Mountain bike tourism development under the midnight sun: Capitalizing on destination attributes to maximize tourism potential in the Yukon Territory, Canada

The Yukon Territory, in Canada's Arctic, has tremendous potential for mountain bike tourism development. The territory has abundant natural beauty; an excellent trail system; committed advocates at the small business, municipal, and territorial levels; and a mystique that naturally draws people there.;The Yukon has already established itself as an adventure tourism destination for activities such as paddling and dog-sledding. However, the mountain bike segment of the Yukon tourism industry remains very small. By investigating the destination attributes that draw riders to the Yukon, the local mountain bike tour operator industry and the broader mountain bike tourism community will be able to capitalize on an ever-expanding tourist market as other destinations have done. Destination attributes are defined as the natural and physically constructed characteristics of a specific location that would draw a tourist to travel to an area.;The main findings of the study were that the three attributes that were highlighted in previous studies---scenery, trail quality, and trail variety---were also the three most desired attributes in this study. In addition, participants indicated that they would like to experience a different trail each day that they are on a vacation. Finally, throughout the study it was highlighted that the uniqueness of a destination is very important to trip satisfaction.;The underlying question is how the mountain bike tourism "product"---and its perception by the tourists that visit---can be better understood; the answer can provide insight to be capitalized on in order to grow the industry effectively.