Ad: “Beach bike your way through Emerald Isle, complimentary of Emerald Isle Realty. New weekly reservations arriving during September and October will receive 2 complimentary deluxe beach bicycles.”
I don't know if this is a new idea, but it's certainly a timely one considering the impact of higher gasoline prices on traveling.
When a regular reader sent me the advertisement, he said it might show a new trend of vacation entrepreneurs using bicycles to lure visitors to their resorts. It might even prove that people in the tourism industry are discovering the bicycle is a useful tool for the traveling public.
It reminded me of the real estate agents in Portland and Boulder I wrote about recently who show houses to prospective buyers by bicycle.
I googled “complimentary bicycles” and found hundreds of such offers on the web.
The barrier islands of the southern US weren't the only places making offers of complimentary bicycles. I found examples in places as different as Cape May, New Jersey, Duluth, Minnesota, and Paola, Kansas.
One of the more interesting was the Santa Barbara Car Free Campaign. Travelers who could show an Amtrak or plane ticket can receive special benefits at participating hotels in town. One of them, the Old Yacht Club Inn Bed & Breakfast, offers complimentary bicycles, locks and helmets.
The Amelia Island tourism bureau announced that several bed & breakfast inns offer free bicycles. “The Ash Street Inn, Addison on Amelia, Hoyt House and Fairbanks House are giving guests the chance to “park it” during their stay.”
Some others that caught my eye:
The Lancaster Arts Hotel in Pennsylvania offers complimentary bicycles, but also a basket for carrying purchases.
Vacation rental condos at a complex in Watersound, Florida, all offer two or three complimentary bicycles. A few even throw in a kayak.
The St. Francis Inn B&B in St. Augustine, the Campbell Cottage B&B on Lake Erie, the Gingerbread House in Paolo, Kansas, and Angel of the Sea Inn in Cape May, N.J., all offer comp bikes.
Amtrak is reporting record high ridership across the country as people forego the airlines or the family car for trips. When people arrive at their destination by train, it's good to know they can get around town on a complimentary bicycle.
Even if people drive to their vacation spot, making complimentary bicycles available should make the visit much more enjoyable. I'm sure some of the smaller vacation towns would prefer tourists on bicycles than in cars clogging up narrow streets and taking scarce parking.
Excellent photo above by *97 at flickr.com.
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