Bicycle tourism is a strikingly simple idea: encourage people on bikes to travel to or through your community, invite them to stay the night or eat a meal or visit the local museum, and enjoy the economic benefits and community improvements.

Since 2009, we’ve helped people utilize bicycle tourism to spur economic and community development - and what we’ve learned is that bicycle tourism does not need to be complicated in order to be successful. Simple initiatives work really well, provided they’re developed thoughtfully and supported by the community. We have also learned that, no matter how different one place is from another, all successful bike tourism destinations have similarly strong foundations. The key to successful and sustainable bicycle tourism is understanding who might be traveling into your community by bike and what they will want or need – and then integrating that into your business model, transportation plan, community development initiatives, and tourism marketing.

How to build a bicycle tourism destination

1. Start from where you are.

At the core of your bicycle tourism initiative is your community, and it’s important to embrace and retain what makes you unique.

• Who are you as a community?

• What can someone experience in your community that they can’t find in another community?

Next, assess your existing services and amenities. Think about what you want in your next vacation destination, even if you don’t ride a bike. You want to know if you have the basic building blocks to be a day or overnight destination.

• Are public restrooms available?

• Is there public car parking available, especially at trailheads?

• Are there overnight accommodations?

2. Develop routes and services.

Now that you’ve identified what you have to offer as a community, you can begin to focus on the bike-specific details. Think about the cycling opportunities that you offer now, and what you can move toward. Enlist cyclists in your area to help identify and map quality routes.

• Where will visitors ride their bikes?

• Are these road rides? mountain bike rides? gravel rides?

• How will visitors learn about and follow the routes in your community?

Also think about the gaps that you identified in step 1, as well as ways to improve on the services you do have. Remember that cyclists will have their bikes with them and will be concerned for the bikes’ safety.

• Can bicycle visitors bring their bikes into their hotel rooms, or do you have a separate locked room they can park in?

• Is there a safe place to park a bicycle while shopping or eating?

3. Create a welcoming environment.

Whenever we travel someplace new, what we remember most are the people we meet. To be a successful destination, you want your bicycle visitors to have a good experience. This includes the welcome they receive when they check in to their hotel, as well as the way a passing motorist behaves. Be sure to bring your business and community leaders into the conversation, so you can hear and address their concerns.

• What needs to happen so that residents are supportive?

• Is there a bike-friendly business training program for front-line staff?

• How can safety be improved on a cycling route?

4. Tell the world.

You’ve done the hard work to develop your community into a bicycle tourism destination, now make sure that people know about it! You want to make it as easy as possible for potential visitors to find all the information they need to book their trip. Target your marketing efforts to the types of cyclists who will most appreciate your routes and your community. Ask your tourism and chamber partners to help spread the word. Make it easy for cyclists who visit your community to tell their friends about their trip.

• How can someone plan their visit in advance?

• Do you have a website and a social media presence?