The Bike Friendly label serves as a tool for Tourism and Business Development

Cycling has become an increasingly popular activity in recent years, as bicycles are inherently a COVID-free mode of transportation that helps reduce congestion and allows visitors to connect with nature and the environment. At the same time, it is a gentle activity, widely practiced in the tourists’ home countries, offering them the opportunity to engage all their senses in the beauty of the places they visit with a familiar mode of transportation. It is, therefore, a valuable activity for both exercise and recreation.

Furthermore, cycling, as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation, actively contributes to reducing the carbon footprint in the transportation sector (for both citizens and tourists), thus limiting the negative impacts of the environmental crisis on local communities and the planet at large. It is an activity that can shape a new strategy for both tourism and urban mobility, with a focus on “soft tourism.”

NatTour, in collaboration with the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (EEPF), has developed the “Bike Friendly” label, a recognizable certification for cyclist-friendly destinations and businesses. Over the past few years, it has also played a leading role in the development and promotion of a network of hotels, partners, and destinations that cater to cyclists, promoting the use of bicycles as an eco-friendly mode of transport and the growth of alternative and thematic forms of tourism, such as cycling tourism. At the same time, it has contributed to the promotion of the network members (currently, 130 hotels, 8 municipalities, and 30 cycling companies/tour operators are part of the network), as well as to attracting tourists.

The benefits of participating in Bike Friendly are numerous. They start with enriching a business’s tourism offering through cycling activities and repositioning it in both the Greek and international markets by reaching additional demand segments, particularly those interested in alternative or thematic tourism. The promotion of the business’s “innovation,” the boost to its environmental policy, the creation of incentives for visitors, the appeal to a new category of visitors focused on nature and the environment, as well as the benefits from extending the tourism season, are just a few more bike-friendly advantages. Finally, the opportunity to expand collaborations with specialists in thematic tourism (cycling companies, Greek bike specialist tour operators, etc.), participation in NatTour’s networking events, and participation in exhibitions and other promotional events provide new opportunities for visibility for all network members.

The necessary steps for businesses and municipalities/destinations include securing essential cycling services and equipment for cyclist needs, finding, creating, marking, or maintaining cycling routes, defining the cycling identity and content of the business or destination, and a range of other complementary services to meet cyclists’ needs.

For more information about the Bike Friendly network, its members (hotels, municipalities, cycling companies, etc.), and the requirements for joining the network, visit: www.bikehotels.travel

Source: All about Peloponnisos