Cycling tourism: statistics, surveys and resources

We work with many organisations who are making the case for bicycle tourism within their marketing strategies.

We are passionate about cycling holidays – because they are fun but also because they have the potential for huge good.

We have created this page to share various reports, resources and statistics on cycling tourism. We hope it will be useful to those making the case for cyclists and bike tourism within marketing, active and sustainable travel strategies.

If you’d like to sign up for our industry email newsletter, which shares more of these kinds of resources, please get in touch.

What is cycling tourism?

Different national organisations define cycling tourism in different ways. However, at its core, bicycle tourism is any travel-related activity for leisure purposes, incorporating a bicycle. Most types of bike tourism fall under these overlapping categories.

Destination: Rides centred around a particular destination or attraction. Examples here.
Touring: multi-day bicycle tours. Examples here.
Events: Organised rides, sportives and races. Examples here.
City day rides: usually a day, or half a day of riding, focused on local attractions. Example here.

All of these types of ride can be done on a variety of bikes, including road/race bikes, gravel bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids, city bikes (and electric versions of these too!).

How does cycling tourism fit within active tourism?

Cycling tourism is a very important part of the wider active tourism market, which as at September 2025 was estimated to be worth more than $1 trillion: ATTA report: Adventure Travel Market Sizing.

For many it is a standalone focus for their holiday, but increasingly cycling is also being incorporated into itineraries as an alternative mode of transport, for example as day or half day tour around a city, or as part of multi-activity adventure holidays.

The 2025 ATTA report found that the definition of “adventure traveller” is now broader than it used to be. One of the key findings in the report notes “Motivation is no longer tied to a single activity like cycling or birdwatching. Instead, many travelers incorporate an adventure element into broader itineraries focused on culture, leisure, and personal transformation.”

Meanwhile, the 2024 Adventure Travel Industry Snapshot report mentioned below found that 3 of the 10 top-trending activities were cycling.

Who is the average cycling tourist?

While there will be some differences from country to country, Cycling UK’s Report: Economic Benefits of Cycle Tourism (2020) identifies the characteristics below:

45-55 years old
Above average educational and professional status
60% male, 40% female
50% cycle in couples or pairs, 20% alone, 20% in groups of 3-5 and 10% in larger groups

As a side note on the age referred to above, we frequently receive emails from cyclists looking for cycling holidays who fall well outside either end of this age range, particularly with regards the upper end of the spectrum.

We share details of individual country’s reports on cycling trends below.

Why invest in cycling tourism?

This report from the European Cycling Federaetion contains detailed information on the benefits of cycling generally: European Cycling Federation: The benefits of Cycling (2018). In the context of cycling tourism, these are some of the most important themes:

Economic impact

Cyclists spend more than other kinds of visitor. More on that below.

Sustainability

Cycling is a sustainable form of transport. This is especially the case, when cycling routes are combined with public transport. This means that cycling tourism has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the tourism sector.

Bikes allow people to access natural areas with much less impact than other forms of transport. This means bicycle tourism has the capacity to support the regeneration of ecosystems and it is aligned with regenerative travel principles.

Reduces overtourism

Cyclists tend to seek out quieter, natural areas, away from other people. This helps to disperse tourism flows.

Cyclists are also often happy to travel outside peak seasons, when weather is cooler, extending the holiday season for destinations.

Rural development

Cycling tourism can be a catalyst for repurposing disused infrastructure, improving rural connectivity and bringing people into remote corners of a country.

The fact that cycling is a slow form of travel means that cyclists also tend to spend extended periods of time in such areas, which are also often the places that are most in need of the economic benefits that cycling also brings. More on that below.

Health and wellness

Cycling offers physical benefits but it also promotes overall wellbeing by providing freedom, connecting us with nature, and enabling life-changing adventures. These all contribute to better social, physical, and psychological health.

What is the economic impact of cycling tourism?

Cycling UK’s Report: Economic Benefits of Cycle Tourism (2020)

£520m total cycle tourism spend from people cycling in the UK per year.
Cycle tourists spend 9% more than the average visitor.
1.23m overnight cycle trips in the UK per year.
£4m per year of health benefits in Scotland, according to Transport Scotland
35,788 jobs generated by the UK’s cycle leisure and tourism sector.

Adventure Travel Association

Approximately 65% of the money spent on adventure travel remains in country.
This compares with approximately 14% of money spent on mass tourism.

The European Cycle Route Network EuroVelo (2012)

2.3 billion cycle tourism trips per year in the EU with a total economic value of 44bn euros
In comparison, the cruise tourism industry provided an economic value of 38bn EUR in 2012 (CLIA Europe Economic Contribution Report, 2013)

ATOUT FRANCE, 2009: Spécial économie du vélo

Cycle tourists spend almost 20% more than the average for all tourists

What do guests want from their holiday?

State of the Cycling Tour Operators Industry (2024)

Where do clients come from? 29% of respondents have the majority of their clients coming from the USA, followed by Germany (16%) and the UK (13%).
Are clients looking for guided or self-guided tours? It depends if you’re in Europe or not: 64% of Europe-based operators reported that a majority of their clients opted for non-guided tours. 78% of operators based outside Europe reported that their clients preferred guided tours.
Is cycling tourism growing? Yes! 88% of respondents expected the same or more clients and 86% expected the same or higher revenue in 2024 compared with 2023.

Adventure Travel Industry Snapshot (2024)

3 of the 10 top-trending activities were cycling (the three categories were electric bikes, non-paved and paved categories).

Which countries have national cycling strategies?

The ECF’s State of National Cycling Strategies report (2023) notes that of the 54 European countries covered by the report:

14 countries have a national cycling strategy in place.
7 countries have a strategy similar to a national cycling strategy in place.
4 countries used to have a national cycling strategy but it has expired and needs updating.
8 countries are developing a first national cycling strategy.

From a cycling tourism perspective, such national strategies are important because they usually include a priority for investment in cycling tourism with the objective “to boost the tourism sector or divert tourism away from overcrowded areas to lesser-known ones.”

France made headlines by declaring in its 2024 National bicycle tourism strategy that it aims to be the world’s number 1 cycling tourism destination by 2030.

More data on cycling tourism

Cycling tourism statistics (Europe)

Cycling tourism statistics (country by country)

The value of major cycling events

Can we help?

We work with tourist boards and tour operators seeking to market their destination to cyclists looking for cycling holidays.

We’d love to discuss how we can help. These articles may be useful:

Or head over to our Work with Us page, or get in touch!

Last Reviewed: 20 November 2025

First Published: 09 November 2024