1) The document discusses the Eurovelo network, a proposed European cycle route network spanning 66,000 km across 12 long-distance routes. 2) It evaluates the potential benefits of long-distance cycling routes in Europe for tourism purposes and analyzes the scale and scope of existing cycle tourism. 3) The challenges to developing cycle tourism include a lack of vision and investment, fragmented products and a gap between transport and tourism coordination. Recommendations focus on further developing and promoting the Eurovelo network as sustainable, low-carbon tourism.

1. The European Cycle
Route Network:
Eurovelo 2009
Les Lumsdon
Leisure and Tourism Cycling Conference:
Aveiro, Portugal
6th November 2009
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2. European Study on Cycling
• Requested by the European Parliament's
Committee on Transport and Tourism
• Assessed the challenges and
opportunities for sustainable cycle tourism
• The report focuses specifically on travel
between places by bicycle for leisure
purposes
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3. Aims and Objectives
• Evaluate the potential benefits of long
distance European cycling routes for tourism
purposes
• Three key objectives:
– to determine the current scale and scope of cycle
tourism in Europe
– to evaluate EuroVelo as a sustainable tourism
network across Europe
– to investigate the potential to develop a themed
trail, currently known as The Iron Curtain Trail.
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4. The Cycle Tourism Market
• No reliable data sources regarding overall
volume and value of the existing cycle tourism
market
• France and Austria most important destinations
for cycle tourism
• Germany and the UK are the main outbound
markets of the European tourism sector
• Universal needs- a continuous, safe, pleasant
route with good signage
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5. Trends & Tourism Market
• Marginal increase in cycle tourism
• Uneven provision and market growth across
Europe
• Model produced to evaluate the value of cycle
tourism in the EU (EU27+Norway and
Switzerland).
• The total economic impact for the estimated
2.8 billion cycle tourism trips in Europe with a
value in excess of €54 billion per annum
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6. Motivational Factors
• Health
• Relaxation
• Nature
• Pleasant scenery and landscapes
• Learning about other areas
• Social
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7. Most important factors of route
design
• Safety (low or no traffic density)
• Ease of use (signposting)
• Pleasant landscapes
• Accommodation/refreshment
• Of lesser importance are:
– information material
– public transport access
– route network density
– cycle maintenance shops
– infrastructure such as resting places
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8. Impacts
• Economic impact:
– Cycle tourists spend average €53 per day
(inc. accommodation).
– Day excursion cyclists estimated average
spend of almost €16 per day.
• Environmental and Social Impacts:
– Minimal negative impacts
– Disturbance of wildlife/flora
– Crowding (impact on recreational quality)
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9. The Eurovelo network
• EuroVelo: a European cycle route network
which seeks to offer a sustainable Trans-
European Network.
• Comprises twelve long distance cycle routes
covering a distance of 66,000 km.
• Managed by the European Cyclists’
Federation
• The report assesses whether or not this
network could enhance the overall transport
and tourism offering in Europe.
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10. The Eurovelo Network
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11. The challenges
The challenges are at different levels:
• Lack of vision to mitigate climatic change
• Institutions and tourism associations slow
to translate sustainability principles into
practice
• The lack of investment in low carbon
tourism
• The gap between transport and tourism
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12. Vision
• The EU documentation states that tourism
has not progressed much in terms of
sustainable development
• There’s a real need for a tourism ‘product’
which highlights a vision of the future
• EuroVelo has the potential to offer this:
across all countries, low impact, high
economic impact
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13. Stakeholder Investment
• A major challenge for leisure cycle tourism
is the need to invest in routes
• Major tourism institutions need to get
behind a European cycle tourism product
• Currently cycle tourism ‘products’ are
fragmented-need to be coordinated
• EuroVelo not sufficiently developed as a
flagship
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14. Low Carbon Tourism
Cycle tourism has a very significant advantage over
other forms of transport in reducing climate change
But only if cyclists travel shorter distances to cycle and
by train-not airplane
Analysis of German data shows that 7% of cyclists
flying to destination: this accounts for 40% of total
cycle holiday emissions
Rail based cycle holidays account for 28% of trips but
only 7% of the total cycle holiday emissions
There’s a need to design EuroVelo as a low carbon
product
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15. The transport-tourism gap
• A need for integration between modes of transport and
tourism
• Cycle hire for the more casual day excursionist at railway
stations is ideal
• Train operators in different countries have varying
approaches to carriage of cycles.
• The coach and cycle offer is currently very limited
• Provision for cycles on ferries is an important element
• Switzerland is the best example of a coordinated
approach to transport and tourism
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16. The report recommendations
• In summary we recommended the following:
• That EuroVelo is incorporated into the TEN programme.
• That more funds are made available for coordination of development
and coordinated marketing of the EuroVelo network
• Funds for bi-annual monitoring of cycle tourism.
• Funds to further develop and maintain the demand forecast model
(CRDFM).
• More focused and detailed appraisal is made (projects, seminars,
cost-benefit analyses) on railways to improve the carriage of
bicycles, specifically on long distance trains
• To proceed with Iron Curtain Trail as an example of green tourism
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