The 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference was held in İzmir, one of the most bike-friendly cities in Türkiye and the first city from Türkiye selected for EuroVelo 8 – Mediterranean Route, on October 11-13, 2023, with the participation of nearly 270 attendees from 34 countries. The conference brought together all the industry professionals to develop cycling tourism throughout Europe. Industry professionals who attended the meeting accommodated in İzmir also had the opportunity to experience the privileges of “Bike Friendly” certificated hotels.
The 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference was organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), and the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) with the local stakeholders in cooperation with İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Focusing on the development and future of sustainable cycling tourism, the conference brought together all the stakeholders in cycling tourism, including cycling tourism experts, international cycling associations’ representatives, cycling tour operators, universities and academia, tourism and public authorities, and accommodation and public transport companies.
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, attended the conference and gave an opening speech. In his remarks, Minister Ersoy stated the following: “According to 2022 data, the EuroVelo 8 Mediterranean Cycling Route is one of the most important routes of the EuroVelo European Cycle Route Network, which exceeds 90,000 kilometres, is the second most pedalled route of the EuroVelo network. Türkiye is a member of the European Cycle Route Network, which connects the entire European continent by combining seventeen different long-distance bicycle routes and connects the cities of Edirne, Kırklareli, and İzmir via the EuroVelo 13 and EuroVelo 8 routes. I believe that the 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference will provide significant breakthroughs in the development and dissemination of bicycle tourism in 81 provinces across Türkiye, as well as the implementation of new route projects and the development of sustainable bicycle tourism – one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism products – in Europe and globally.”
In his welcome speech, Henk Swarttouw, President of the European Cyclists’ Federation, said, “Nowadays, tourists want to engage in active travel and leisure. They want to spend their holidays sustainably. Cycling tourism checks all the boxes and is proliferating. This presents an immense opportunity for Türkiye with all it has to offer in terms of hospitality, nature, culture and heritage. These opportunities will be unlocked with the development of local, regional and national cycling networks and further developing EuroVelo 8 – the Mediterranean Route, in and around İzmir and future connections to other EuroVelo routes. That’s why we were honoured to celebrate our annual EuroVelo and Cycling Tourism Conference in Izmir, Türkiye.”
A conference program focusing on Heritage and Experience
The 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference, which had “Cycling: A New Perspective on Heritage” as a theme, offered participants an engaging program focusing on panels, dialogues, and information exchange with the participation of 48 speakers. The program consisted of sessions, workshops, and social events that provided insight into cycling path networks and cycling tourism and promoted best practices in cycling tourism while encouraging the participants to think about the role of cycling in shaping cultural and natural heritage.
The conference began with a special event on October 11 in the Historical Coal Gas Factory, one of the industrial landmarks of İzmir. The most influential keynote speakers in the industry came together at the Swissotel Büyük Efes for the inspiring sessions on the second day of the conference.
Travel journalist Alex Crevar and Pınar Pinzuti, the organiser of the Fancy Women Bike Ride and director of bicycle tourism fairs for the Italy Bikenomist company, shared their inspiring ideas and experiences on cycling as the best way to make the most of a destination’s heritage in «Cycling: a new perspective on heritage» session. During the plenary session «Bringing cycling tourism higher on the political agenda», Dr. Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, Acting General Manager of the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), Jill Warren, CEO of the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), and Michael Cramer from former MEP talked about their perspectives on how cycling tourism must be brought to the political agenda at national and international levels with more substantial commitment and determination than ever before. This panel discussed cycling tourism policy, which focuses on the development and sustainability of cycling tourism.
Share of Experiences in Parallel Sessions
The 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference also hosted a series of parallel sessions. The “Cycling products promoting heritage: lessons from across Europe” session brought several European best practices for discovering cultural history on two wheels. The session «Cycling into Nature: Between Usage and Protection» discussed how cycling infrastructure gives access to natural areas without adding pressure on biodiversity and ecosystems, including examples from different countries.
The session «Marketing strategies to attract new (and more) cyclists» discussed ideas on how marketing tools and activities can support making cycling a part of everyone’s life. The «Tools to Communicate Cycling and Heritage» session, held interactively, discussed how various media, such as guides, TV shows, games, and applications, can link bicycle practice with the promotion of heritage and invite users to explore a destination by bike, with examples from Europe.
The “Cycling-friendly services: How to improve access to heritage sites?” session discussed experiences and perspectives from different countries and backgrounds on how high-quality services are crucial to making the perfect match between heritage and cycling tourism. The “Cycle route networks: A link between rural and urban heritage” session discussed the role of a successful cycle route network in accessing the main attractions of a destination and how to plan a network of cycle routes.
On the last day of the 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference, participants made technical visits to essential spots along the Izmir section of the EuroVelo 8 – Mediterranean Route. During these visits, participants explored the region and the bike-friendly infrastructure, projects, and services.