Motivations of adventure recreation pioneers – a study of Taiwanese white-water kayaking pioneers

Adventure recreation pioneers play a crucial role in the development of adventure tourism. Without these pioneers’ efforts, it would be difficult to turn adventure recreation into adventure tourism. This article aims to use motivation as a starting point to understand adventure recreation pioneers, and is based on semi-structured interviews with seven Taiwanese kayaking pioneers. Adventure experiences, love of nature, and enjoyment of having like-minded fellows were the motivations which pushed these pioneers to start their white-water kayaking careers, while the beautiful streams and the advances in kayaking equipment were the motivations pulling them to engage in the activity. Moreover, the motivation of advanced kayaking equipment was found to be a particularly clear-cut distinction between white-water kayaking pioneers and tourists. The findings of this study also provide useful information for establishing partnerships between pioneers and government agencies.