Cycle Tourism was very present at Velo-city 2019, with a Cycle Tourism Plenary taking place on Thursday, 27 June.
Tourism is one of the world’s largest economic sectors, supporting one in 10 jobs (319 million) and generating 10.4% of GDP globally. The tourism industry nevertheless faces some significant challenges, including unstainable transportation patterns, overtourism in major destinations and seasonality, for which cycling tourism can provide solutions. This growing segment of the market already contributes over €40 billion to the European economy alone and most destinations now provide offers and products to encourage visitors to discover their attractions more sustainably by bike.
Joining this plenary to discuss the role that cycling tourism and active tourism generally can play in tackling some of the challenges of the tourism sector were Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Orla Carroll, Director of Product Development, Fáilte Ireland; Virginia Sullivan from the Adventure Cycling Association in the US; and Ádám Bodor, Director of Advocacy and EuroVelo at the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF).
Some partners in the ECO-CICLE project joined Velo-city to network with international experts and learn about the latest innovations in infrastructure, marketing and other cycling related topics.
