Bike tourism is a hardly understood concept. It requires education and outreach activities in communities. It’s better to start with the basics and to narrate interesting and inspiring stories and present case studies.
Bike tourism can be multifaceted, but it is defined as a travel-related activity for pleasure that often includes a bike. Bike tourism often has major categories that involve gravel, road, and mountain biking. These categories bicycle travel or touring, events, urban cycling and day rides, and destination riding. Bicycle travel or touring is composed of independently organized and multiday bike tours. Bike events include races, tours, and organized rides. Destination riding involves a ride that is intended for a particular destination or a niche attraction. Urban cycling and day rides are spontaneous rides meant to tour local or urban attractions.
How important is bike tourism? First of all, it is one of the fastest developing types of outdoor recreation. Around 48 million people bike every year for recreational purposes. Bike tourism contributes $96.7 billion to the economy. It is also credited for several benefits such as community health, environmental health, financial savings, and most of all happier people. Through biking and bike tourism countries can capitalize on the sustainable economic development means.
Bike travel is also highly beneficial for rural communities. Touring cyclists often choose the least trodden path with much less traffic both transportation and human. Since they are pedal-powered, they usually stay longer in the area and spend on the services offered by the rural communities.
A bicycle tourism destination on the other hand is a place where everyone would want to ride while on vacation. There are endless possibilities in a particular bicycle tourism destination due to the various types of cycling and the wide variety of cyclists’ preferences. Such destinations can be a small and remote town to a bustling metropolis.
Among the many options of activities that involve biking, one of the most popular ones is the bike tour. The bike tour can be classified into three types: the guided bike tour, self-supported bike tour, and the self-guided bike tour.
The guided bike tour entails the cyclist to pay a bike tourism company in Alice Springs for instance to accompany him towards a pre-determined path. All your belongings will be in a vehicle that will meet you in several checkpoints. A bike tour can consist of two to twenty people.
The self-guided bike tour is much like the guided bike tour since the lodging, route, and meals are all taken care of by a touring company. The difference is that you don’t have a bike tour guide. You will have a pre-designed course, but you are on your own and your belongings will be carried on your bike.
The self-supported bike tour is that you are on your own for as long as you want and to wherever you want to go.
