Reading time:
2 minutes
The bike is on the rise. The French increasingly prefer this mode of transport on holiday. As for the government, it sees it as the new flagship of French industry.
– France was twice awarded the Most Popular Cycling Country at the Berlin International Tourism Fair, in 2017 and 2018, for the quality of the European routes that cross it.
The little queen conquered the hearts and feet of the French. In ten years, bicycle tourism has become the leading practice of tourist wandering, overtaking walking tourism, according to the Ministry of Economy. A craze that makes France the second largest cycling destination in the world, ahead of Germany, with more than 9 million cycling trips per year, 20% of which are foreign cycle tourists.
This cycle tourism craze exploded at the end of the Covid-19 health crisis and its many restrictions. In 2020, the Ministry of the Economy noted that 52% of French people said they were more attracted to cycling tourism than before the pandemic, and 22 million said they did it during their holidays.
Good for health, good for the environment, cycling is also good for the country’s economy. This Monday, April 22, Industry Minister Roland Lescure and Minister of Transport Patrice Vergriete are announcing a call for projects entitled “Bicycle industry» to support the innovation and reindustrialization of the bicycle industry in France, during a trip to Gennevilliers to the site of Upway, a start-up specialized in refurbishing electric bicycles. This approach is included plan “cycling and walking 2023-2027» government, whose center is the development of cycling tourism, the economic benefits of which are calculated in the billions (read below).
The rest under this ad
The rest under this ad
This system includes the financial assistance of a program called “Develop cycling tourism», which can be combined with other national or local financial support. Public or private project leaders have until April 30 for associative actors and until December 31, 2024 for others to submit their file on the Acting for environmental transition website.
Make France a leading cycling tourist destination in 2030
The growth of cycling in France is illustrated by a territorial network of 25,600 km, three quarters of which are for transport purposes. conical, and ten European routes that are part of the EuroVelo plan, consisting of seventeen cycling routes. Some have gained international importance, such as the Vélodyssée (Atlantic coast), La Loire à Vélo (Val-de-Loire) or the Via Rhôna, which particularly highlight the geographical, cultural and cultural richness of the territory. Cumulative investment by local authorities in these infrastructures now amounts to approximately 1.5 billion euros, to which are added the actions related to the structuring of tourism and the service offering carried out by their operators responsible for tourism. More than 6,000 service providers have received the Accueil Vélo© designation and offer services adapted to the friendliness of cyclists: accommodation, catering, tourist locations, repair shops, etc.
The rest under this ad
These investments are not made just for the pleasure of two-wheeled escapades, but generate significant economic benefits for France, which Bercy estimates at €4.6 billion, an increase of 46% over ten years. Cycling tourism would thus create 33,800 direct jobs, half of them in accommodation and catering. This tourism industry has an advantage highlight the local area and consequently contributes to the creation of 76,200 indirect jobs. The government hopes that by 2030 France will become a leading destination for cycling tourism. Which she estimates would bring socio-economic benefits of €80 billion, especially with regard to health benefits daily use of this fine mobility aid.
According to Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport, cycling plays a vital role in reducing pollution, decongesting cities and promoting healthier lifestyles. “It represents a pillar of European industry, stimulating innovation, economic growth and the creation of quality local jobs in line with the objectives of the European Union’s industrial strategy.», she declared when accepting the European Declaration on the support of cycling on April 3. The European cycling industry currently represents more than a thousand SMEs and a million jobs.