The future of Cycling Tourism was decided in 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference

DUBAI MEDIA CITY, UAE - Oct. 26, 2023 - PRLog -- The 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference was organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), and the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) with the local stakeholders in cooperation with İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Focusing on the development and future of sustainable cycling tourism, the conference brought together all the stakeholders in cycling tourism, including cycling tourism experts, international cycling associations' representatives, cycling tour operators, universities and academia, tourism and public authorities, and accommodation and public transport companies.

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, attended the conference and gave an opening speech. In his remarks, Minister Ersoy stated the following: "According to 2022 data, the EuroVelo 8 Mediterranean Cycling Route is one of the most important routes of the EuroVelo European Cycle Route Network, which exceeds 90,000 kilometres, is the second most pedalled route of the EuroVelo network. Türkiye is a member of the European Cycle Route Network, which connects the entire European continent by combining seventeen different long-distance bicycle routes and connects the cities of Edirne, Kırklareli, and İzmir via the EuroVelo 13 and EuroVelo 8 routes. I believe that the 2023 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference will provide significant breakthroughs in the development and dissemination of bicycle tourism in 81 provinces across Türkiye, as well as the implementation of new route projects and the development of sustainable bicycle tourism  one of the world's fastest-growing tourism products in Europe and globally."

In his welcome speech, Henk Swarttouw, President of the European Cyclists' Federation, said, "Nowadays, tourists want to engage in active travel and leisure. They want to spend their holidays sustainably. Cycling tourism checks all the boxes and is proliferating. This presents an immense opportunity for Türkiye with all it has to offer in terms of hospitality, nature, culture and heritage. These opportunities will be unlocked with the development of local, regional and national cycling networks and further developing EuroVelo 8 (https://en.eurovelo.com/ev8) the Mediterranean Route, in and around İzmir and future connections to other EuroVelo routes. That's why we were honoured to celebrate our annual EuroVelo and Cycling Tourism Conference in Izmir, Türkiye."