Bicycle tourism path dependencies and innovation: a case study of Siliguri

Abstract

Urban tourism has received growing interest in tourism research in recent years. This is due to both the developing economic significance of city tourism, and now and again the bad social and ecologic impacts, mentioned in phrases of overtourism. This sector is one of the fast developing industry in the world that is contributing to 11% of worldwide GDP and 7.6% to India n GDP. With the increasing travel demand in tourism industry the environmental Impacts of tourism is increasing significantly, causing vehicular emission and traffic congestion, hence there is a need to undertake a transport model that could assure the mobility good enough to social demand however with the lowest possible effect on environment. In urban tourism, automobiles mainly dominate tourist mobility, mostly intra or intercity tourism mobility. Many Class 1 city facing massive problems related automobile vehicular growth, which is responsible for city’s poor air quality condition, whereas bicycle tourism is relatively more attractive, independent, lowpolluting, health-benefitting way of travelling, hence shifting trips from vehicles to bicycles helps to minimize congestion, air pollution and CO2 emissions and enhance the overall health of the users. The research aim is to suggest innovative methods for integrating urban tourism with city bicycle trips. An analytical framework followed in this study, based on four major categories: urban planning, bicycle tourism services, tourism communication system, and place making. The study begins with exploring how path dependencies affect future urban planning. The concept path dependency talks about the past incidents and the existing scenario that can play as path provider for future innovations or act as hurdle for the same. This research encompasses the analysis of the economic affordability, transportation infrastructure and communication system with respect to social context, land use planning, air quality and environmental sustainability of Siliguri and its surrounding area within a radius of 20 km. the study area, Siliguri receives 3.5 lakhs domestic tourists and 50,000 foreign tourists every year majorly during winter season. In the year 2018-19 during winter season Siliguri city experienced, worsen air quality and AQI level reached 415 (severe). In many news reports and publications, district authority blamed the transport sector as the main pollution emitter. Thus, there is an urgent need to adopt sustainable transport management system to mitigate the current issue. “The study attempts to identify and analyse the existing synergies urban planning and bicycling in Siliguri city through assessing tourism communication systems and tries to look into the opportunities to promote bicycle tourism in Siliguri. The study conducted using both quantitative and qualitative information collection methods, such as respondent observation, semi structured interviews, questionnaire survey, reconnaissance survey, stated preference survey, market perception survey and stakeholders perception survey. These data used to examine tourism and transportation system in the niche of bicycling within the study area and to understand the local communities in the way of different analysis based on various parameters obtained from literature studies. The analysis includes the evaluation of users perception about cycling and perception of various stakeholders like local government, hotel owners, travel agents, shopkeepers etc. detailed understanding of the different tourist spots in terms of their, attractiveness, amenities, ambience, accommodation evaluated based on perceptions and physical verification. As an outcome, the study focusing on how the bicycle tourism model can be developed and existing tourism resources can be expanded for future considering the past activities and decisions taken in urban planning and tourism sector and identifying, new recreational place making opportunities coupled with bicycling in and around the study area.”