Sunshine Matters

As VISIT FLORIDA seeks to promote and increase in-state bicycle tourism, I recently attended the National Bicycle Tourism Conference sponsored by People for Bikes in San Diego, CA.  Attending this four-day conference allowed me to network with bicycle advocacy organizations, other state tourism offices and bicycle event directors.  I was also able to take advantage of the opportunity to interact with nearly 250 bicycle event professionals, advocates, bike tourism leaders and cycling enthusiasts who attended this year’s event.

Held annually by the Bicycle Tour Network – who shares the best bicycling practices, creates benchmarks of quality, and works to advance bicycling everywhere – the conference offered educational sessions to give us a comprehensive understanding of the bicycle tourism industry.  Here are a few of the sessions I attended:  More Bike Tourism – Hear from Four States on Why They are Investing in Bicycle Tourism, How They Are Investing and What the Results Have Been; Inspiring Communities to Embrace Bike Tourism – Creating Your Own “Bicycling Capital;” The Next Big Thing in Bicycle Travel – Exploring New Trends; Working with Local Advocacy Organizations as Partners for Greater Success; Working with Local Chambers and Visitors Bureaus – Both Perspectives; and Bicycling & Brewing.

Bicycle Tourism in the U.S. and globally is steadily gaining prominence, and in response, more states and regions are beginning to reveal bike tourism’s economic potential.  National and regional bike route networks are expanding as single-day short bike tours and self-guided tours are becoming more popular.  North America bike events are growing, bike share systems are on the rise and more businesses are becoming bike friendly.

This Huffington Post article, Get in the Spin with Florida Bike Tours, describes some of Florida’s most popular bike tours and the benefits of biking in Florida.

For more information, please contact me at kchunka@VISITFLORIDA.org.