Stand 8B02 of the Madrid fair, one of the most important in the world, has become the nerve center of cycle tourism for a few days.
Very positive balance of Bikefriendly Group en Fitur 2018, both by the number of meetings and meetings held, as well as by the contacts made and the numerous business opportunities that have opened up for the future in each and every one of the group's lines of activity.
El booth 8B02 of the Madrid fair, one of the most important in the world for the tourism sector, has become for a few days the nerve center of national and even international cycle tourism. A dynamic space, converted into meeting point for professionals linked to tourism, cycling and sustainable mobility, and where Bikefriendly Group has presented its products and services for 2018 that has just begun.
How to Live Aligned with Accommodation Quality Seal specialized in cycle tourism, Bikefriendly It has received visits from numerous establishments interested in being part of it. Some adhesion certifications were even delivered at the stand to the hoteliers themselves. Furthermore, the interest aroused by the Seal now transcends the borders of the peninsula and applications for membership have been received from establishments located in destinations such as Italy, Morocco and Equatorial Guinea, as well as Portugal and Andorra.
En este sentido, Carlos Avellana, Product Manager of the Bikefriendly Quality Seal, values your presence at the fair very positively, “where we have managed to serve around 140 establishments, with special mention to the percentage increase of just over 30% of hotel chains interested in us compared to the edition of Fitur 2017” comments. No less intense has been the activity carried out by those responsible for Bikefriendly Tours, the wholesale-retail travel agency belonging to Bikefriendly Group, which came to the fair to exhibit its most powerful products, such as the line of Bikefriendly Tracks (with the recent addition of Tracks Zona Zero, in the Huesca region of Overbearing), packages linked to large cycling events such as the Quebrantahuesos, Titan Desert or La Indurain, as well as more familiar proposals, packaged in the already well-known Greenways, and intended for a more familiar audience, named Bikefriendly Kids.
Likewise, meetings with foreign agencies and tour operators – mainly European and Latin American – have been a constant, both at the Bikefriendly Group stand and at the SERHS Tourism, where a clear commitment has been made with a space dedicated to presenting the tourist product Bikefriendly by SERHS, especially designed for the cycle tourist and sports cyclist.Therefore, Luis Poch, Director of Bikefriendly Tours, makes a more than positive assessment of his participation in Fitur 2018: “The percentage increase in meetings and contacts has been 240% compared to last year, reaching around 300 tour operators and travel agencies during these days, highlighting the interest of tourism companies of Latin American origin, a source market that It is growing exponentially.”
On the other hand, Bikefriendly Consulting debuted its presence at the Madrid International Tourism Fair with a very busy agenda that had its most notable moments on Wednesday morning, with the presence at the stand of a large delegation from the Diputació de Barcelona, whose Strategic Cycle Tourism Plan is being developed in collaboration with Bikefriendly Consulting, and in the afternoon with the presence of a good part of the municipal corporation of Sant Boi de Llobregat, headed by its mayor, Llüisa Moret, whose Urban Bike Strategy has also been developed by Bikefriendly's team of specialized consultants. The Barcelona municipality, by the way, would receive the next day award for the Most Sustainable City in Spain.On Friday it was the turn of the Torrent Town Hall (Valencia), which took advantage of the space at Bikefriendly Group's stand 8B02 to present its municipal strategy to be a smart, sustainable and inclusive city, with a plan that is already considered a benchmark at the state level. There was also a visit from a large delegation from the Huesca Provincial Council, with its president at the head, Miguel Gracia. A pioneer territory in obtaining the Bikefriendly certification in Spain, and that is constantly working to improve and expand its complete offer of products and services for all types of cycling visitors.
Likewise, those responsible for Bikefriendly Consulting held a high number of meetings – a total of 66, practically double that of last year – with a good number of territories and municipalities that are already betting on cycle tourism and sustainable mobility, or have the intention of doing so in the near future and are seeking the collaboration of the main experts in the sector.
The most technological aspect of Bikefriendly Group, represented by Tech Friendly, a company specialized in the practical application of data science for municipalities and territories, has also enjoyed frenetic activity these days.
Very positive balance, therefore, for Bikefriendly Group at Fitur 2018, both for the number of meetings and meetings held, as well as for the contacts made and the numerous business opportunities that have subsequently opened in each and every one of the lines. of group activity.
During the weekend, With the opening of doors to the general public, the Bikefriendly Group stand also aroused the interest of visitors, both for the diversity of the offer shown, and for the presence of a exceptional guest: the first bicycle built entirely in Spain, back in 1867, by a blacksmith from Huesca, Mariano Catalán. The piece was kindly provided to Fitur by the Huesca Provincial Council, which usually exhibits it in its facilities.And if the bicycle is a fashion... it is a fashion that is here to stay. Whether as the protagonist of sustainable and responsible tourism, which diversifies the wealth of territories and favors deseasonalization, or as a tool for urban transformation, making cities more comfortable and healthy places, the bicycle is leading a change that seemed necessary. for some years now, but that very few could (or wanted...) to see.
The development of cycle tourism can create almost 20.000 jobs in Spain in rural areas in 2020, according to a study by the European Cyclists' Federation who develops the project Eurovelo. The Eurovelo Network is a set of 15 routes that total 70.000 kilometers and that runs through 42 countries, including Spain, where three of these routes pass.
At an urban level, not only small and medium-sized cities are already betting on the bicycle as an indispensable part of the solution to the problem of mobility and pollution. More and more large cities are involved in putting an end to the hegemony of the car - with greater or lesser success, of course - through the promotion of public transport and the use of bicycles for daily trips.
En BarcelonaFor example, 99% of the population already has a cycling network within 150 meters of their home, and 89% has a cycle path within 300 meters. Result? Bicycle travel has increased by 14% between 2015 and 2016. The equation is simple, the results are palpable.
Actually, the bicycle has not ‘arrived’ but ‘has returned’. Just remember what vehicle our grandparents used to get around their towns and cities... and Bikefriendly Group It will continue working, even harder, to make it a tool of health for people, sustainable development for territories, and leisure and fun for the whole family.
Pictures: Miguel A. Muñoz Romero/Manel Antolí-RV Edipress
