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eng: The tourism sector is of huge importance for the Austrian economy. In recent times, winter tourism became more and more important. However, winter tourism in Austria is not only about skiing anymore. The behavior of winter sports tourists in Austria is changing as more and more people do activities outside the ski resort. One of those activities that have increasingly emerged as a trend sport activity in the Alps within this decade is ski touring. As no prior research investigated the motivation and behavior of ski tourers, the question remains, what motivates these ski tourers and what behavioral patterns are characteristic for these types of winter sport tourists. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to examine the motivational factors of ski tourers and their behavior. Furthermore, this paper investigated the level of involvement and loyalty of ski tourers. On the basis of an online questionnaire, N=374 ski tourers predominantly from Austria and Germany participated in the study. The factor analysis of the motivational scale examined different dimensions showing that the dimension of Enjoying Nature is the most important motivational factor for ski tourers, followed by Fitness/Variety, Escape and Skill Development. A cluster analysis was used to categorize these dimensions into five different segments labeled: Relaxed ski tourers, Moderate ski tourers, Enthusiasts, Variety Seekers, and Unexcited ski tourers. Furthermore, this study examined a positive effect of involvement on the level of loyalty of ski tourers. Finally, recommendations for further research and implications are discussed.
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