On September 3, I was invited as a keynote speaker during the TRAVEL TALK digital conference at Eurobike, the world’s most prestigious bicycle trade show.
Eurobike TRAVEL TALK connects and dialogues the tourism industry and the bicycle industry: in fact, the interconnection of the different spheres is one of the keys to act as a sounding board for the topics discussed. This year, cities, regions, and digital were the focus of the discussion, which started from a simple observation: COVID-19 has brought about major transformations in key tourism sectors. At a time when the struggle of the entire industry was becoming dire to counter the pandemic and its effects, the bicycle proved to be a resilient and safe means of transportation. A new mobility that has transformed cities has begun. Will it also transform tourism?
The question to be answered is precisely how the new mobility can be integrated into urban bicycle tourism programming. During the conference, professional speakers from across Europe discussed the implications for bicycle tourism. The first evidence is that now more than ever it is crucial to focus on collaboration between cities and regions to learn from different experiences and create the right synergies.
I was asked to tell about the tourism market in Italy.
My thesis was that paradoxically and with all due caution, cities like Venice, Rome and Florence are beginning to see the crisis as an opportunity to curb excessive tourism, which has been out of control for too long. The crisis is setting the stage for more sustainable travel in both cities and tourist regions. At this moment in history in Italy, conversations about how to make tourism a real benefit to urban space and its inhabitants have grown by leaps and bounds.
To achieve the balance between tourist and local needs, I focused on two solutions:
1- proximity tourism, that is, the enhancement of so-called secondary destinations;
2- slow tourism, which is a different and respectful way of visiting places.
Tourism can be rebuilt on a more sustainable basis, and bicycling can be the centerpiece of this revolution. Bicycle tourists bring many positive benefits to local economies: they visit areas less visited by traditional tourists and spend their money in local businesses. At the same time, residents, in addition to benefiting from a more respectful use of their place of residence and work, end up with new infrastructure, bicycle paths, regional interconnection transportation network, and services that they can use in their daily lives.
The challenge then is open, to enhance cities and destinations through cycling and new habits.
Cycling Brainwasher, Bikenomist
