Three days, 27,000 people, and a sector that's no longer a niche. The fifth edition of the Cycle Tourism Show, held in Padua from 27 to 29 March 2026, leaves us with one certainty: Italian cycle tourism has grown up, structured itself, and finally found its meeting place. Here's how it went, numbers in hand.
The most international edition yet
Let's start with the numbers that show the scale we've reached. This year we welcomed 268 exhibitors and co-exhibitors, representing 20 countries and 12 Italian regions: a 67.5% jump over the previous edition. Visitors totalled 27,000, up 30% year on year.
Where the public came from confirms our strong roots in the North-East, with a long tail across the rest of Italy: Veneto led with 55%, followed by Lombardy (15%), Emilia-Romagna (10%), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (6%) and Trentino-Alto Adige (5%), with attendees from every other Italian region.
But perhaps the most telling figure comes from outside the numbers on our own floor: the Show now sits at the centre of a market worth an estimated €6.4 billion in economic impact across the host regions, figures that change the conversation with local governments and investors.
Who is the 2026 cycle tourist
The profile of our audience has changed, for the better. Gender balance is now a reality: 50% women, with couples looking for "culture and taste" experiences as the main driver of their travel choices. The real surprise, though, is generational: Gen Z now makes up 20% of the market. Cycle tourism is no longer just an activity for long-time enthusiasts, it's a language that speaks to younger travellers too.
Confirming the sector's vitality is the boom in bike rental: rental businesses have grown 47% since 2019, a sign that an increasingly solid services economy is building up around bike travel.
The B2B core: workshops, buyers and new routes
The Show isn't just a showcase, it's a marketplace. The B2B Workshop generated more than 1,000 one-to-one meetings between 40 fully hosted buyers and 80 sellers from around the world. Accredited buyers came from 15 countries — from Austria to Canada, from Norway to the United States, while 74 sellers registered on the platform, from 8 countries.
And the results point to concrete prospects: 100% of international buyers said they plan to add the destinations they discovered during the workshop to their programming. Almost 30% expect to do so already in 2026, over 40% in 2027. On top of that, there was a dedicated study visit for an Albanian delegation and four fam trips across Veneto's territories, from the Euganean Hills to the Treviso-Ostiglia cycle route.
Buyer feedback was clear: "A well-organised weekend, nothing to complain about. I learned a lot and there are at least two sellers I plan to go visit." Feedback that, together with requests for more international sellers at the table, points clearly to where we should improve.
Beyond the halls: forums, community and off-site events
The Show's life started well before the three days in Padua. The Fuori Fiera (Off-Show) program brought stories and inspiration to six Italian cities, from Milan to Bari, from Vicenza to Porto Tolle, reaching more than 2,000 people.
Inside the halls, 150 authoritative voices brought forums, academies and conferences to life, turning the event into a living platform for dialogue between professionals, territories and enthusiasts. Not to mention the community side: from the "Find travel companions" noticeboard to the "Little Cycle Tourist's Passport" for kids. And a detail we're proud of: 10% of visitors arrived by bike, using the largest bike parking ever set up in Italy for a public event.
Media and digital reach
The Show made noise, both offline and online. On the press side, we counted 584 articles and 215 accredited journalists, with coverage across print, online, TV and radio. Online, the website recorded 430,000 page views and 178,000 visitors in the first three months of 2026.
Digital activity amplified everything: 325,000 emails sent and an impressive social reach, with 4.3 million reach on Facebook, 1.9 million on Instagram, and more than 47,000 B2B contacts on LinkedIn.
What we're taking home
The feedback we collected is clear and useful: more exhibitors of bikes and gear, more regions and countries represented, areas to try and buy products on site, and a few logistical improvements to the venue. These are valuable pointers, and they become our working agenda for the next edition.
Because the Cycle Tourism Show doesn't just showcase the market, it helps build it. When demand becomes visible, supply follows. And we're already at work on the next appointment.
See you in Padua, 19 to 21 March 2027.