1. Start from where you are.

At the core of your bicycle tourism initiative is your community. As you develop into a thriving destination, it’s important to embrace and retain what makes you unique - and share it with your new guests.

• 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 everything you might want to find 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 - and you want to identify any gaps.

• Are public restrooms available?

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

• Are there overnight accommodations?

  
  

3. Create a welcoming environment.

Whenever any of us travel someplace new, what we remember most are the people we met and the conversations we had. 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.

• 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?

Be sure to bring your business and community leaders into the conversation, so you can hear and address their concerns.

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 can 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 the routes in your community?

• How will visitors follow these routes?

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 bike with them and will be concerned for the bike’s safety.

• Can bicycle visitors bring their bikes into their hotel rooms?

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

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.

• How can someone plan their visit in advance?

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

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.