SAN DIEGO (BRAIN) — Jim Sayer, Adventure Cycling Association's executive director, said bicycle tourism in the U.S. and internationally has become more prominent, more lucrative and is rapidly changing to meet consumer demand.
Sayer, addressing more than 200 tour and event management professionals at the annual National Bicycle Tourism Conference, said touring has great appeal for those seeking adventure. The conference ends Saturday and is being held at the Bahia Resort Hotel.
"It is the freedom to go as far as you want to and to go when you want to. There is no better way to connect with people," said Sayer who offered a synopsis of research that the association brought to the conference.
The first ever global survey of 200 tour operators done by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) found that bicycle tourism has become more organized and more important for consumers who travel worldwide.
Sayer also pointed out that more states and regions are calculating the economic benefits of bicycle tourism as well as single and multi-day events.
A pioneering study done in Europe, for example, found that bicycle tourism generates upwards of $57 billion in economic impacts throughout the travel sector. In Scotland alone, the impact in 2013 was pegged between $385 million and $579 million.
In Oregon, bicycle tourism and events generate upwards of $400 million and a first phase impact study being conducted in Michigan estimates cyclists generate some $400 million from employment, retail, tourism expenditures and in increased productivity for those servicing the industry.
There is also a small boom in the number of single-day and bike overnights — one and two night tours — in major cities.
Operators are organizing and members of the Bicycle Tour Alliance will meet in January in Nashville, Tennessee, to share best practices.
Non-profits are also experiencing substantial growth as are bike share programs.
Tim Blumenthal, PeopleforBikes' president, helped kick off the morning's session telling attendees that he has a lot to learn about the tourism sector.
"Bicycle tourism is an area that we've not paid adequate attention to," he said. The conference, he added, gives him and his staff an opportunity to learn more and to get a better handle on the trends.
