2) 3 (0.9) 5 (1.5)

Friend’s or company’s family home 5 (0.7) 2 (0.6) 3 (0.9)

Exchanged houses 3 (0.4) 3 (0.9) 0 (9)

Other accommodation outside the market 22 (3.3) 7 (2) 15 (4.6)

Came canyoning accompanied by N (%) N (%) N (%)

Family 375 (55.7) 200 (57.5) 175 (53.8)

.384Friends 297 (44.1) 147 (42.2) 150 (46.2)

I have come alone 1 (0.1) 1 (0.3) -

Transport used to travel to the Valle del Jerte N (%) N (%) N (%)

Own or rented car 440 (65.4) 214 (61.5) 226 (69.5)

.028*

Shared car with paid driver 233 (34.6) 99 (30.5) 134 (38.5)

Bus - - -

Train - - -

Non-motorised land transport - - -

Have you planned your trip to the Valle del Jerte for canyoning

as a result of any advertisement? N (%) N (%) N (%)

No 370 (55) 185 (53.2) 185 (56.9)

.812

Press 1 (0.1) 1 (0.3) -

Radio - - -

Television 3 (0.4) 2 (0.6) 1 (0.3)

Social Networks 45 (6.7) 23 (6.6) 22 (6.8)

Friends/relatives 217 (32.2) 118 (33.9) 99 (30.5)

Others 37 (5.5) 19 (5.5) 18 (5.5)

Variable M (SD) M (SD) M (SD)

How many people did you come canyoning with (not including

yourself)? 3.31 (2.61) 3.41 (2.78) 3.20 (2.41) .077

How many nights are you going to spend in the Valle del Jerte? 2.35 (1.23) 2.27 (1.02) 2.45 (1.44) .524

Nota: Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney U test p-values *p is signiﬁcant <.05. M = Mean value; SD = Standard Deviation; N = Number;

% = Percentage.

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[ 36 ]

Table 3 presents the descriptives and differences of the ﬁrst expenditure estimation scale. Men esti-

mate spending more money than women. Statistically signiﬁcant gender differences were found for

the items “how much do you estimate you spent (in euros) in the Valle del Jerte during your stay?”

and “how much did you spend in euros on transport (return trip)?

TABLE 3

Estimated expenditure

Sex

Variable Female Male

M (SD) M (SD)

How much do you expect to spend (in euros) in the Valle del Jerte during your stay? 153.38 (207.15) 195.85 (234.67) .016*

Could you specify how much you have spent (in euros) approximately on

accommodation including your companions? 119.20 (170.72) 119.34 (136.02) .129

How much did you spend in euros on transport (return trip)? 54.72 (87.48) 55.58 (67.78) .020*

How much did you spend on canyoning activities in the Valle del Jerte? 38.11 (85.40) 39.33 (67.86) .168

How much do you estimate you will spend (in euros) on breakfast/lunch/dinner during

your stay? 73.83 (100.43) 77.08 (94.24) .964

Mann-Whitney U-test p-values. *p is signiﬁcant < .05. M = Mean value; SD = Standard Deviation.

Table 4 shows the descriptives and frequencies of the second expenditure estimation scale. As in the

previous scale, male canyoners spent more than female canyoners on the items or services listed.

Statistically signiﬁcant gender differences were found in the variable “bars and restaurants” (p<.001).

TABLE 4

Estimated expenditure II

Sex

Variable Women Men

Could you specify approximately how much you have spent in the Valle del Jerte

on the following items? M (SD) M (SD) p*

Press 1.03 (0.19) 1.03 (0.23) .714

Active tourism sports activities 2.02 (1.65) 2.34 (1.96) .084

Bars and restaurants 2.46 (1.47) 3.05 (1.89) <.001*

Souvenirs and souvenirs 1.17 (0.46) 1.27 (0.72) .199

Museums/visits 1.14 (0.40) 1.24 (0.73) .174

Sports equipment 1.18 (0.53) 1.24 (0.63) .377

Others 1.36 (0.93) 1.46 (1.11) .204

Nota: Mann-Whitney U-test p-values. *p is signiﬁcant < .05. M = Mean value; SD = Standard Deviation. Each score obtained is based

on a Likert scale (1-7): 1 “From 0-14 euros”, 2 “from 15 to 29 euros”, 3 “from 30 to 44 euros”, 4 “from 45 to 59 euros”, 5 “from 60 to 74

euros”, 6 “from 75 to 89 euros”, 7 “from 90 to 104 euros.

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[ 37 ]

Table 5 shows the descriptions and differences of the scale designed to evaluate the perception of

the sportsperson regarding the repercussion of canyoning in the Valle del Jerte. There is a predo-

minant perception in both sexes that canyoning represents an element of pride and satisfaction for

the Valle del Jerte. Men only scored higher than women on the variable “increases recognition and

promotion of the destination”. In the rest of the items, women scored higher than men. However,

statistically signiﬁcant gender differences were only found in the item “public spending is necessary

for the development of this type of sport”.

TABLE 5

Perception of the impact of canyoning in the Valle del Jerte

Sex

Variable Women Men

Increases recognition and promotion of the destination 3.61 (1.56) 3.65 (1.61) .383

Represents an element of pride and satisfaction for Valle del Jerte 3.78 (1.57) 3.66 (1.61) .289

Generates a trafﬁc and safety problem 2.17 (1.15) 2.17 (1.13) .852

Disrupts the usual rhythm and disrupts other activities 2.21 (1.14) 2.10 (1.09) .214

Causes an increase in the number of overnight stays 3.37 (1.56) 3.33 (1.54) .654

Increases employment 3.67 (1.53) 3.62 (1.59) .923

Economic losses due to the fact that the investment is greater than the beneﬁts obtained 1.94 (1.09) 1.88 (1.03) .558

Economic beneﬁts are concentrated in a few companies and individuals 2.43 (1.16) 2.39 (1.16) .637

Public expenditure is necessary for the development of this type of sport 3.46 (1.45) 3.22 (1.48) .025*

Nota: Mann-Whitney U-test p-values. *p is signiﬁcant <.05. M = Mean value; SD = Standard Deviation. Each score obtained is based

on a Likert scale (1-5): 1 “Strongly disagree”, 2 “Disagree”, 3 “Indifferent”, 4 “Agree”, 5 “Strongly agree”.

Finally, the satisfaction of the sportsperson who had done canyoning with a local company in the

Valle del Jerte was evaluated. Almost all of the sample would return to the Valle del Jerte to do the

same or other outdoor sports activities and were very satisﬁed with the service provided (Mmuje-

res=9.85 and Mhombres=9.76). Statistically signiﬁcant differences were found according to sex in

the ﬁrst variable.

TABLE 6

Satisfaction with the contracted kayak service

Sex

Variable Women Men

Would you return to the Valle del Jerte to do the same or other sporting activities

in nature? M (SD) M (SD)

Yes 324 (99.7) 341 (98) .042*

No 1 (0.3) 7 (2)

.../...

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[ 38 ]

Variable M (SD) M (SD)

Was the satisfaction with the service provided (canyoning)? 9.85 (0.51) 9.76 (0.65) .056

Nota: Chi-Square (item 1) and Mann-Whitney U test (item 2) p-values *p is signiﬁcant <.05. M = Mean value; SD = Standard Deviation;

N = Number; % = Percentage.

The proﬁle of the canyoning athlete is Spanish, from an autonomous community other than Ex-

tremadura, single, employed with a permanent contract, with a university education, living with a

partner but without children, with an average age of 33.86 years, which is very similar to the proﬁles

observed in other studies (Albayrak, 2022; Hardiman & Burgin, 2011a; Soares & Nunes, 2020). How-

ever, these studies used a different sample design than that used in this study; therefore, this com-

parison should be treated with caution. The practice of canyoning is usually accompanied by family

members (accompanied by an average of 3.35 people), which also coincides with the behavior

observed in previous studies (Albayrak, 2022). The proﬁle of the canyoning athlete does not spend

the night in the Valle del Jerte or if they do, they stay predominantly in hotels or apart-hotels for an

average of 2.35 nights. In contrast, another study conducted in the same location found that those

who come for adventure tourism have a shorter stay and return home the same day (Agorreta-Lum-

breras etal., 2020).

In terms of gender, statistically signiﬁcant gender differences were found when considering the

means of transport used, the transport expenditure in euros (round trip) and the overall estimate of

expenditure during the stay in the Valle del Jerte, which provides a natural segmentation of the mar-

ket when considering expenditure by gender (Wantono & McKercher, 2020). In this case, male can-

yoners have spent more than female canyoners (Fredman, 2008; Sato etal., 2014), with statistically

signiﬁcant differences by sex in the variable “bars and restaurants” (p<.001), and when considering

that public spending is necessary for the development of this type of sport.

As has been observed in other contexts (Ismail etal., 2016; Ponte etal., 2019), almost the entire sam-

ple would return to the Valle del Jerte to carry out the same or other sports activities in nature and

are very satisﬁed with the service provided (Mwomen=9.85 and Mmen=9.76). Other studies found

similar results, in which most of the attendees would return to the locality where the activity has tak-

en place, blaming it on the fact that these activities are small, where the treatment is close, and the

participants take it very much into account (Zhou & Kaplanidou, 2018).

Finally, there is a predominance in the perception of both sexes that canyoning represents an el-

ement of pride and satisfaction for the Valle del Jerte. This fact conﬁrms the social impact of the

activity as an element of pride and satisfaction for the destination (Jiménez-Naranjo etal., 2017). In

general terms, the study provides a glimpse of some management coordinates based on the so-

cio-economic impact of the activity. By analyzing the variables included in the study, private or pub-

lic organizations and the local population have a reference point for adapting the services offered to

include this adventure activity.

A limitation has been to consider domestic tourism, which opens the possibility of studies that con-

sider international tourism. Also, the sample was not randomized before participating in the re-

5. Discussion

.../...

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[ 39 ]

search, therefore, the results should be interpreted with caution. Future studies could also consider

the contrast with other socio-demographic variables, and with environmental variables. Similarly, it

would be convenient to randomize the sample in order to extract conclusive ﬁndings. The possible

grouping of tourism services in the same region could also be assessed, to develop models that

allow the establishment of economies of scale that add competitiveness concerning the services

offered in other regions.

The present study has allowed us to characterize the proﬁle, estimated expenditure, perceived im-

pact and satisfaction of adventure tourists visiting the Valle del Jerte for canyoning activities. Tourists’

overnight stay seems to depend on the type of activity planned and the place where it is carried out.

Canyoning shows that it predominantly attracts domestic tourists aged 33.86 years on average, with

job stability and university education, who live with their partner but without children. Tourists’ overni-

ght stay seems to depend on the type of activity planned and the place where it is carried out. In the

case of the Valle del Jerte, an average of 2.35 nights in hotels or aparthotel. In terms of gender, men

spent more than women, especially in bars and restaurants, being this a fundamental part of adventure

tourism. Almost all of those surveyed would return to the Valle del Jerte to carry out the same or other

sports activities in nature and are very satisﬁed with the service provided, highlighting the perception

for both sexes that canyoning represents an element of pride and satisfaction for the Valle del Jerte.

To thank the City Council of Piornal and Gecko Turismo Activo for making possible the development

of this research.

The authors declare no conﬂict of interest.

This research was funded by Society for the promotion and development of the Valle del Jerte (SO-

PRODEVAJE).

Agorreta-Lumbreras, J., Madruga-Vicente, M., Cerro-Herrero, D., & Prieto-Prieto, J. (2020). Impacto

socioeconómico del turismo activo de eventos deportivos: Un estudio exploratorio para el caso

del Valle del Jerte. ROTUR. Revista de Ocio y Turismo, 14(2), 88-104. https://doi.org/10.17979/

rotur.2020.14.2.6436.

Albayrak, T. (2022). The inﬂuence of demographic characteristics on satisfaction with adventure tour-

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7. Acknowledgements

8. Conﬂicts of interest

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