CARAVAN SALON 2021

•••8••• Messewelten Eurobike Travel Talk 2021 New trends in international bike tourism T he bicycle industry is in motion and cycle tourism is booming – and more so than ever due to Covid-19. “Micro-adventures” on the doorstep are replacing globe- trotting – what role does cycle tourism play in terms of safe holi- days and does the trend towards local outdoor experiences offer a sustainable prospect for the travel sector? In the 20th edition of Travel Talk, the congress for cycle tourism, on 3 September 2021 the bike and tourism sectors will be meeting up again at Eurobike in Friedrichshafen to discuss, be inspired network and work together. While the tourism industrywas hav- ing to struggle with opening strat- egies, hygiene regulations and bed capacities in order to ensure guests of an attractive, yet safe holiday, figures for the demand and take-up of “new” and fun forms of bikes, such as gravel bikes, e-MTBs and cargo bikes, were going through the roof. As the interface between the two sectors, cycle tourism is benefiting particularly at a local lev- el. Since the advent of travel restric- tions imposed by the pandemic – if not before – holidays on the door- step or ‘staycations’ have become a megatrend. Focus topic: micro-adventure The term micro-adventure de- scribes exploratory cycle trips in nearby areas both on and far away from roads and cycle paths. In the narrower sense, it involves short trips without a great deal of preparation, but a high fun and recreational fac- tor. Strap the bags to the bike, steer a course through the coun- tryside and find somewhere to stay overnight – what more do you need? Yet how can tourist regions benefit from the trend of bikepacking with individual travellers on the one hand and organised events, and freshly founded clubs on the other. This is what pioneer Gunnar Fehlau will be discussing with guests from the industry and destinations, including the crea- tive women behind the blogs Radelmädchen and Heimatno- madin. In addition, there will be a keynote speech from Axel Carion, founder of the global ul- tra-distance cycling race series, Biking Man. What better way to publicise tour- ist regions than tales of adven- ture set in breathtaking natural scenery. To make sure that this campaign enjoys success too, it is important to get the stories and target groups right as well as the cooperation between bloggers and regions. Examples from Swa- bia, in south-west Germany, as well as Slovenia, on influencer market- ing and user-generated routes will serve to illustrate this focus topic. More and more cyclists are opt- ing for the train to reach their holiday destinations. So how bike-friendly are the Europe- an rail companies? The CEO of the European Cyclists’ Federa- tion (ECF), Jill Warren, will be presenting a study on this very topic. The afternoon sessions take an intensive look at two aspects. When families go on holiday, they usually have a large number of demands and expectations of the destinations. In particular, the planning and logistics in- volved often turn such a micro- adventure into a macro-adven- ture for parents. What progress are regions making with cargo bikes, how can the whole fam- ily go mountain biking and what to do with the dog on holiday are just some of the issues in the first deep-dive session. The second goes more into the de- tails of using existing tourist infrastructure for cycle tour- ism – as, for example, mountain bike parks in ski resorts already show. Examples from mountain and flat regions help to illustrate what is possible. Alongside best-practice exam- ples and the discussion of cur- rently trending topics, brief pitch sessions on the subject of “Local to Global” will present new and exciting products for cycle tourism. Before, during and after the congress, howev- er, the focus will be on network- ing between the bicycle and tourism industries. And this will be taking place live at Eurobike at Lake Constance, after Travel Talk 2020 had to take place vir- tually because of the pandemic. About Eurobike Travel Talk Since 2002, Eurobike Travel Talk has been bringing together in- ter national representatives from the field of tourism and the bicycle business as well as media professionals and blog- gers under the auspices of the leading global bicycle trade fair Eurobike in Friedrichshafen. The 20th edition of the cycle tour- ism congress is taking place on 3 September 2021 as a live event featuring presentations and an opportunity for networking to exchange ideas on the latest trends and innovations. For all other information, please visit www.eurobike.com. The bike and tourism sectors will be meeting up again Foto: EUROBIKE Friedrichshafen Micro-adventures are a focus topic Foto: EUROBIKE Friedrichshafen