The figures from the Bike Summit 2019 report presented in Rome are promising: the bicycle tourism economy is worth almost 12 billion, with a 41 per cent increase in cycle tourists over five years.
More than eight per cent of tourism in Italy in 2018 was made possible by the bicycle. Cyclists who dedicate their holiday to two wheels are on a constant rise: indeed, one in three cycle tourists decides to get in the saddle and pedal the entire route.
These are just some of the figures from the report presented at the Bike Summit 2019 in Rome by Isnart-Unioncamere and Legambiente, with the support of Legambici and in collaboration with Alleanza mobilità dolce (Amodo) and VeloLove Grab+.
Last year there were 77.6 million tourists, with as many as six million people choosing to use a bicycle during their holidays in Italy. Of these, almost two million (1.85) use the bike for the entire selected route, more than four million use it at their destinations, while 700,000 are urban cyclists who jump in the saddle every day to get to work and beyond.
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The number of cycle tourists has been rising steadily since 2013, up 41 per cent by 2018, generating an economic value of 7.6 billion euros per year, while the Pib (Prodotto interno bici, or "bicycle gross domestic product") is close to twelve billion euros. This figure also encompasses bicycle and accessory production, cycle tourism, and other benefits linked to choosing the bicycle as a means of transport in a tourism context.
These are interesting figures, but with enormous potential for expansion, given that Italy is a country that still has a low level of cycle tourism development, yet at the same time holds great appeal at an international level thanks to its natural landscapes, art cities and characteristic villages. Italy counts around 440 bicycles per thousand inhabitants, whereas in the Netherlands or Germany the ratio is almost one to one.
According to the report presented at the Bike Summit 2019, among the main regions of origin of cycle tourists are several areas of central and southern Italy (almost one fifth of cycle tourists state they come from Campania, followed by Lombardy and Lazio), while the main holiday destinations are all located in the northern part of the country (Trentino, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany). Germany is, meanwhile, the main foreign market of origin for flows interested in active holidays, followed by France, the United States and the United Kingdom.
