10 ways that bicycle travel industry is booming

The use of bicycles for transportation and recreation is clearly on the upswing. Now the Adventure Cycling Association says that bicycles are a growing part of the travel industry as well.

The Missoula, Montana-based nonprofit that produces bike travel maps, organizes supported and self-contained bicycle tours and advocates for bicycle travel had a record year in 2010. One of its big gains was a 16% increase in the number of cyclists joining one of its many bicycle tours.

In reporting a 15% overall growth in revenue for Adventure Cycling, Executive Director Jim Sayer said:

“Given the continued weakness in the U.S. economy, our performance was all the more impressive — but it's also a sign that in difficult times, people turn to things they love, like bicycling and traveling by bike.” 

Adventure Cycling wasn't alone in making gains in its segment of the adventure travel market, as other nonprofits and bike tour outfits reported improved business as well.

Here's a list of 10 indicators that bicycle travel is blooming that Sayer will present to the National Bicycle Tour Directors Association later this week in Madison, Wisconsin:

1. States tally up economic impact of bike travel: In January 2010, researchers at the University of Wisconsin calculated that out-of-state visitors traveling to Wisconsin for great cycling opportunities generated $532 million, or more than half-a-billion dollars, in economic activity. The State of Oregon has embarked on a similar study and expects its survey to come out later in 2011.
2. States highlight bicycle travel as an active (and attractive) way to experience what they have to offer: States are seeing bicycle travel as a cornerstone of their tourism strategy. For example, in April 2010, the State of Minnesota hosted its first conference on bicycle tourism. Expecting about 100 participants, the gathering drew more than 250 private sector and public agency attendees.
3. New bicycle-travel websites pop up: In October 2010, Oregon marked the one-year anniversary of its comprehensive web guide to cycle tourism. According to David Lowe-Rogstad of Substance (which designed and developed the website for Travel Oregon), Ride Oregon has exceeded expectations with over 13,000 unique visitors and 38,000 page views. The majority of content (rides and events) has been submitted by users.
4. Commercial tours surge: Commercial tour operators in different market segments saw more interest in cycling vacations this year. “Our business has seen a 20 percent increase from 2009 to 2010 and we are off to a good start for the 2011 season,” said Tania Worgull, president of Trek Travel, which operates tours in North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. “We continue to add new destinations each year to accommodate the growing interest in bike tours.”
5. Major cycling events pick up: According to David Harrenstein, executive director of the National Bicycle Tour Directors Association (NBTDA), attendance at major recreational cycling events has been going up. “I've been hearing from NBTDA member tours since mid-summer that tour participant numbers are consistently good and have certainly bounced back from recession levels. We're also pleased by the fact that we are setting an attendance record at our annual tour directors conference in Madison, Wisconsin this November.” According to a recent report by Bikes Belong, cycling events (such as Ride the Rockies or RAGBRAI) are good for business and community — in 2008, 1,700 road riding events in the U.S. drew more than one million participants, raised more than $200 million for charities, and generated an estimated $572 million in direct economic impact.
6. More communities create accommodations specifically for cyclists: Adventure Cycling has observed that, in the last couple of years, a number of smaller communities have created bike-only camp and hostel sites to attract riders and spur economic development. They include Twin Bridges, MT, Farmington, MO, Dalbo, MN, and Ordway, CO. These lodgings and their community impacts are regularly covered in GeoPoints Bulletin posts at Adventure Cycling's blog.
7. Mountain bike-related travel expands: According to Ryan Schultz, director of field programs for the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), “2010 has been a banner year for mountain biking. We've seen growth in the IMBA Ride Center program, increased interest in destination quality trails, and the opening of several innovative new trail systems that cater to casual first-timers, experts, and everything in-between.”
8. Interest rises in developing a U.S. Bicycle Route System: Following in the tracks of Europe and parts of Canada, the U.S. is beginning to develop an official U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) connecting states and cities from city to countryside. A plan was adopted in October 2008 and in the last year, 27 states and the District of Columbia have begun to implement routes to improve cycling transportation, travel, and economic development, according to the latest status report published by Adventure Cycling. In July, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the USBRS “a win for states, a win for local communities, and a win for America.”
9. Existing North American cycle network grows to more than 40,000 miles: Adventure Cycling has been developing bicycle-friendly routes and maps in North America since 1976. In May 2010, they released the 2,400 mile Sierra Cascades Bicycle Route, which boosted their total network to nearly 41,000 miles — the largest cycling route network in the world and one which provides a diverse menu of short- and long- options for bicycle travel on pavement or dirt.
10. Adventure Cycling experiences a record year: In a sign of the times, America's bicycle-travel nonprofit and largest cycling membership organization enjoyed a more robust year than expected, with record levels of revenue, map sales, tour participants, advertising in Adventure Cyclist magazine, and cycling visitors to their Missoula, Montana, headquarters.

See also Across-State Bicycle Tours and Charity Bike Rides