2021-03-09 P&E Agenda - Item 5 - Attachment 1 - Noosa Trail Masterplan

                          Trail running                                                      growth has further increased since that time.
                                                                                             The largest trail running event in Australia (Ultra Trail
                          Trail running is a to date unheralded and largely an
                                                                                             Australia, 7,000 participants) is seven times as big as
                          under-researched trail user group that is experiencing
                                                                                             the largest mountain biking event (Otway Odyssey,
                          phenomenal growth. Indicative measures such as
                                                                                             1000 participants); there are four times as many
                          events, social media groupings and media channel
                                                                                             trail running events (450-500) as mountain biking
                                                 coverage shows the likelihood
                                                                                             events in Australia and the average trail running
                                                 that trail runners as a community
                                                                                             event attracts 2-4 times participation (600-800) as
                                                 use more trails, more often than
                                                                                             the average sized mountain biking event (200-300).
                                                 any other user group. A report
                                                                                             As with mountain biking, data capture outside of
                                                 into trail running in NSW in 2013
                                                                                             events is difficult to gauge, however it is thought that
                                                 (‘Trail Running Market Snapshot’,
                                                                                             as a percentage of participation, more trail runners
                                                 Adventure Types, 2013) showed
                                                                                             engage in events than mountain bikers do, meaning
                                                 a 521% increase in event-
                                                                                             there is a larger unrecorded market in mountain
                                                 based participation over three
                                                                                             biking, whereas most trail runners are captured
                                                 years 2010-2013. It is broadly
                                                                                             by event data.
                                                 recognised and reported by
                                                 the trail running sector that




                          Bushwalking / hiking
                          Walking for exercise is the most popular sport or                   September 2015, the proportion of Australians
                          activity which Australians regularly participate in.                14+ who reported going hiking/bushwalking on a
                          Nearly half of adult Australians, or 47.9%, regularly               regular basis grew from 2.9% to 5.2%, while those
                          go for a vigorous stroll as reported by a Roy Morgan                who participated either regularly or occasionally
                          Research Report (2016). The findings confirmed                      increased from 15.6% to 27.3% (or more than
                          that people who hike/bushwalk tend to take                          5.3 million Australians). When asked what activities
                          holidays where they can enjoy the great outdoors                    they did on their last trip, regular/occasional hikers/
                          in its myriad forms. Between October 2010 and                       bushwalkers were consistently more likely than
                                                                                                                             the average Australian
                                                                                                                             to nominate active,
                                                                                                                             outdoor pursuits. For
                                                                                                                             example, they are 84%
                                                                                                                             more likely than the
                                                                                                                             average Australian to
                                                                                                                             have visited wilderness
                                                                                                                             of some kind on their
                                                                                                                             last trip, 81% more
                                                                                                                             likely to have gone to
                                                                                                                             a National Park or forest
                                                                                                                             and – of course – 135%
                                                                                                                             more likely to have
                                                                                                                             gone bushwalking.11

                                                                                                                            Hiking and rainforest
                                                                                                                            walks undertaken by
                                                                                                                            international visitors to
                                                                                                                            Australia increased by
                                                                                                                            7% to 1.9 million in the
                                                                                                                            year ending September
                                                                                                                            2018.12




                          11 www.roymorgan.com/findings/6638-when-hikers-bushwalkers-go-on-holiday-201601250049
                          12 TRA International Visitors




NOOSA TRAIL MASTERPLAN | APRIL 2020                                                                                                                 29