Cycle tourism is experiencing enormous growth, with Europe emerging as a driving force behind this trend. In this context, we organised the third edition of the Cycle Tourism Show, a three-day event dedicated to cycling holidays and adventures, held in Bologna from 5 to 7 April. In the evocative setting of Bologna’s DumBO, the event proved to be one of a kind, connecting companies, destinations and cycling travel enthusiasts.
Thanks to the success of previous editions, the event has continued to establish itself as a reference event in the active tourism sector, attracting industry professionals, innovative startups and cycling enthusiasts from all over the world.
The importance of cycle tourism in Europe is undeniable, with Italy contributing more than €5.5 billion to the economy in 2023. This growth trend is reflected across the continent, with cycle tourism emerging as one of the fastest growing sectors. Specialist cycle holiday operators are seeing a surge in demand, capitalising on the appeal of active holidays and the untapped potential of lesser-known territories.
The Show served as a crucial platform for industry professionals to meet, exchange ideas, and explore new opportunities in this rapidly growing sector.
Cycle Tourism Forum, April 5, 2024
Cycle tourism relies on networks of operators, infrastructure, and knowledge: this is the space we envisioned for establishing them. With the Forum, we created a platform to bring together everyone who works professionally in this sector or wishes to do so.
The Show opened on Friday 5 April with the Cycle Tourism Forum, a meeting point for bicycle tourism operators to get to know each other, create networks, find shared solutions to common problems, in which over a thousand professionals participated. The Cycle Tourism Forum offered a look from the local to the international, thanks to the experiences of Tuscany, Flanders and Gran Canaria and the presence of 15 European buyers, a focus on the development of new business models and crowded training sessions dedicated to hotels that want to increase their attractiveness towards those who cycle and to those who want to start a bicycle rental to benefit from the growth of the sector thanks also to contacts with the bicycle manufacturers present.
For the occasion, the “Cycle Tourism Guide” was created, a list of over 130 operators present at the event to encourage contact between professionals.
The presentation of the 4th Isnart – Legambiente Report in collaboration with Bikenomist, “Travelling with a bike” opened the day by confirming that cycle tourism is characterized as one of the segments with a strong growth trend, within the broader context of active and open-air tourism: 56.8 million visitors in 2023 and an economic impact of over 5.5 billion euros, up 35% on 2022 and 19% on 2019 (4.6 billion). From here, the profile of the average cycle tourist also emerged: millennial, high-spender (€95/day against the €59.6/day of the traditional tourist), with an income that in 76% of cases is medium or medium-high. The complete report can be downloaded from the ISNART website.
The Cycle Tourism Forum has been recognized as a training event by the Order of Journalists and more than 100 journalists attended the three-day event in Bologna.
Cycle Tourism Show, 6-7 April 2024
The Cycle Tourism Forum then gave way to the Cycle Tourism Show, which took place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 April 2024 and which registered 15,000 participants, confirming itself once again this year as a point of reference for the national and international active tourism sector, a meeting platform between territories, operators and for those who choose cycling for their holidays.
An attentive audience from all over Italy attended the pavilions of the DumBO space over the weekend, and took inspiration from the exhibition areas of the Regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Piedmont, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany, Veneto and from the over 124 operators who came to propose new itineraries, services and infrastructures tailored for cycle tourism.
Among the foreign destinations were Spain, Catalonia, Gran Canaria, the Algarve in Portugal, Turkey, Flanders, Croatia, Slovenia, Flanders in Belgium and Jordan, countries and regions that have been able to exploit their natural and tourist resources and become popular destinations for those who love to discover the territories on a bicycle.
The guided bike tours organized to discover the city were also appreciated, and sold out, thanks to the collaboration with Bologna Welcome and eXtraBO.
Talks and Practical Workshops
How to organize a bike trip, what to eat, training, packing and much more: Bikeitalia’s practical workshops were very popular with those looking for practical information to improve their trip organization. The bike stands, with test ride areas, and accessories were highly appreciated and visited. Among the brands in the bike and service sector were Canyon, Gazelle, Ducati, Bergamont, BRN, Repower and others.
Those looking for inspiration attended the two-day talk, including stories of destinations and travel experiences, from the most famous bicycle explorers in Italy. The Show opened and closed with an appeal to the Senate of the Republic to reject the bill to be discussed soon to amend the Highway Code because it contains many rules that do not guarantee the safety of cyclists and therefore represent a serious threat to the growth of the sector: without safety on the roads there can be no cycle tourism.
The aim of the Show is to connect people with territories, with the ideal means to do so: the bicycle. In its third edition we have seen the connections between territories and people grow, places near and far that come together through food and wine, history and culture. Cycle tourism is not just a niche of enthusiasts, but a sector that is consolidating with professionals with various skills from a technical, promotional, and infrastructure planning and design point of view.
See you at the fourth edition of the Cycle Tourism Show from 4 to 6 April 2025 in Bologna.
